I saw the Roboppy/Serious Eats post about a Xi’an now opening in Manhattan’s Chinatown. This is the famous place in Flushing’s Golden Mall everyone keeps talking about. Even more so after Bourdain went to it on his No Reservations show. I still need to check that show out. Not to brag or be clueless (depending on how you look at it), but I still haven’t really seen the Bourdain show outside of a few mins while eating a taco in LA. My point is that it’s just surprising for a food blogger and someone who likes ethnic food and weird shit. I’m also surprised I don’t have an iPhone yet.
I did once try to find Xi’an in Flushing one time, but I didn’t know where it was except that it was in some mall. This would have been a good time to have one of those iPhones. So I was so glad to see this place opening an outpost so close. The shop is really small. Not really a dine-in restaurant. It has a tiny counter that maybe three people might be able to stand/squeeze in on. That’s what Yoshie, Rob and I were able to do on this rainy day. It really got tight when four other people were trying to order. There were photos of Anthony Bourdain on the wall. A sign that says they must give you a receipt or you’ll get your food for free. Another sign that says the bathroom is in the basement of the plaza/mall, toilet paper available on request. What happens if you forget to ask?
I got the popular Cumin Lamb Burger ($2.50). It was pretty good. Well seasoned lamb meat in a bread pocket, kind of similar to pita or English Muffin without the nooks and crannies. Yoshie and Rob noodle dishes (Mount Qi hand-pulled noodles & Cumin Lamb Noodle Soup – $5 each). The noodles are hand pulled in front of you at the counter. The way they pull it, it is a much broader noodle than of the Lan Zhou hand-pulled variety. Yoshie and Rob really enjoyed their food. It’s a good deal. I want to try the noodles next time. Maybe some day they’ll put up a photo of me on their bathroom wall.
Xi’an Famous Foods – 88 East Broadway #106 (but really on Forsyth at the corner of E. Broadway) New York, NY 10002
Ramen and Friends – for Yoshie & Rob’s thoughts
Awesome! I have been wanting to check this place out for forever, but was too damn lazy to get up to Queens.
@kelly… yeah, I could never make it to Queens for this. I wonder if this Manhattan location will diminish its charm & intrigue for adventurous food eaters. Like will Bourdain care to take a short train ride here? Or is it just too easy now?
[…] Cumin Lamb Burger ($2.50) at Xi’an Famous Foods. The lamb burger is just as tasty as the newer Manhattan location. The Lian Pi Cold Skin Noodles have a great flavor, but why is it cold? I can imagine it tasting […]
[…] a free burger. I looked through the window just now and the menu prices seem about the same as the other locations ($2.50 for a Savory Cumin Lamb Burger). Now that these lamb burgers and cold noodles are so […]
It is not right for their such bad attitude. Their new boss Jason cursed his customer ignorant, stupid. How could he do this. It is us customers who feed them. Now their business are OK, and they began to go against us? It is NOT RIGHT.
Their attitudes are getting worse and worse. They don’t care about customers anymore. Their new boss Jason said in person that he doesn’t care about losing one client like me. Honestly, I have been client of this store for a long time since his father start this store in Flushing. His father is humorous and gentle. But he is totally opposite. He will Ruin his father’s business one day or even sooner. Today, I only ask him to not add spice but sugar in the Tofu, which is very reasonable and simple. He refused. I said I have already ordered spicy dish here and don’t want to have another spicy one. He again refused. I as a customer, have been rejected by him twice. He even told me to buy it somewhere else and I don’t necessarily need to eat in their store. What a rude attitude. I am not a person who like arguments. I only feel as a customer for this store for a long time, my feelings have been hurt. I said I need to talk to his father. He said he will dial the number right away and he won’t answer any way. He also said I can sent email but it is him who responsible for the emails. What he want to say is ask me to get off, and he didn’t care about me as a client.Jason, you know, you will ruin your father’s business. Although you can speak English fluently, you are nothing and nothing compared to your father. Remember, it is your father who start this business very hard, and build a good relationship to other clients. You are rude to me today, and I believe you will be mad to other clients another day. You will see how you ruin the business day by day. I have to say, you are the worst boss I have ever seen.
I will never again go to your store and I will talk to my other friends and relatives and everyone I know how you are rude to clients only because your business is Ok now.
Jason, if you do care about your business. I need your apology publicly on your website. I know as one single customer. You even don’t care about my complaints. But I do believe if you continue to be like this, more and more people will hate the way you run business, and won’t go to you store. You know, if you were not being rude to me this morning, I could bring other clients come. I was so disappointed how your father can let you be the boss. All those years sweats and tears. If your father see what you have done today, he will get disappointed too. You said I am ignorant and stupid. How could you look down upon others like this. Yes, I admit my English is not as fluent as you, but I do understand the meaning of words that you were cursing me. I will continue talk to all my friends not go to your store if you don’t apologize to me. At first, I decided do nothing and let this go. Then I think instead of doing nothing and getting angry I will do something to criticize you. You are wrong? Jason? and you are a horrible boss.
I am writing to urge the public not to go to Xian Famous Foods on Bayard Street in Chinatown. The young owner there has a habit to pick fights with customers and to demand customers to leave his store. You do not usually hear stories that a business owner would kick customers out. The only exceptions are that the customer is a drunk, or a psycho, or is disturbing other customers. His food gets some good reviews and his ego gets shot up to the roof. However, it doesn’t give him the rights to insult and disrespect customers. After reading some reviews, I realized that I was not the only one mistreated by him. I wish the others should speak up and tell their stories.
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