The Great Xi’an Famous Foods – Now on The Upper East Side!

Glenwood — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 13:46:40 +0000

Xi’an Famous Foods first became, um, famous back in the mid aughts, with the original, tiny stall in Flushing’s Golden Shopping Mall standing out even among all the other wondrous street-food-ish stands for its ragged, hand-ripped noodles and, in addition to other meaty delights, its intense cumin-seasoned lamb. Then came another, even smaller, storefront in Manhattan’s Chinatown, where I first encountered Xi’an (and, much to my shame, I wasn’t an immediate convert, though I think that had something yo do with bringing the food home, rather than eating it right away), and then… well, let’s just say that is has been a busy few years for this crew, with shops opening up on the Upper East and Upper West Sides, Midtown East and West, as well as two in Brooklyn, in East Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Question is, has this rapid expansion effected the quality of the food, or is Xi’an Famous still one of the best cheap eats spots in all of NYC?

Upper East Side Welcomes Xi’an Famous Foods

I stopped in at the Upper East Side Xi’an the other night, my first time at this newish outpost on 78th Street, mid-block between First and Second Avenues, to see how their rightly Famous Foods had weathered the trip uptown. First, I was happy to see that, even given a much larger space than, say, their East Village spot–though it’s still not “large” by any stretch of the imagination–that Xi’an retains its no-frills, slightly hip charm. There’s the photo menu on the wall (order by letter-number combo, like “N2”, not “Spicy and Tingly Beef Hand Ripped Noodles”), backless stools in front of narrow counters, bright lights and red tiles, and, taking advantage of the room, a communal table. Even the music here is the same old-school hip-hop mix, chosen by Xi’an founder Jason Wang himself, though they do feel the need to explain their taste in tunes in a little plaque, rather than just assume Upper East Siders will totally get it, because it’s good.

What To Eat At Xi’an Famous Foods

So, the fun and functional quick-bite vibe remains in place–as do the pleasantly low prices–and, I’m happy to report, so does the deliciousness of the food. I had my go-to dish, N1 (Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles), and it was excellent as always, the wide noodles chewy and satisfying, the meat intensely spiced and tender, just a fantastic winter-night’s supper. Note: Xi’an doesn’t do delivery because these noodles are meant to be eaten immediately, before they get all mushy, so if you’re doing take-out, for heaven’s sakes hurry. Anyway, I’m betting that my other favorites–the cold Lamb Face Salad (L3), the superb Lamb Burger (B2), the Stewed Oxtail Noodle Soup (Ns10)–are just as good here as elsewhere in the Xi’an Famous universe. I also tried something new at the UES Xi’an, and it was terrific, a plate of about eight fat Spicy and Sour Spinach Dumplings, which are definitely both those things and are actually packed-full with spinach, so you can count it as your vegetable. Bottom line: Xi’an Famous Foods clearly should expand to EVERY neighborhood.

For Menu and More Information on Xi’an Famous Foods

Xi’an Famous Foods has multiple locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. For complete details as well the Xi’an Famous menu, see their first-rate website, here.

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The Legos Store NYC: New in Rockefeller Center

Glenwood — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:53:58 +0000

Earlier this summer New York City's first-ever Lego Store moved into the heart of the Midtown Manhattan tourist district, opening a heavily-branded flagship store in the old Brookstone space in Rockefeller Center. Now, of course you can buy most everything Legos-related in a hundred places all over the city, as well as everywhere online. So the Lego folks know they have to turn their NYC retail space into a destination spot, complete with products you can't find anywhere else, if the tourists are going to bother buying, and the locals are going to show up at all. Based on what we've seen so far, the Legos Store in New York City succeeds on both counts.

In addition to piles of every construction kit imaginable, the Legos Store NYC offers several unique ways to buy the ubiquitous blocks, most notably the curving, massive, Pick-a-Brick wall that dominates the space. Here are well over a hundred bubbles filled with sorted Legos of all sizes, shapes and colors, from the obvious to the esoteric–pink bricks! tree limbs! wheels! doors!–that you can buy in bulk. Grab a bucket, small or large, and fill it up. This is both inspirational for custom builders, as well as indispensable for Lego fanatics with a specific, assembly-line project in mind (Lego Space Invader belt buckles for all your friends, anyone?). Also an interesting buying option at the Legos Store in NYC: the "Build a Mini" station, which you can assemble on site, then purchase, as many "guys" as you can imagine, using a vast array of facial expressions, headgear and outfits.

Really, though? Our favorite part of the Legos Store in Manhattan is the dozens of Lego dioramas that wind through the entire two-story space. Designed and constructed by a trio of Lego master builders (yes, that's a real job, and one that's apparently held by 40 individuals who travel the world building the company's most complicated projects), these small scenes, all NYC classics, are tucked inside specially-designed brick display cases. There's a woman feeding the pigeons on a park bench, for example, and the Statue of Liberty, and a playground crew shooting hoops, and suited-up traders yelling and gesticulating on the Stock Market floor. These are all great, as is the Lego Store's wildly busy centerpiece, a winter's day in Rock Center itself, with tons of skaters and gawkers and revelers and cops and snackers and all manner of city creatures, common and surprising (can you find Darth Vader?). These are all pretty irresistible for New York City partisans like ourselves. Just go to the Legos Store before December, and the tree, because the place is going to be a madhouse come high tourist season.

The Legos Store NYC Details

The Lego Store NYC is located within Rockefeller Center, close to Fifth Avenue and 51st Street. The Legos Store is open on Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.