NYC: Xi'an Famous Foods...

...finally opened up in my neighborhood!

I've been trekking out to Flushing since 2007 to satisfy certain cravings that only Xi'an Famous Foods could fulfill. See past posts here and here. But I have no intention of going to Flushing anymore (especially in this summer heat, haha), because they finally opened a location in the East Village.
Stopped by this afternoon to pick up a late lunch. This new location is so much cleaner than all their others. Air conditioning too! And enough space to seat about eight people - four along the counter, and four at tables. I got my two favourite dishes, one of which was the Liang Pi Cold Skin Noodles ($4.50). By the time I got home the takeout box had leaked all over the place, so I had to transfer it to another dish. Lesson: make sure not to tip the bag when you carry this home or ask them to pack the sauce separately. No worries - still tasted just as wonderful. The noodles, are made from wheat starch, very slippery, and slightly bouncy. It's mixed with bean sprouts and chunks of wheat gluten, the entire concoction is tossed in a fire-y, garlic-laced sauce. The wheat gluten is the most awesome part of this dish, it functions as a sponge soaking up all the sauce. Serve chilled.

Here's a shot of the same dish from the Flushing location if you must compare :)

I also got the Cumin Lamb Burger ($2.50)...

...and a photo from the Flushing location. There was actually a pretty noticeable difference in quantity (not taste) when comparing the lamb burgers between the two locations. But I'm not complaining, this is still one of the best deals in the neighborhood. Not as easy to find reliable cheap eats in the EV anymore!

Hope everyone is staying cool today! :)

Xi'an Famous Foods
81 St. Mark's Place
New York, NY 10003