Cheap hand-pulled noodles at Xi'an Famous Foods in New York

I first heard about Xi’an Famous Foods when Anthony Bourdain featured it on his former show. Once we landed in NYC, since we were in the area, the hubs, our friend, and I decided to stop in at Xi’an for lunch.The outpost we went to was in East Village and tiny, tiny. I’m talking there’s just a few tables lining one wall, a bar lining the other wall, and room down the middle for the queue that ostensibly fills up during meal time. There’s a boombox playing old school rap, it’s cash only, and you get your drink out of a fridge in the corner. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s cheap and it’s solid.The cuisine served at Xi'an is indigenous to the Chinese town of the same name, perhaps bets known as the site of the terracotta warriors. We ordered several dishes to share. My personal favorite was the hand-ripped noodles with pork, though our friend liked the spicy cumin lamb best. The lamb was very good, but a bit heavy on the cumin for my taste. Xi'an is located in northwestern China, so the cuisine is a mix of Chinese and Middle Eastern flavors, which gives way to the liberal use of spices. Hand-pulled noodles are the best, though--there's something comforting and incredibly enjoyable about that fresh, chewy texture. Best of all, most dishes will run you less than $10.If you’re not an expert in every regional Chinese cuisine, Xi’an might offer you a breath of fresh air outside your usual xiaolongbao and house special fried rice.Don’t forget to bring cash.Xi’an Famous Foods - East Village81 St. Marks Pl. (at 1st Ave.)New York, NY 10003Phone: +1 212 786-2068(multiple locations)