booty call cuisine

It is imperative that I eat at Xiao Ye as soon as humanly possible. 

This joint, set to open in the Lower East Side next week, is brought to us by Eddie Huang of Baohaus, a former lawyer/streetwear designer/restauranteur (he also writes a blog called Fresh Off the Boat which cracks me up to no end). I've never been to Baohaus but now feel this pressing need to trek down to Rivington just to get a bao to tide me over til Xiao Ye opens. Baohaus earned its stripes from turning up some of the most delish Taiwanese  Gua Baos in town. As described in this New York Times article, "God is in the details. The buns are steamed in lotus leaves. The pork is flash-fried, and then simmered in rice wine, soy sauce, rock sugar, ginger and star anise—a technique called “red cooking” in Mandarin—plus cherry Coca-Cola, which adds a hint of caramel." Good lord. I can barely sit still. I am definitely in dire need of having some Chairman Bao stat!

But I digress ... my point was, I really need to eat at this restaurant. Xiao Ye means midnight snack, and the fare served is Taiwanese street market food—otherwise referred to by Eddie as "booty call food." (Source: Serious Eats) I forgive them for naming a dish "Trade My Daughter for Fried Chicken" because they have Hainanese chicken on the menu, which I loooove. They serve it with a sunny side up egg—a combo I've never tried but now I'm itching to know if chicken and egg jive. And I feel the need to hand over some of my hard-earned cash to an establishment with the balls to name an appetizer "Poont@ng Pot Stickers", a veggie dish "Help U Poo Poo Greens", their noodles "Kim Jong's Ill Noodles", and a pancake dessert "Flat Taiwanese Bootycake." It also tickles me pink that their lobster dishes have names like "Robster Rice" and "Robster Craws." I am a fan of people who don't take themselves too damn seriously. I'm positive I will be dreaming about the Extreme Taste Salt Cured Pork, which is marinated in soy sauce and wine for 24 hours before cooking, until the day I step into Xiao Ye.

For more of the wacky menu, see the images on the right. Counting the days til this booty call comes ...





Xiao Ye is located at 198 Orchard Street (between Houston and Stanton Streets), Lower East Side.
Baohaus is located at 137 Rivington Street (Norfolk Street), Lower East Side. Tel. (646) 684-3835