Bowling For Noodles

Xi’an Famous Foods, East Village NYC.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for well over a year so perhaps I set my expectations a tad too high. The stewed pork “burger” was very much on-point, a much better version than what I’ve had at Shanxii Gourmet. But their spicy cumin lamb noodles were…well, kind of middling. Reminded me of a spicier version of a black bean chow fun. The noodles were dense and chewy (good) but I felt also a bit on the mushy side (bad) and definitely not as enjoyable as some of the hand-pulled noodles I’ve had elsewhere. Maybe it was just an “off plate” but definitely didn’t live up to what I was hoping for.