Xiao Ye, of course, was nothing without the Bao-borne svengali behind it: Eddie Huang. His enthusiasm knew no limits: Dipset and dumplings, blogging and Banh Mi, mixed drinks and his mother. But it was an affinity for Four Loko – an affinity quite possibly unmatched in all the five boroughs – that defines him. Unfortunately, his love for the now-banned, caffeine-blasted beverage also led to his demise.

Eater reports that Xiao Ye served its last customers this weekend, and is now in the process of taking apart the place. He will go back to the kitchen at his sandwich restaurant Baohous six days a week.

The trouble began with Haung’s Four Loko Thursdays, an exuberant and raucous night that The Observer had the pleasure of experiencing. We were lucky enough to stop by when we did, because days later the restaurant was subjected to three seperate raids. Eddie told Eater that cops informed him that such a crackdown on a restaurant was extremely rare. Loko is now banned in New York, but faced with the threat of losing his liquor licence entirely, Huang chose to shut the place down.

The upbeat owner claims he has other projects in the works, but even Eddie would admit that something like Four Loko Thursday may be hard to replicate. If you stockpiled any of the beloved beverage and plan on cracking one open tonight, pour some out for General Loko and his lost restaurant.

nfreeman [at] observer.com | @nfreeman1234

Get ready for some dericious foods that’s surely coming our way!

Get ready for some dericious foods that’s surely coming our way!

The latter part of this whole back and forth is what really caught my attention.  I’m not a big fan of Asian food, generally speaking, but Cheetos fried chicken is right up my alley.  I’m secretly a NASCAR loving, Twinkie and SPAM eating kind of girl, so the trailer park appeal of chicken battered in Cheetos and then fried trumps even things like deep-fried Oreos.  So, last night, I trekked down to the LES and went to dinner at Xiao Ye.

When I arrived, the entire front of the restaurant was open to the street and, surprisingly, about half of the tables were empty.  I had read a good deal online about how packed Xiao Ye has been since it’s opening, and I was shocked that I was actually able to eat at a table instead of at the bar.  There were 3 people at the bar and 5 tables of diners (plus me).  This left over half of the bar and, by my count, 5 tables empty.  Kind of strange, but not overly so.

I immediately liked the vibe of the place.  Though it was extremely loud (this seemed a little odd since the small space was open to the street, which should have helped diffuse the noise, and it wasn’t full), the decor and music set a very cool tone.

The walls are all painted black, but one side of the restaurant has neon colored paint drippings running down from the ceiling, which look a bit like silly string, while the other side of the restaurant has jumbo sized, brightly colored personal photos scattered across the wall.  The mixture of trendy, American Apparel/Urban Outfitters-esque design with kitschy, Grandma’s living room was very fun.  One complaint I had, however, was the seating – like Gael Greene, I found the pop-colored wooden blocks to be extremely uncomfortable.  Yes, they looked cool and enhanced the overall style of the restaurant, but it forced me to constantly slouch over my table.  Some back support might be nice….just saying.

Very soon after being seating, I was brought a glass of water, which oddly enough was the highlight of my meal.  See, they serve their drinks in ceramic cups designed to look like the red plastic Solo cups that are so beloved by fraternity boys across the nation.  I felt like, at any moment, a game of beirut might erupt in this restaurant.  I actually started to get this feeling like I was in a frat basement – except it was the Taiwanese frat (if such a thing exists) – the decor, plus the Solo-esque cups, plus the crazy mix of music (I heard old-school Jay-Z and Rick Astley, along with other assorted rap, while I was there) was enough to transport me back to my days in college.

After polishing off a glass of ice-cold water (it was hot in the subway, what can I say?), I took a look at Xiao Ye’s new Taiwanese-slash-American menu.  I knew I was going to order the Cheetos fried chicken (which is its actual name on the menu), but I wanted to order a starter as well.  I ultimately selected the Concubine Cucumbers in the hopes that they would balance out what I thought would be greasy, fatty fried chicken.  The cucumber dish is actually the most conservatively named dish on the menu – thank goodness that Eddie Huang is actually Taiwanese, because while it may be OK for him to poke fun at stereotypes about Asian people, it would not be cool at all if a non-Taiwanese chef opened a restaurant with the same menu.  There are dishes such as Everything But The Dog Meat Platter, Robster (instead of Lobster) Rice, and Play Piano, Violin, Tomato, and Eggs.  The self-deprecating, anecdotal humor on the menu can definitely be seen as amusing, though I can also see why some people take offense to it – this type of humor often inadvertently reinforces negative stereotypes when its goal is simply to point out how ridiculous the stereotypes are.

In any case, I placed my order and then waited.  I was really surprised at how long the cold, pickled cucumbers took to arrive – I was expecting them as a starter, but I ended up getting all of my food at once, which might explain the wait.  While I was waiting though, the waitress tried to keep me entertained – either because she’s just a nice, chatty girl or because she was trying to detract attention from the slow-ish food service.  She complimented my earrings and made small talk about how I heard about Xiao Ye, which, though nice, was a little awkward.  I suppose I’m just not accustomed to wait staff in New York actually giving me any more attention than their job requires.  I also might have been less awk-ed out by her chit-chat if I wasn’t having such a hard time hearing her – being hearing impaired in a loud restaurant, I was struggling to hear her and then to come up with the appropriate responses, which always makes me feel uncomfortable.

When my food finally arrived, I was starving, and I immediately pulled out my chopsticks and started in on the cucumbers.  I was pleasantly surprised by the massive serving I was given – I assumed, okay, I’ll pay $6 for some little plate of julienned cucumbers with vinegar sauce.  Instead, I got a bowl full to the brim with huge chunks of cucumber.  My first bite was a big let down though.  It tasted just like a half-sour pickle that you’d be served at a traditional New York/Kosher deli – which I really like, but didn’t seem to fit with the Taiwanese street food theme.  However, as I continued to eat, I got more of the Taiwanese flavors.  There was a good deal of garlic and also a lovely tang of fresh ginger – sadly, most of the “sauce” had pooled at the bottom of the bowl, which is why it was so hard at first to detect these more Asian flavors.  I ultimately did enjoy these cucumbers quite a bit, though I’m paying for it today with the most terribly lingering garlic taste in my mouth.  I’ve brushed my teeth 3 times now, chewed about half a pack of gum, and eaten other food, and yet I can’t shake this flavor.  For this very reason, I would not order the cucumber dish again.  It’s just too unpleasant.  Thank goodness I don’t have anyone to be kissing…

After eating a few bites of my cucumbers, I moved on to the chicken.  I was nervous about it before I even tasted it because the breading looked very dark – and I mean overcooked.  And it was.  The breading was absolutely burnt in certain spots and the chicken was extremely dry.  Now, I get that Taiwanese fried chicken isn’t like the fried chicken you’d get at your local KFC, but I still don’t think anyone in any part of the world wants to eat chalky chicken with a skimpy, burnt crust.  Beyond being burnt, the breading was also terribly disappointing insomuch as it tasted nothing like Cheetos.  I didn’t get a hint of cheesy flavor at any point.  Because the bits of chicken were all so dry, I decided I would have to start dipping them in the orange marmalade sauce that accompanied the dish.  Unfortunately, this didn’t add to my experience.  The sauce was incredibly sweet and seemed like an odd companion to chicken coated in Cheetos (and it would have been even more out of place if the chicken actually tasted anything like Cheetos). A spicy/salty dipping sauce would have been far superior.  Nonetheless, I kept dipping my chicken in the sauce just to get a reprieve from the dryness.  I ended up finishing the plate of chicken, but only because I was so hungry (I had practically fasted in preparation for what I thought would be a gigantic, greasy, fried mess of dinner).

With tip, my bill came out to $23.  Was it worth it?  No.  I could go buy a jar of pickles and a bucket of Popeye’s or KFC and get more enjoyment.  However, I think that Xiao Ye has a lot of potential and I believe Huang is trying to do cool things, but it’s just not there yet.  If David Chang can create a super successful collection of contemporary Asian restaurants, I feel like Eddie Huang can do the same – he has the creativity and imagination, but he needs to improve the execution.

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Finally, finally, I was gonna get some Taiwanese night market fare, the real comfort food stuff that will make you forget about scary exams looming ahead.  I mean, that’s what Eddie Huang promised, and that man can make baos like nobody’s business! 

I liked the cozy interior with the rainbow dripping down one wall, and the chic and spare black tables contrasting with the colorful block stools.

And, the drink menu was fun: I had the girlie Blue Point Blueberry Ale, and my friend Ag couldn’t resist the Porkslap.  Irresistible, two oinkers belly-bumping each other, you know?

These snow pea shoots, sauteed with oil and garlic, were called “Help U Poo Poo Greens”.  As appetizingly green and deliciously slick with oil these look, the actual bite told a whole other story: WAY SALTY!  And, I like salt: I’m Korean-American, for goodness sakes, and all things pickled and salted bring comfort to me, but these were…

Thankfully, “Mom’s Cold Noodles” provided some relief and balance for the “…poo poo greens” with its refreshing simplicity.

“Taiwan’s Most Famous Pork on Rice” hit the right note, with its sweet and salty, five-spice and soy sauce marinated, minced duroc pork and pork belly, crumbling over white rice.

Now, THESE, I was totally psyched for: “Extreme Taste Salt Cured Pork”!  And, knowing the perfectly tender, perfectly fatty, thick slice of pork belly that you get with your Chairman Bao at Baohaus, I was expecting something amazing.  Alas, I was not to close my eyes in bliss…  I’m thinking the quality control was off that night.  The pork belly was dry, maybe a result of overcooking in the pan?  How can you make pork belly dry?!  And, the slices were so sadly thin, not like the plump beauties that you devour at Baohaus.  Extreme Taste?  Sadly, not towards the yummy spectrum.

I’ve never had hainan chicken before, but if the Singaporeans love it enough to call it their national dish, I had high hopes for Eddie Huang’s “Big Trouble in Little Hainan Chicken”.  Well, like I just told you, I’ve never had it before, so I’m not sure that my having to slather on their homemade scallion sauce (delicious) alternating with the homemade chili sauce on the chicken to get some flavor going meant that I was eating what I was supposed to be eating vs. that the chicken was bland.

*SIGH*

I so wanted to love this place, since Xiao Ye with its 2am closing would be a perfect place to hit up after a night of boozing.

Granted, I’ve not tried “Trade My Daughter For Fried Chicken” or “Tarofongo” or “General Poke Her Face Head On Prawns” or other provocatively named dishes, and maybe that’s where I missed the mark.  But, dammit, food advertised as the ultimate comfort food should be satisfying across the board!  When the pork belly is so juicy and tender and delectable at Baohaus, how can it go so wrong at Xiao Ye in a frying pan?  I mean, doesn’t frying make EVERYTHING better?  Sadly will have to stick only to Baohaus in the Eddie Huang empire, unless I hear buzz that things have changed.

To console ourselves, we went to Vanessa’s Dumpling House on Eldrige: my first time, so a post coming soon!

411: Xiao Ye: 198 Orchard St off E Houston, 212-777-7733

Last night’s sold-out talk-&-tasting event at the Museum of Chinese in America was a hit. We had the best time because both the dialogue and the dumplings were totally delicious!

The 6-8 p.m. food fest began with an hour-long panel discussion. Afterwards, about 100 guests wandered through MoCA’s new building, sampling 10 different types of dumplings catered from six NYC restaurants.

Dumpling Night was sponsored by Rachel Sha of Prudential Douglas Elliman. We became pals years ago, when we were both MoCA trustees. For months, she searched the city for the best goodies to feed us. Her choices were nuanced, varied and elegant. I’ve got links below to all the places she ordered from — and more.

The dumpling panel

Our four terrific speakers were:

• Kian Lam Kho, 55, private chef and blogger (“Red Cook: Adventures from a Chinese Home Kitchen”). He teaches an in-depth Chinese dumpling-making class at the Institute of Culinary Education.
• Andrew Coe, 51, author of “Chop Suey,” a scholarly book that traces the history of America’s love affair with Chinese food, which began in 1784.
• Brooklyn-born chef Chris Cheung, 40, China 1 executive chef who is about to open a new midtown spot called Walle. Check out all his YouTube videos. The crowd really dug his heavy, Bensonhurst accent.
• Chef Eddie Huang, 28, bad boy from Baohaus who specializes in Taiwanese street food with a young American twist. Xiao Ye is his new eatery. Check out the blog post that proved his NYC foodie street cred.

Briefly, our key talking points:

• The Chinese have been eating and making dumplings for at least 2,000 years.
• Northern China’s hearty, thick-skinned, meat-filled dumplings (eg, pot stickers) are traditionally viewed as peasant food.
• The rich folks in Southern China specialize in delicate, thin-skinned dumplings with fancy fillings (eg, dim sum, soup dumplings).
• The American palate for these bite-sized bits of hand-made love is evolving. New creations are popping up all the time.

Where to eat the best dumplings

We dined on delights from restaurants in Manhattan (China 1, Red Egg, Shanghai Cafe, Xiao Ye); Brooklyn (East Harbor Seafood Palace) and Queens (Szechuan Gourmet).

During the panel’s Q&A with the audience, someone asked Eddie where he goes when he needs a fix. His answer: Nan Xiang Dumpling House in Flushing. Rachel said that it’s named for a town on the outskirts of Shanghai where the soup dumpling was invented. She and her husband tried the place on their way home — and loved it.

Our press coverage

Really happy to share the night with my personal friends who included: Arthur Schwartz (foodmaven.com), Max Gross (New York Post), David Leung (Sing Tao Daily), married bloggers Susan Glauberman LaRosa (aCakeBakesinBrooklyn.com) and Paul LaRosa (PaulLaRosa.com), and Madeline Muldoon (AlwaysHungryNY.com).

We also received a nice write-up on DNAinfo.com. Being back at MoCA to moderate also gave me a chance to catch up with new museum director Alice Mong and programs chief Beatrice Chen. It’s been a while!

Special thanks to two very special people

Jewelry designer Wendy Lin provided gorgeous earrings and bracelets for my daughter and I to wear. Wendy shows her work at top craft fairs throughout the Northeast. There’s also beautiful stuff featured on her website.

Before becoming an artist, my dear friend Wendy was a Newsday reporter. She is inspiring proof that if you keep following your dreams, there is life after journalism.

And hey — my daughter took the pictures you’re viewing! Up until now, I’ve been referring to her on the blog as “The Princess” to protect her privacy. But we talked about that last night. She deserves credit for her work…

All photos by: Gabrielle Ebron.

i, of course, brought along fellow fatty foodie, louie!

i’m going to let the images speak for themselves, but check out the names of the dishes too lol.

"concubine cucumbers"

these "plastic" cups weren't really plastic!

"poontang potstickers"

"taiwan most famous pork on rice"

fried pork belly

boiled chicken served cold with 3 house made sauces - the chive sauce was to DIE for "hainan chicken"

the aftermath

for dessert: sweet potatoes covered in sesame seeds "golden taste balls"

all in all, it was a great experience and i’m sure XIAO YE will be successful. i have no doubt that there will be a line out the door and around the corner for foodies and fat asses alike…

thanks HYUN and EDDIE!

location: 198 orchard st (across the street from american apparel so you can eat and watch half nekkid chicks work)

that's eddie in the blue

the place got packed as more and more friends and family showed up for the $30 six course meal so it was time for us to leave… and get a SECOND dessert over at the meatball shop! BAHAHAHAHAHA! told you we were fat!

couldn’t resist taking louise with me to get some ice cream cookie sammy’s! YUUHHHUUUMMMM!

we stopped being fat asses and went back to louie’s place where i finnnnaaallly got to meet LOLA!

My friends and I actually went to the location one Friday night hoping that it had secretly opened. Alas, it had not. Today, I received this message:

Hey Joyce,

I’m part of the Baohaus/Xiao Ye team, and I promise you, TWese food in the LES is on the way! We were actually just at Yelp’s Country Club event last night with our Kim Jong’s ILL noodles.

Eddie’s cranking hard in the kitchen and we’re hammering out the last of the paperwork. If all goes well, we’ll be in there soon!

Thanks for the concern though, and I promise it’ll be worth the wait!

~Emery

Well, thanks, Emery.  I certainly hope so.

Whenever I tell anyone about my longing for Taiwanese food, people inevitably suggest going to Flushing, but I’m always disappointed at the offerings there. There’s always something missing, something not quite right… just different and not in a good way.

Then I heard about Eddie Huang of Bauhaus opening up a restaurant serving Taiwanese street food. Hooray! At first given the cheeky (if unfortunate) name Crackhaus (the community board didn’t like that one), it was eventually renamed Xiao Ye after a meal similar to what Americans might call a “midnight snack” except instead of sneaking down to the fridge in your bunny slippers, you take to the streets.

I wrote about one of Taiwan’s most famous night markets in Keelung here: http://joycewu.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/keelung-night-market/

The food blogosphere was abuzz with news of Huang’s adventures in Taiwan gathering inspiration from the culture and training with the locals at a culinary school.  I kept tabs on his progress and the restaurant’s and was so excited when I saw a profile on NY Mag’s site proclaiming that it “Recently Opened!”  A page also popped up on Yelp with only one review from someone who had tasted a dish that was being previewed at the Hester Street Fair.

I tweeted to Eater and asked if anyone had been to Xiao Ye and if they had any recommendations.  No responses.  And suspiciously, there was no phone number listed on the NY Mag profile or the Yelp review.  There was only the address: 198 Orchard Street.

Last week Eater debuted the menu and re-posted a craigslist ad (which has since been flagged for removal) seeking employees:”Whatchu know about eating rappers for lunch and spittin’ out the chain? If you can cook and like the other other white meat, holla back.” Hilarious, I guess.  But there was no mention of an actual opening date.

Back in April, NBC New York’s Feast blog reported a possible soft opening on May 13, but it was unclear as to whether or not that actually happened since more recent items were saying June.  My intrepid foodie friends and I decided to meet there on Friday since we had at least one reasonably reliable source that said it had already opened.

We figured if NY Mag was wrong and NBC’s information wasn’t up to date and it was somehow still not open, we’d just go to one of the many other restaurants in the Lower East Side.  When I got there, I was disappointed to see that Xiao Ye had, in fact, not opened.  Blue Elm, the French-African fusion restaurant it was meant to take over, was still operating.  (Though just barely.  At 8:00 on a Friday night, there were maybe four people eating.)

So what’s the deal?  If I were a real food journalist, I might have gone inside and asked.  But I didn’t have the heart to go up to a waitress who was working at a restaurant that was so clearly on its last legs and ask when the place I really wanted was going to shut it down and replace it.  And if I were a real food journalist, I might try to contact Eddie Huang, who has his own food blog, which is interesting, I suppose, if not terribly informative.  Just tell me when the damn place is opening!  Just tell me!  When is it opening?!

On Sunday, when I was walking home, I saw a food truck parked outside the Chase bank at Astor Place serving not kebabs but Taiwanese dumplings and bubble tea.  Maybe Eddie Huang has got it wrong.  Maybe a food truck is more in the spirit of a Taiwanese night market.  No fancy Niman Ranch pork or Angus beef, just food on the street at night, cheap and quick.

Oh, who am I kidding?  Please, Eddie, please, Eddie, please!  Just open up already!  I can’t wait!