Xiao Ye Is our Restaurant of the Week

Vulgar. Uncouth. Offensive.  Such revulsions might flit through one's mind when scanning Xiao Ye's menu only to discover terms, some best searchable by urbandictionary.com, like poontang, henrock, concubine and dog meat. But this is just a show of cartoonish bravado meant to lure rough and sparkly Lower East Siders in for late night Taiwanese food. Don't let such trivial details deter you from joining, ordering a spiked Hawaiian Punch or "Buddha Sex Cabbage" ($8), and unloading your own fetishes at the bar after a third bubble tea cocktail. The "poontang potstickers" ($8), slightly crispy and stuffed with Pat La Frieda's Duroc pork, are best alongside an order of fluffy house made "brick sit on wall tofu" cubes, fried and sweetened with chili sauce ($6). Follow it up with Princeton Review bean paste noodles ($10), sweetly stewed fat tumbled over slippery carbs and smashed up legumes.  At his blog [thepopchef.blogspot.com], owner Eddie Huang (also behind the bun shop Baohaus) puts minds at ease concerning potentially risky-sounding items like the "Dumpling Faced Killah" ($8) or "General Poke-Her Face Prawns" ($18) by saying, "I DON'T USE MSG! It makes shawties swell up and look all lopsided and shit." Comforted, you can continue on with an order of "Gold Taste Balls" ($6), ginger laced deep fried sweet potatoes, or "Yellow Fever Bao Fries" ($8), fluffy cake fingers reminiscent of funnel cake, partnered with Ovaltine condensed milk and fried bananas. Simpry dericious! (Huang's words. Not ours).
xiaoyenyc.com