Somewhere in the aughts, Dave Arnold—an “adventurer and writer with a dash of mad scientist”—got the idea in his head that what New York and the world really needed was a museum specifically dedicated to food and drink. Think about it, what do most of us do throughout the day? We eat and drink. Where do we meet our loved ones? At bars or while grabbing something at a restaurant. In every culture, the very act of breaking bread with someone instantly forms a bond between those sitting at the table. And yet, there wasn’t a museum discussing this cultural aspect, or the technological aspect of our food system, or the marketing aspect of the industry.
Dave worked on the idea, getting so far as to build a business plan and having a goal for the first exhibit, but nothing could really get off the ground. Until 2011, when a lawyer taking weekend cooking class at French Culinary Institute—now the International Culinary Center—sat in on Dave giving a talk about this museum idea and decided he wanted to get in on it. That lawyer, Peter Kim, is now the Executive Director of the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD)—Dave is still heavily involved—and we, as you’ve probably gathered, are the neighborhood lucky enough to have MOFAD in our midst.Continue reading →
We all know that living in New York affords us the ability to travel without leaving the city, and few destination neighborhoods offer as much variety as Flushing, Queens. Even a short trip here is enough to realize how lazy a term ‘Chinatown’ is. Many of the restaurateurs in that neighborhood have begun to capitalize on this, highlighting their regional identity and scoring great reviews in the New York Times while attracting more western eaters to endure the 7 train in exchange for a cheap, delicious meal. Few have done so with the marketing skill of Xi’an Famous Foods, which has now gone one better and recently opened up shop on the corner of Bedford and Manhattan Avenues in Greenpoint, thus sparing us the pre-dinner commute to Queens. Continue reading →
The brand new Greenpoint outpost of Xi’an Famous Foods will be having its official grand opening at 648 Manhattan Avenue this Saturday December 6th.
To celebrate their arrival in the neighborhood, the northwestern Chinese mini-chain will be offering a free noodle dish or burger of choice to Greenpoint customers. To take advantage of this you need to follow them on a social media platform (facebook, twitter, instagram or weibo, whatever that is) then turn up on Saturday between 11.30am and 5pm brandishing your phone.
Anthony Bourdain is a massive fan: “This place is unbelievable!” he says. Now it’s time to see if Greenpoint agrees…
Xi’an Famous Foods is at 648 Manhattan Avenue between Nassau and Norman Avenues.
Last week Gina and I set out on a mission to find great local eats that would set us back no more than $7 per person. After kicking things off with a supremely wallet-friendly breakfast at Peter Pan’s, this week we decided to seek out a dirt-cheap lunching spot.
We got word that Chinese Musician (151 Greenpoint Avenue) does a lunch special for a mere $6.50. This allows you to choose a soup, a rice and an entrée from a list of 33 dishes (or 43 options if you’re feeling flush enough to spring an extra dollar). This was obviously a very exciting prospect for us.
On Saturday afternoon we slid into a sunny window booth and, before we’d even ordered, our hosts greeted us with iced water, a pot of green tea, a big bowl of savory bites and a sweet chili dipping-sauce. For free. We suspected we were onto a good thing. Continue reading →
I’d just like to get this right out of the way and say that black magic works. I’ve dabbled in the dark arts and after all of the proper blood rites have been performed and incantations memorized, I’ve gotten exactly what I wanted.
Xi’an Famous Foods has opened a location closer to me than their East Village spot. Their new location in Greenpoint (86 Beadel St) is a ten minute walk from my house, and I’d personally like to thank the Dark Lord Clothos for making this possible.
For those of you not familiar with Xi’an in all its spicy glory, allow us to show you the way. Originally from Flushing, with two outposts in Manhattan, Xi’an Famous Foods has consistently been credited with helping the resurgence of traditional Chinese food here in New York. Specializing in traditional Western Chinese cuisine, Xi’an represents conventional Americanized Chinese food in much the same way the croissanwich represents French food. A very different beast indeed.
