Welcome back to Haus Call, where Eater periodically checks in with BaoHaus and Xiao Ye chef/owner Eddie Huang to see what he’s up to these days.
The final pieces in the Xiao Ye puzzle are coming together: last week Eddie Huang tested some new recipes on a trio of food bloggers, dropped the final menu on his blog (complete with bonkers entree names and artwork), and finalized that ever-crucial iPod playlist.
Huang plans on opening up his new LES Taiwanese joint as early as five days after they secure a temporary liquor license, and told us today that he's attending a CB3 meeting tonight. So, maybe the Huangster will be serving up those Obey Your Parents Bean Sprouts and that Flat Taiwanese Booty Cake sooner rather than later. We touched base with Eddie today to find out how things are going in the Xiao Ye kitchen, pre-opening:
Jason Titner is our head chef. He worked at Veritas, exec chef at China de Puebla. Dope guy. It's been a lot of fun and educational to work with Jason because he comes from fine dining and I don't even garnish. We battle about "to garnish or not to garnish". My approach is to keep it homestyle, save money, and pass the discount on to customers.
I think in comparison to a lot of the more "modern Asian" concepts around, I am going to give them "chef quality" food at family style prices. I really don't pass the cost of my time or even the all natural onto the customer. We're very cost conscious, but not sacrificing quality. Jason is down with that, but he's also garnishing with the ingredients that are already in the dish (like the peppers, orange peel, etc) instead of adding on costs so that is cool.So, there you go. No unnecessary garnishes in the Xiao Ye food, nor fancy-pants exotic ingredients in the drinks. And if you're wondering what Huang is up to in the precious free time before his second restaurant opens: "I've been gettin crunk on the weekends with the goon squad, watching the NBA Finals, Boondocks, and reading this book 'The Authenticity Hoax' by: Andrew Potter. But really.... I'm just glad the Dips is back!!" For more on the Xiao Ye menu or the reunion of Hip Hop supergroup the Dipset, do head over to Eddie's blog.We're more about sacrificing appearance or overly chef-like ingredients that really don't enhance the experience. When we roll out the drink list, you'll see there's no yuzu or shiso or anything stupid expensive that isn't necessary. We be minimalist up in here.
· All Eddie Huang Coverage [~ENY~]
· BaoHaus [Official Site]
· Fresh Off the Boat [Official Site]
[Photo: Fresh Off the Boat]
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