Xi'an Gourmet House wins with simple menu and excellent taste

Thomas here. Last weekend, my friend Sonam suggested our buds meet at Xi'an Gourmet House for a pre-movie dinner. (We saw "Barbarian"! It was clever, frightening and funny.)

Details: Located in The Mark at the corner of Spring and 10th Street, Xi'an works off a slimmed-down menu that won my heart with its relative simplicity.

• You've got noodles, soups, burgers, dumplings and some simple appetizers. All of which taste excellent.

I opted for the vegetarian noodles dry with stir-fry potato, carrot, king mushroom and tofu. I also added an order of veggie spring rolls, and I sampled my friend's order of scallion pancakes.

• The latter was less decadent than what you'd find at Gaja's and Ok Yaki. That subtlety was delightful.

Yes, but: My friends opted for the beef noodle soup. Everyone loved their meal and the spice level.

• The peppercorns made my mouth tingle but didn’t make me sweat or see bright lights.