Exclusive: Eddie Huang reveals the menu for Xiao Ye

Eddie Huang

Eddie Huang's lu wei with beef shank, duck wings, and taro.

Eddie Huang has returned from a recent jaunt to Taiwan and is busily making plans for Xiao Ye (formerly Crackhaus), his 50-seat Orchard Street restaurant slated to open in mid-June. Huang gave Fork in the Road the exclusive on the menu of small bites and shareable plates, revealed below. The chef explains that Xiao Ye will be his chance to explore Taiwanese classics like red-cooked meats and fried chicken. "I really want to put in my time and tackle some of these dishes before I go do the more modern, crazy stuff," he says.

Like at Baohaus, where buns are stuffed with Niman Ranch pork and Angus beef, Huang plans to emphasize quality ingredients. He hopes to use sustainably sourced meats, especially chicken--"free-range chicken is always used in Taiwan," Huang says (a topic he also blogged passionately about while abroad).

On the small-plates menu, he's in talks with several meat purveyors about getting his own blends of pork and beef for the dumplings, and can't resist a boast: "We're going to take dumplings to a level you're not seeing elsewhere." House-made master stocks will go into everything from soups to sauces, and spice powders will be ground in-house from Chinese medicinal herbs.

Yet despite these ministrations, Huang wants to keep prices "30 percent lower" than at other Asian drinking-and-eating spots. A full liquor license (still be reviewed by the board) and hours till 2 a.m. on weekends should also help draw a crowd. "I wanted to have a cool place with really good food that doesn't kill young people with the price--it's really for me and my friends," he tells us, which is a more subdued version of what he expressed on his blog today: "It sucks that by the time you can afford the dope shit in life, you're old, ugly, and probably have diabetes. So, I don't want to perpetuate that." Sounds good, as long as the LES customer base doesn't end up being like the dessert: drunken fruits. Check out the full menu below.

Xiao (Small)

Dumpling - $6 - boiled

Pot Sticker - $8 - long/street style/pork or beef

Stinky Tofu - $5

Fried/Grilled/or Brushed Rice Balls - $6

Lu Platter - pick 2 items - $8 - beef shank/tofu/duck wing/egg/tripe/bamboo/chicken feet/taro

Eel w/ Chives - $8 - eel/chives/beansprouts/sautee

Sweet Potato Leaves - $5 - sweet potato leaves/garlic

Taiwan Cabbage - $6 - steamed/pork fat/green onion

Fried Sweet Potato - $6 - sweet potato strips/fried/sesame

Bamboo - $6 - bamboo/chili/garlic/sauteed

Baby Bamboo - $6 - raw/mayo or chili soy dipping sauce

Pao Tsai - $5 - cabbage/carrots/pickled in house

Cucumber - $5 - cucumber/small chili/garlic/pickled in house

Bean Sprouts - $5 - bean sprouts/sweet vinegar/sesame seeds

Broccoli - $5 - broccoli/pureed garlic/sliced fresh chili

Tomato and Eggs - $5 - tomato/eggs/scallions

Bang Bang Chicken Salad - $8 - pulled chicken/spicy dressing/shredded cucumbers

Cold Chicken Noodle Salad - $8 - pulled chicken/sesame sauce/noodles/cucumbers

Zha Jiang Mien - $8 - minced pork/bean paste/cucumbers/beijing style

Dummy Noodles - $5 - noodles/seasoned oil/scallions/fish ball

Tofu Bricks - $8 - fresh tofu/sweet chili/peanut candy

Chicken Soup - $5 - chicken soup/shredded chicken/rice

Fish Ball Soup - $5 - half chicken stock/half water/fish ball/green onion/celery/cilantro/mung bean noodle/white pepper/salt

Zhong (Medium)

Salt Pork Belly - $12 - pork belly/salt crust

Red Sausage Rice - $13/16 - glutinous rice/marinated/steamed with smoked meat

WMDs - $13/16 - cold noodles/vinegar/peppers/cucumbers/shredded chicken

Taiwan Fried Chicken - $12 - marinated 24 hours/Taiwan batter/fried/peanut/chili powder

Taiwan Pork Chop - $12 - marinated 24 hours/Taiwan batter/fried/seasoned salt

Taiwan Fried Fish - $13 - cod/Taiwan batter/fried basil

Yu To Yo Fan - $13/16 - fried taro/scallions/dried shrimp/Chinese sausage/sunny side up egg

Chicken Rice - $13/16 - shredded chicken/chicken rice/sunny side up egg

Minced Pork on Rice - $13/16 - classic/Taiwan minced pork/rice/cilantro

Taiwan Mei Fun - $13/16 - mei fun/shredded pork/carrots/mushrooms/dried shrimp/onion

Da (Big)

Taiwanese Country Fried Steak - 2 cube steaks - $16

General Tso's Head on Prawns - $16

Hainan Chicken - $18 - half chicken/chicken rice/puree garlic/hot sauce/puree ginger

Hong Sau - $25 - pork belly/ox tail/beef rib/pork rib

Steamed Whole Fish - seasonal fish - $25

Seasonal Pancake - $12

Seasonal Waffle - $12

Drunk Fruit Platter - 8 oz assorted drunk fruit and 4 shots - $24