Cold Sesame Noodles
What’s not to love? Kids get two of their favorite food groups—pasta and peanut butter—in one addictive dish. Empire Szechuan Gourmet serves the real deal: Here, an order of cold sesame noodles ($4) consists of an enticing heap, sensuously bathed in the sesame-and-peanut-butter sauce of your 2am dreams and topped with slivered cucumber and scallions. I thought I heard the little girl next to me say, “I could just slather this all over myself” (or was that me?). 2642 Broadway at 100th St (212-663-6004)
Pad See Ew
The best way to get your kids to eat their greens is not to offer them a deceptively delicious brownie, but rather to ply them with a plate of luscious noodles accented by a gorgeous vegetable. Pam Real Thai Food’s pad see ew (called pad see eil on the menu; $6.50) is just the ticket—marvelous flat, broad rice noodles, leafy and crunchy Chinese broccoli, thinly sliced beef and soft egg curds in a neatly balanced, sweet soy-based sauce. 404 W 49th St between Ninth and Tenth Aves (212-333-7500, pamrealthai.com)
The entrance is on 60th Street, just west of the NW corner of 8th Avenue - NOT on 8th Avenue itself. It was very much there at lunchtime yesterday: had wonderful "House Special" noodle soup, w/ beef, pork chop, fried egg, pig's feet (?), some unidentified artfully sliced white seafood (?), & lots of veg in a delicious brown broth on a cold Winter day. For $6 you can't beat it!
We tried to go 12/ 21 to Lan Zhou Hand Pull Noodle at 5924 Eighth Ave between 59th and 60th Sts in Sunset Park but found a 'Japanese Beauty Salon' in its place. I guess it either moved or closed.