"The East Village’s Hunan Bistro competes to burn your tongue with the Sichuan restaurant Han Dynasty on the same block of Third Avenue. Offerings include cold preserved egg with green chile, in which the egg white has been transformed to obsidian; steamed fish head smothered in colorful pickled chiles; sour string beans; and sauteed preserved pork with dried turnips. And don’t miss Mao’s red braised pork belly, with a gritty texture and nutty flavor. 96 3rd Ave., between 12th and 13th street, East Village" - Robert Sietsema