"As eclectic and expansive as its menu can be, Xiao Ye — the new Hollywood District restaurant from D.C. restaurant alumni Louis Lin and Jolyn Chen — isn’t using something as broad or random as a global pantry. The couple identifies their cuisine as “first generation American food,” something born out of life growing up as Asian Americans in California and restaurant workers throughout the United States. As such, every dish seems to have a clear story behind it. The springy-soft, jalapeño powder-dusted masa madeleines pull inspiration from trips to suburban Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses. The sesame oil-finished pear and steak tartare is a play on Korean yukhoe, with multiple cuts of Revel Meat beef and Kiyokawa pear. The spicy-creamy tangle of alkaline spaghetti arrives coated in a sauce made with black vinegar, sesame paste, and Lao Gan Ma, a rendition of the improvised post-service pasta Lin would make Chen after midnight. Service is warm and colloquial, but still exacting; it reflects the nature of the restaurant, which presents with such an unrehearsed, personal air, despite the parade of sharply conceptualized plates. The best way to enjoy the restaurant, clearly, is to blend even further, combining components of ssams and large-format dishes that fill the table each night." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
