Comments (0) Best Chinese (Northern) - 2012
Yi Lan Halal
Sure, there are plenty of halal Chinese restaurants in town (such as Brooklyn's No Pork Halal Kitchen), but they all basically serve a Cantonese menu with the swine cut out. By contrast, Yi Lan Halal slings the food of the Muslim population of northern China, which also conforms to the dietary standards of observant followers of Islam here. That means plenty of Silk Road influences, including thick, puckered dumplings that might almost be mistaken for Uzbek manti, shredded pitas stir-fried with vegetables, and the elusive "hand-torn lamb": big knuckles of mutton matched with miniature red dates in a savory broth that the waitress replenishes as you ladle the stew from the bubbling chafing dish. 42-79A Main Street, Queens, 718-886-3622 (11355)
