WHY For the delicious thrill of expanding your pasta connoisseurship.

WHAT The house specialties, three northern Chinese noodle styles, open a window onto the earliest forms of noodle: dao xiao mian, absorbent ribbon-like noodles that are cleaver-shaved from a stiff dough roll resembling a yule log; cat’s ears, little dumpling-like blobs; and dumpling knots, spaetzle-like wet dough tossed into boiling water (ask about #6 and #7 under ‘snacks,’ written in Chinese). The shaved noodles come in various soups, stir fries and, by request, tossed with superbly seasoned sauces that cling to their uneven texture. Savory pastries (leek cakes and beef rolled in pancakes), dumplings and mostly spicy stir-fries complete the menu.

WHO Pasta addicts and the Asian food-blogging brigade.