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Even the tony Upper East Side has neighborhood staples that are easy on the pocket. Judging by the steady stream of happy customers entering the restaurant, Tang Tang is one of them. While the furnishings are decidedly low-budget and the presentation is just a step above cafeteria-style—the Wonton in Spicy Szechuan Sesame Sauce appetizer is served in a glass soup bowl and the serving utensil is a plastic teaspoon—the food is frankly quite good. Sauces are zesty. Even a crispy, fried, orange-flavored concoction, such as Marvelous Orange Beef, is not overly greasy. Portions are generous, and the meat and vegetables fresh partly because there's lots of turnover. There's an abnormally wide variety of creative meatless entrees for vegetarians, plus flavorful renditions of standard Chinese restaurant menu items, such as Spicy Sesame Beef and Hunan Chicken. Specialties include Hwa Yuan Filet Mignon, amusingly described on the menu as: "meltingly juicy cubes of filet w. assertive hot sauce on a bed of tender greens." — Andrew Horwitz

Marvelous orange beef, $20.25