The sauce is brown and sticky, sweet yet unfathomably tangy. Spicy, no. Vinegary, no, not quite. Fuzhou-style spare ribs (over rice, $4.50) are actually a jumble, in roughly equal measures, of chewy ribs and more-yielding chunks of taro. Their Chinese name, 醉排骨, zuì páigǔ, betrays the source of their haunting flavor: These are the fabled Fujianese "drunken spare ribs," prepared with red rice wine.
New Ah Ping may be the reincarnation of Ah Ping Snack Bar, which shuttered several years ago. The menus are certainly similar, but from my inquiries to date, I'm still not sure.
New Ah Ping Restaurant (a.k.a. New Arping)
45 Division St. (Market-Catherine Sts.), Manhattan
212-966-6688