My favorite regional Chinese cuisine is what I’ve seen called “Chinese Islamic,” though I suppose that it might just be the particular Chinese Islamic food that comes from Henan, a province in east central China. If you have a chance to eat at some such restaurant — I expect there are some in New York, in San Francisco, and perhaps in other cities as well — you should take advantage of it. The place I go to in L.A., when I can, is China Islamic in Rosemead, at 7727 Garvey.
My favorite dishes, at least of those with which I’m familiar, are lamb with scallions (much tastier than the common Mongolian beef, to which it bears a distant resemblance), curry chicken, dough slice noodles, braised ox tongue in brown sauce, and green beans with dried shrimp. The scallion pancake and the bread with sesame and scallions are good side dishes. The one possible flaw in the bread is that it’s a bit bland; but I like it a lot when sprinkled with some soy sauce, or combined with some of the sauce from the dishes.