Ippudo Ramen

On a very peculiar block lies a very swanky Japanese Ramen house. Between 10th and Wanamaker on 4th avenue, you will hear the swishing of cars past the Astor Place Kmart, and Ippudo.

Beware the long wait, dance music, and blood red motif, but don't let it frighten you away.

The ramen is GOOD. And finally a noodle place where the pork topping is DELICIOUS and not weird.

Thin, but slurpable noodles are nestled in the porky-est, umami-est (albeit quite salty) broth. A special signature broth, apparently: Tonkotsu. Well it's damn good. There are two main bowls, a "classic" and a "modern", the latter differing from the former with an addition of garlic oil, chili paste, and some different toppings. Essentially, though, they are very similar. I ordered the classic.

Definitely recommended. And I hear their pork buns are amazing, too.

-R

Soba Bowl!

After visiting Angelica Kitchen http://www.angelicakitchen.com/ (300 East 12th Street). Nay, let me rephrase that: after visiting Angelica Kitchen's WEBSITE, I was inspired to create today's lunch.

...I DID dine at Angelica last night, but, what I ordered, the "Dragon Bowl", was less than inspiring. It's definitely their "we cater to starving models" dish: a plate of steamed everything with a tiny portion of dressing on the side (the way they phrase it on the menu created a more hearty, satisfying image in my mind). On the bright side, when you mix the brown rice, beans, and seaweed together and put brown rice gravy on top, it doesn't completely fail. (Regardless, I still went to Pommes Frites after. Long live the sweet mango chutney mayo!)

But to the point! If you click on the website, you'll see the montage of a Soba dish being created. While viewing this, I thought, "I could definitely arrange that".

And so I did, just a moment ago!

My Soba Bowl:

1. Put steaming hot Soba Noodles in the bottom of the bowl with a bit of hot water. Be sure to reserve some water in your pot for the kelp! Stir in a little bouillon.

2. Arrange raw shredded carrots and bell peppers on top. Slice extra firm tofu and do the same.

3. Drop some kelp (I have the kind thats dried and all covered in salts...) into the hot water for a bit just to let them soak up water and shed their caked on ocean-y layer.

4. Add the kelp, drizzle tamari on top, and finally shake on some sesame seeds!

If I had shiitakes, bean sprouts, and a bit of sesame oil, this would be even more of the kind of amazing it already was.

I have to say, I really do like food like this if it's done right. I've been eating a slaw all summer that just has carrots, avocado, tofu, and sesame seeds in it. I'll put it over some sticky rice, and it's satisfying for some reason. It's something about the balance of ingredients. As long as you get the right combination of textures, and as long as it's all salted properly, it works. So here's to health.

-R

Lan Zhou: Hand Pulled Noodle and Dumpling!

At 144 East Broadway there lies a little hole in the wall noodle and dumpling paradise. Lan Zhou, which just obtained an English language menu, is hard to beat for value. Every noodle soup, brimming with chewy hand-pulled noodles, broth, meat, and vegetables, is either 4.50 or 5.00. But the real bargain are the fried dumplings. Truly, some of the best dumplings I've ever had, EVER. 3.00 for TWELVE DUMPLINGS. I say no more. And you can watch the guy pull the noodles right there :)

-R