Ramen Season

As soon as the cold weather hit, ramen was on my mind. Three great spots for ramen are Totto Ramen in Hell's Kitchen, Ippudo  in the East Village, and also Momofuku Noodle Bar also in the East Village. All very different; but all very good.  

Totto Ramen

If you find yourself in Hell's Kitchen and your craving ramen, stop by Bobby Munekata's Totto Ramen. Mr. Munekata also owns Yakitori Totto which is also worth stopping by. When you arrive at Totto Ramen, place your name on the clipboard posted outside the door and wait. There are rules posted all around the outside so just follow the rules and you'll be ok. And don't forget to bring cash! 

Steps below street level you enter a dark, alley-like space. You could feel the steam from the kitchen and the beats from the speakers as some kind of Japanese techno plays. It feels secret, although this gem is well known. In my opinion, seats at the far end of the bar are the best. Not only do you get to see the chefs working but you avoid the cold breeze from the door being constantly opened. Cold breeze or not, you will find plenty of warmth in the steaming broth in front of you. Its always a good idea to add spice which will keep you extra warm in the colder months. 

Friendly service although fast and super casual. The best $20 (including tip) you might spend in midtown. 

Ippudo might be my favorite ramen spot located a few blocks from Union Square. The space is airy and there's always excitement all around you. It doesn't have the secret, underground appeal of Totto Ramen; but it serves some of the bestramen I've ever had. I also love that Ippudo serves a much broader menu other than ramen. Pork buns, baby octopus, and chicken wings are just some of the small plates which are usually just as good as the ramen. I usually get the Karaka Men which is a pork noodle soup with a blend of hot spices, pork chashu, sesame kikurage mushrooms, cabbage, onion, minced pork, and scallions. Adding pork belly or an egg doesn't hurt! 

The open kitchen is jamming and it rolls into the dinning room. Good vibes with bangin' food! Definitely a place to check out. 

Momofuku Noodle Bar was David Chang's first restaurant I believe. This is where he got his reputation for awesome ramenand those glorious pork buns. Noodle Bar reflects a more Americanized version of a neighborhood ramen shop while still keeping tradition and providing a great bowl of ramen. Sit at the chef's counter and watch the chefs work--though they don't seem like they are working as hard as the chefs in the previous stated restaurants. Mr. Chang brings a complex product with levels of flavor and he makes it look easy. Momofuku Noodle Bar has become a neighborhood staple and is the foundation on which Mr. Chang has built his empire. 

Hurricane Eats

I think the NoMad restaurant was one of the only restaurants in Manhattan open on Monday afternoon. Walking through the town, restaurants and shops were boarded up ready for Hurricane Sandy's beat down. Not only was the NoMad open, but it were packed. We were lucky enough to grab 3 seats at the bar, which was probably the best thing we could have done. Three hours, many cocktails, and 1 roasted chicken later--we were pretty happy campers.


Will, the bartender, started us off with cocktails off their ambitious cocktail list; but then started branching off on a "bartenders choice" routine. He nailed it every time after we gave him some guidelines. But the drinks weren't the only good thing about our hurricane lunch. The food was delicious! The roast chicken for 2 is pricey at $79, but it might be the best chicken you will ever eat. The chicken is roasted with foie gras, black truffle, and brioche. We also drank Le Poulet which is the beer that Brooklyn Brewery has created to pair with the chicken. DAMN, thats good!


 The slow poached egg appetizer was good, but fell short of being a memorable. The radishes made me think I could eat radishes everyday! They were butter-dipped with fleur de sel. The squash entree was also really good and made me think that eating healthy would be easy if I could replicate this.


We sat at the bar for hours sipping on deliciously balanced cocktails and chatting. It was hard to believe  the tranquility inside compared to the chaos outside. The music almost gave off that somber hotel vibe inside while winds ripped violently around the city outside the walls.



This marked my second visit to the NoMad and both were awesome. The first time we started in the bar with some cocktails and apps and then moved into the library for more cocktails. It was also pretty sweet that Leo (head bartender) told John Mayer that he couldn't sit in our "reserved seats". Don't worry John, your body is still a wonderland.

Around Town

Few spots that I stopped by...

Empellon Cocina in the East Village for brunch. Food was decent, but didn't love it. Portion size kept me hungry. Good company saved the experience. I expected more from Alex Stupak who worked at Alinea and WD50.


Dell'Anima for an after-dinner drink, but wouldn't mind going back for some pasta! Small space with a sexy vibe--good date spot?







Swine is a newer West Village spot next to Red Farm on Hudson Street. Stopped here while waiting for our table. Our server was a total stoner, but super nice and friendly. Got a plate of meats and cheese that held us over for our feast next door. They ran out of 3-4 beers we ordered but also gave us 2 beers for free because of the inconvenience--good recovery! Our server said we should definitely come back for free pinball upstairs!

New Age Chinese Food

Walk into Red Farm on Hudson Street and feel like you've been transported to a farmhouse from the 1800s. Ed Schoenfield and Joe Ng's created Red Farm in the West Village as a different approach to Chinese dining. Ed Schoenfield continues to evolve Chinese cuisine into fun, modern, and hip. Who other to hire than Joe Ng--dim sum master! You might remember Joe Ng's fresh and playful approach to cooking from Chinatown Brasserie. Chef Ng's wanted to bring a "greenmarket sensibility" to the menu at Red Farm. But even if you don't feel that sensibility, you will still have a good meal whether you're tucked into a banquette  or sharing a communal table with strangers. Not everything will blow your mind, but solid food for sure. Good vibes and definitely worth checking out.

Unforgettable

A month or so I read about a restaurant swap between Alinea (out of chicago) and Eleven Madison Park and I was instantly interested to learn more. After watching the youtube video of the switch and reading in anticipation, I secured 4 tickets to the last night of the swap. Tickets were expensive, but an event like this was hard to pass up.

Grant Achatz is one of America's most admired and inspirational chefs leading the way in molecular gastronomy. Chef Achatz has worked with top chefs all around the world including Thomas Keller at the French Laundry in Napa. Grant brings fun and creativity to dining rooms that would normally seem stiff and robotic. Alinea was ranked number #7 on San Pellegrino's top 50 best restaurants in the world. The only other restaurants to reach the top in the United States are Per Se at #6 and Eleven Madison Park at #10. I was so excited for the experience as I've heard amazing things about Grant Achatz and both of his restaurants: Alinea and Next.


Our reservations were on the last night of the swap, so it took me all self control not to read reviews before we went. I was happy that we had the first seating at 6:00 as early tables really got the full experience. Not that later tables didn't get that experience--its just that the dinner was full of surprises and EMP is an open restaurant so surprises could easily be spoiled.


As I entered the revolving doors at EMP I was greeted and directed to a tub of clanking glasses. The decor and the smell brought me right into fall and that's were I'd stay for the next four hours. I grabbed a glass of apple cider and couldn't help but think of bobbing for apples. The initial apple cider was non-alcoholic but a generous splash of calvados seemed like a no-brainer at the end of your meal on your way out.

We sat down in a comfortable booth in the front of the restaurant. The table was covered with leaves that we would later push off the table. The idea of pushing leaves onto a floor of a 4-star restaurant seemed a bit weird, so we probably could have had a bit more fun with that. But it gave us our first indication that this meal was going to be fun.

We waited for every course like kids waiting for presents on Christmas eve. The meal was very interactive and really made the experience. Excitement filled the room and it truly an unbelievable meal. I think its safe to say it was the best dining experience I've had. Not only fun and inventive; but delicious. And the service was great and not stiff as one might think. My company also made the experience unforgettable.


Pics by Grub Street

Lunch, an underrated affair

Everyone always talks about dinner, but some of my greatest restaurant experiences have been at lunch. Whether its discovering amazing flavors in a sandwich or having a 4 hour lunch at Gramercy Tavern while it was snowing. Two recent lunches that proved to be worth mentioning...

DBGB

Chef and restauranteur Daniel Boulud's first downtown venture features a more casual atmosphere and menu compared to his uptown restaurants. DBGB Kitchen and Bar named after the music club CBGB offers Lyonnais-inspired bistro cooking with a solid beer list of 22 draft beers and over 75 bottled beer. Mr. Boulud takes his expertise and makes it more simple--makes it affordable. 

The space is perfectly designed for the Bowery with a masculine charm of steel and glass. Beer and sausages reign supreme on the menu; but you shouldn't stop there. A look around the menu will reflect Boulud's knowledge and his plates will reflect his technique. Souch and I went for lunch today after thumbing through all the places we want to go. We sat at a table in the bar area right by the window. The floor was sunken beneath street level; but you still had a good view of what was happening on the bowery. During the warmer months, they have outside seating available which is always cool. 

We started with DB's Smoked Salmon--crispy potato latkes and creme frache while also getting the charcuterie plate--tasting of pate, jambon de paris, and rillettes paired with sourdough bread. For entrees, I got the cod sandwich while Andrew got the house made turkey sandwich. The cod sandwich was excellent! They beer battered the cod and placed it on a warm sesame bun with a spicy ranch dressing. The sandwich was accompanied by a arugula and frisee salad. Souch seemed to enjoy his turkey sandwich. We also got these house-made sodas which weren't bad--weren't that great either but interesting for sure. 

The service was a bit lackluster. Our server might have said 5 words to us the whole time not including her trying to up-sell a side dish when I asked if we ordered OK. I would have probably listened to her if she seemed at all excited rather than fumbling around the menu looking for something that she could sell me. But the service wasn't bad--it just lacked hospitality. But maybe thats just me drinking the Danny Meyer kolaid. 

Overall, a good lunch for sure. Definitely want to go back to attack the beer list. 

Mary's Fish Camp

A West Village gem for any seafood lover. Grabbed a corner table with a great view overlooking Charles Street. Fish was super fresh and flavors were subtle and layered. I really enjoyed my lunch here with my sister and would probably go back more if I could afford it. 

  Fish Tacos!

 Cod Sandwich!

 Tuna Sliders!