Battle Ramen (Round 2)

(picture source: serious eats new york)











I can finally say that I have eaten at Ippudo Ramen. (4th avenue, between 9th an 10th street). If you remember a few posts down, I did a comparison of Setagaya and Rai Rai Ken. However, a "Battle Ramen" ain't complete without Ippudo Ramen. What is the rave about this place? Why is there a 30-40 minutes wait during rush hour? Why does it garner a 4 stars review on yelp (1538 reviewers, last check)?  The answer...

The noodle and the broth.

It is like going to an Italian restaurant and if someone ask you why do they have the best spagetti and you say "the pasta and the sauce" or at a pizza place and you say "the dough and the cheese".

I am sure it takes years to make the perfect bowl of ramen or pasta or pizza. I am not saying that Ippudo Ramen is perfect since I don't even know what "perfect" means.  But i have to say, Ippudo Ramen is very very good.

I went there at 5.30pm on Thursday and there wasn't any wait. (by the time i left at 6.30pm, there was probably a 10 minutes wait). If you really want to try their noodle, i suggest going before 7pm. I ordered the first ramen on top of the menu - the classic shio ramen (ramen with salted broth). The noodle is very chewy and "melts" in your mouth. A good sign of freshly made noodle. Other ramen places probably uses dried noodle (don't quote me on this). The broth, ah yes, the broth makes or brakes a bowl of ramen. The flavor of the broth is very complex. I tried my best to figure out what i am tasting. Something tells me they cooked the broth with shiitake mushroom (among maybe 1000 other ingredients). 

Will I go back to Ippudo ramen? Yes. Do I want to wait 30 minutes of a bowl of ramen? No. 

The Meatball Shop (On Stanton street, between Allen and Orchard street, next to Katz Diner and Sunshine cinema)

What restaurant do you open after working for Eric Ripert at Le Benardin and, at his recommendation, attended the Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A) with full James Beard Scholarship?

A meatball shop called "The Meatball Shop"

I went to Sunshine cinema (first time, awesome place) to watch "The Girl with the dragon tattoo" (awesome adaption of an awesome book). Needed a place to grab a quick bite and decided to go to The Meatball Shop, a place that i first learned about just a few days before.

The set up of the restaurant immediately tells you this is a fun place. Long communal table in the middle, a few tables on the side (for diners who prefer more intimacy), and a nice looking bar. I have no idea how to order food in the beginning and i had to ask the waiter. Turns out, you are suppose to "check some boxes" on the menu with a sharpie to indicate what food you want to order. The waiter will later return the menu after erasing your mark. A recyclable menu and ordering sheet. Cool.  

We ordered our meatballs to go since we were running late. Unfortunately i had to eat my meatballs in the dark. The only other food i recommend eating in the dark is --popcorn.  I can only 'taste' my food based on what i feel on my fingers and the smell of my food. There is the meatball, a piece of bread, and some vegetable on the side. I wolfed it down during the movie previews so that i won't be distracted when the movie starts.

Overall, i think the meatballs are delicious. I definitely want to return here someday and try their different meatballs with different sauces, with the lights ON!

here is a funny story, the book/movie "the girl with the dragon tattoo" was written in sweden by a swedish author. What's popular in sweden besides IKEA?  Meatballs. At one point i was stuffing meatball in my mouth while the actor in the movie is teaching his niece how to make meatballs......

 (i 'borrowed' this picture from the internet, sorry for not asking for permission)

Craftbar

Craftbar (and other Craft restaurants) was opened by Tom Colicchio. (Not sure if he still owns/runs the business). Tom Colicchio opened Gramercy Tavern with Danny Myer many years ago before opening his own restaurants. His gained his celebrity status since hosting Bravo channel's Top Chef.
 
It was another one of those spur of the moment thing that led me to Craftbar. Again, as in any of the "named brand" restaurant, what struck me first is the space and decor. It has a very cool, young and trendy vibe (good date spots). Our server isn't the friendliest, she has a "pissed-off" face. Perhaps because we didn't order drinks or she just had a bad day. Someone need to tell her to get rid of the attitude.

After doing some research beforehand, i have decided to order chorizo sage leaves starter. Although it says "small plate" on the menu, it is definitely to be shared with 4 people!! The chorizo is wrapped with sage leaves and deep fried. It is delicious. Is there a way to not make chorizo delicious? Maybe when it is raw.

Next up,  the menu calls it "confit berkshire pork shoulder, tomato molasses, smoked pearl onion". I simply called it "braised pork, asian style". Confit? really? Berkshire? Is this necessary? That said, i thoroughly enjoyed this dish. You have to wrap the meat with the lettuce leaf they provide. Again, it is suppose to be an appetizer, but big enough to be shared with four people.

After eating 4 chorizos and half a pound of berkshire pork, do I still have space for my pasta dish? Barely. I ordered a lamb ragu pappardelle while my friend ordered the goat cheese ravioli. The goat cheese ravioli is too "goat-y" for my liking. While the pappardelle is a little dry, the lamb ragu is just fine, nothing spectacular.

Overall, good food, generous portion, perfect for group dinner.

With so many restaurant options in the city, I don't think I will be revisiting Craftbar anytime soon.

Ma Peche

Foodies, by now, should be familiar with David Chang and his momofuku empire. Ma peche is his new restaurant located in mid-town Manhattan. I heard of Momofuku noodle bar when it first opened. My labmate was the first few people to eat there. Sometime later (soon after Ssam bar was opened), I read an article about David Chang and his "struggling" restaurant business. Then and now, what a world difference.

Back to Ma Peche. I went there a month ago for dinner, sat a the bar and ordered bar food. The shrimp chips that they offered (for free) at the bar reminded me of...wait for it....HOME!

I ordered three dishes
a) Shrimp summer roll -- a few friends went to Ma Pech on separate occasions and they all raved about the summer roll. I have to agree, pretty darn good summer roll. The texture of the chewy shrimp, balanced by the crunchiness of fried summer roll wrap, and freshness of the vegetable. A winner.

b)  bahn mi (french-influenced Vietnamese sandwich)  - This dish is pretty solid too. Initially i thought the meat in there is a thin slice of cooked pork. It was much later did i realized it was actually terrine/forcemeat, which takes a little more technique to prepare. If I have know earlier, i would try eat my sandwich slowly. The pickled vegetable overpowered the delicate flavor of the terrine.

c) rice noodle - this is an unusual dish. totally not what i expected it to be. Don't get me wrong, i enjoyed it but the texture is different. How should i say this. It felt like eating baked ziti, but chinese style. If i were to venture a guess, I think the rice noodle was baked to give the crunchiness texture, then stir fried with meat and vegetable.

overall, i like the chill ambiance here, the food is solid, the price is reasonable, location is good (for east-siders). My next stop is Momofuku noodle bar and ssam bar......want to go with me??