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All Posts Tagged: ‘ramen’

NewsFeed

7/10/08

2:00 PM

Ramen Wars: Rai Rai Ken Shows Off Its New Weapon

Bigger, badder.Photo: Youngna Park

Forget Iran testing nukes — a couple of months ago Rai Rai Ken stealthily unleashed its new weapon, mabo ramen. When we asked the owner, who goes by the name Mr. K., if he was the first to start serving the Chinese-inspired soup (made with a soy sauce–based broth, tofu, ground beef, spicy chile, ginger, and scallion), he said he believed so. His chef, after all, is Chinese. But mabo, which Mr. K. admits is a Japanese favorite, is also available at nearby Menkui Tei and at Sapporo, in midtown. Props to Rai Rai Ken for adding it to the menu, but isn’t claiming to have the only mabo in town something akin to Photoshopping in a fourth missile?

More: NewsFeed »east village, menkui tei, midtown, rai rai ken, ramen, sapporo

NewsFeed

5/ 6/08

12:20 PM

Alan Richman Schleps David Chang Along to Ippudu

Random ramen, not the King's.Photo: iStockphoto

Alan Richman writes on his Forked blog about the inspired idea of bringing David Chang along with him to Ippudo, the city’s self-appointed King of Ramen, and then baiting him for not making noodles as good. Chang won’t be caught sticking up for his ramen — “We serve crappy Pan-Asian ramen made for round-eyes” — but he does like the stuff more than Richman, who “wasn’t that impressed.” Chang, as usual, has the kicker, one of his standby applause lines:

[I]f he made such an attempt at authenticity, a lot of Asians were sure to say, “He’s an asshole, a wannabe.” He added, “If I were an Asian, that’s what I’d say about me.”

It's Good to Be the Ramen King [GQ]

More: NewsFeed »alan richman, david chang, ippudo, ramen

NewsFeed

4/11/08

2:00 PM

Gridskipper’s Ramen Picks Exclude the Most Famous Noodle Bar of All

Ramen in the morning, ramen in the evening…Photo: IStockphoto

The city’s ramen rivalries grow hotter each day, and so yesterday Gridskipper did the service of laying out their picks, in order, for the best Japanese-noodle broths. Number one with a bullet is Hakata Ippudo, the East Village newcomer created by the so-called King of Ramen. As far as Gridskipper is concerned, the title is well earned, but then none of the comments on the various ramen houses are especially pointed. (“Setagaya's specialty is shio ramen (‘salt’ broth) — some think it's the best in the city.”) What may be, however, is the absence of the most famous ramen bar of all, Momofuku, from the list.

The Best Ramen in the Big Apple [Gridskipper]
Related: Ramen War Intensifies With Hakata Ippudo
Best Ramen [NYM]

More: NewsFeed »east village, gridskipper, hakata ippudo, japanese, momofuku noodle bar, ramen, ramen setagaya

Openings

3/20/08

3:40 PM

Ramen War Intensifies With Hakata Ippudo

Why Japanese restaurateurs decided to make the East Village the ramen war's western front may never be clear, but there was another skirmish at the Tuesday press preview* of Hakata Ippudo. Owner Shigemi Kawahara was there to celebrate his chain’s first location outside Japan, but Gothamist lamented that his signature dish, the Ramen King — “a pork-based creation containing a cube of gelatinous foam that changes the flavor of the soup as it dissolves” — was absent. Something tells us it won’t be long before Foam-Cube Ramen makes its way to the East Village. The ramen wars require every weapon known to man.

*Correction: This event was a press preview, not opening night. Hakata Ippudo opens on March 31.

Ramen King Holds Court at Ippudo Opening [Gothamist]
Related: Huzzah! More Ramen for the East Village!
Where the Underground Gourmet Will Be Eating [NYM]

More: Openings »east village, ippudo, japanese, ramen

Back of the House

3/11/08

11:30 AM

Huzzah! More Ramen for the East Village!

Pictured: generic ramen, as opposed to signature ramen.Photo: IStockphoto

On the theory that you can never have enough ramen bars in the East Village, Ippudo, yet another Japanese import, will open on March 31. According to Andrea Strong, Ippudo will be in “an urban-styled log cabin hut” (um, okay…) and will serve five kinds of ramen, “including their signature Shiromaru Moto-Aji (white-pork-based broth ramen) and Akamaru Shin-Aji (a bolder-flavored red broth seasoned with garlic olive oil and their secret sauce)." Will Ippudo succeed where Momofuku, Setagaya, Minca, and others have also succeeded? Why not? The liquor license and specialty sake cocktails certainly won’t hurt.

This Just In: Ippudo to Open March 31st! [Strong Buzz]
Related: Best of New York: Best Ramen [NYM]

More: Back of the House »andrea strong, east village, ippudo, japanese, minca ramen factory, ramen, ramen setagaya

Back of the House

3/ 5/08

2:45 PM

Adam Platt on Best of New York: “It's a Matter of Taste, Cutty!”

Having pawed and pondered this week's Best of New York issue endlessly, we knew that the only way we could possibly make up our minds about it was to pester Adam Platt into giving us his thoughts on why he made his picks, who he had to leave out, and what his reasoning was. Since Platt is always readily available on IM, the following chat answered our questions and made our peace with his picks.

More: Back of the House »adam platt, best of new york, dovetail, fiamma, insieme, kori, lasagna, lucky 8, marco canora, momofuku noodle bar, ramen, ramen setagaya

Mediavore

1/23/08

10:00 AM

Calories to Show Up on Menus Starting March 31; Mercury Levels Horrifically High in Tuna Sushi

The Board of Health decided yesterday in a unanimous vote to make all chain restaurants with fifteen or more outlets – approximately 10 percent of the city’s restaurants – post calorie info on their menus starting March 31. RIP, 1,230-calorie triple Whopper with cheese. [CNN]

Laboratory tests run on sushi samples from twenty Manhattan stores and restaurants revealed shockingly high levels of mercury in bluefin tuna, so high that the FDA could technically take the fish off the market. And if you’ve got to have your tuna sushi, you’d best head to Fairway and avoid Blue Ribbon Sushi at all costs. [NYT]

Gourmet editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl is “obsessed with” Momofuku Ssäm Bar, “like everyone else in New York,” according to her. [TONY]

More: Mediavore »blue ribbon sushi, calorie posting, coffee, craig hopson, fairway, food art, gourmet magazine, mercury, momofuku ssam bar, one if by land two if by sea, persepolis, ramen, ratatouille, red meat, ruth reichl, scallops, starbucks, steve cuozzo, sushi, thomas keller

Back of the House

11/ 6/07

4:30 PM

Momofuku 2.0 Opens Tomorrow

Is it the soup? Or is the line for the soup?Photo: Melissa Hom

Eater brings news that Momofuku Noodle Bar will be opening the doors of its more spacious new location tomorrow — good news for East Village diners who've been waiting in lines out the door at Ramen Setagaya and Rai Rai Ken. Is there some natural connection between Japanese noodle soup and long lines? It would seem to defeat its own purpose when on a cold day one has to first wait and then quiver on a tiny stool — why even leave the house? Especially when, in the case of Setagaya, you can’t get soup to go. Clearly the Momofuku move is a good thing for ramen — unless it turns out that the line is what makes the people come, not the soup.

Momofuku Noodle Bar 2.0 Definitely Opens Tomorrow [Eater]
Related: Keeping Up With The Momofukus [NYM]

More: Back of the House »east village, momofuku noodle bar, rai rai ken, ramen, ramen setagaya

NewsFeed

10/31/07

9:00 AM

Oriental Spoon Gives Up on Tapas, Relaunches As Japanese Pasta House

Stop in for ramen … we mean tapas … or sushi … or is pasta?Photo: Melissa Hom

No sooner had we begun to understand Oriental Spoon, the Pan-Asian tapas restaurant hidden away in the rear of Ramen Setagaya than it had changed again. Welcome, Pasta Wafu! The newest incarnation of the space specializes in “Japanese-style pasta,” says manager Charlie Huh. Think of flying fish roe in a cream sauce with penne or linguine with sea urchin and “homemade oil sauce.” But if you’re not into Italianate fusion, there’s also a full sushi bar. But be daring, says Huh. “This is top-notch food, and it’s very affordable! It’s not just for Japanese people.” We’ll settle for just not having to stand in the Setagaya line.

More: NewsFeed »east village, japanese, oriental spoon, pasta wafu, ramen, ramen setagaya

Foodievents

10/26/07

4:33 PM

New York Eaters Ready Themselves for Ramen Contest

Get Ready to...Ramen! Tim Janus, left, and Crazy Legs Conti, right.Photo courtesy Major League Eating

Given that the typical night in a noodle bar basically looks (and sounds) like a competitive-eating contest, it’s not hard to imagine what's store for us at the 2007 Naruto Wii World Ramen Eating Championship Saturday at the Nintendo Store in Rockefeller Center. (The contest is part of the launch of a new Nintendo Wii game.) On the other hand, it’s always a question as to which New York eater is going to come out on top. Over on Epicurious, Michael Park profiles a few of the contenders including rivaling roommates Crazy Legs Conti and Tim “Eater X” Janus.

More: Foodievents »competitive eating, crazy legs conti, eater-x, ramen

Mediavore

7/13/07

10:00 AM

Men Still Rule the Roost in Kitchens; April Bloomfield a Rai Rai Ken Fan

It’s still a man’s world in the kitchen, as Annisa’s Anita Lo or Ratatouille’s Collette can tell you. [NYDN]

Count April Bloomfield in the Rai Rai Ken camp when it comes to the ramen wars. [Restaurant Girl]

Hill Country pitmaster and noted “barbejew” Robbie Richter has borderline cholesterol, a meat bond with Zak Pelaccio, and little interest in side dishes. [Metromix]
Related: Barbecue: The New Kosher Food?

More: Mediavore »anita lo, annisa, april bloomfield, barbeque, chinatown, dean's pizza, dragon fruit, hill country, new york restaurant week, ramen, robbie richter, wendy's

NewsFeed

7/ 3/07

11:00 AM

Gold St. Enters the Ramen Wars Without a Care in the World

A ramen only a college student can love.Photo courtesy Gold St.

The ramen wars are raging as never before, as Momofuku and Setagaya go against each other hammer and tongs, and Minca and Rai Rai Ken clean up the remains. But Gold St. tells us that their new ramen rollout is completely unrelated. From the look of their soup, they may be right.

More: NewsFeed »gold st., japanese, mica, momofuku noodle bar, rai rai ken, ramen, setagaya

Neighborhood Watch

6/25/07

3:54 PM

Ramen Rivalry About to Boil Over in the East Village?

Astoria: All pints of Lagunitas beer will be $4 tonight at Sunswick on 35th Avenue at 35th Street. The bar food is supposedly pretty good, too. [Joey in Astoria]
Clinton Hill: Don’t get too excited over that fancy new organic market going up on Lexington Avenue near Grand Avenue; it’s part of a set for a Steve Martin flick. [Clinton Hill Blog]
East Village: Momofuku responds to Setagaya’s claims that its ramen is more authentic… [Eater] And the Tokyo-based chain has already lured crowds of diners — and impressed them. [Eat for Victory/VV] The Sunday Greenmarket now has a Hamptons-based fishmonger. [Gothamist]
Harlem: Fishers of Men has expanded to 125th Street, and rather than oust Papaya King from the space, the seafood restaurant has opted to share it. [Uptown Flavor]
McCarren Park: JellyNYC’s summer pool parties kicked off the series this weekend with dodgeball, Slip 'n Slide, Brooklyn Beer, and grilled grub (and we have video). [Down by the Hipster]
Midwood: DiFara is once again up and running. [Slice]
Park Slope: Union Market will bring its fresh produce to a long-empty storefront on Seventh Avenue, but there’s concern over nearby mom-and-pop grocers. [The Brooklyn Paper]
Ridgewood: Butcher Karl Ehmer inspired such love of meat in a young girl that she now sells meat-inspired pillows to “hipsters, artists and Western Europeans.” [The Food Section]

More: Neighborhood Watch »astoria, clinton hill, difara, dom de marco, east village, fishers of men, harlem, karl ehmer, lagunitas, mccarren park pool party, midwood, momofuku, papaya king, park slope, ramen, ridgewood, setagaya, sunswick, union market

User's Guide

3/ 2/07

5:00 PM

Reika Yo on Where (and What) to Eat During Japanese Restaurant Week

Sharpen your chopsticks: Many of the city’s best Japanese eateries are offering prix fixe meals and signature dishes for Japanese Restaurant Week, which starts Sunday and runs through March 10. (Get the details here.) We asked Reika Yo, the owner of EN Japanese Brasserie, to give a primer, in her own words, for those who think Japanese cuisine begins and ends with sushi (and what’s sashimi again?) and provide picks to go along with it. (The excellent EN Japanese Brasserie, by the way, is an elevated version of an izayaka, where you find many small, rustic dishes.)