In the past year, I’ve visited enough ramen joints to be confident enough to say that Ippudo has the best ramen. Ever.

Well, in New York City, at least.

Ippudo, established in 1985, opened its first U.S. branch here in the East Village back in 08′. There are 43 branches in Japan where the founder, Shigemi Kawahara, is dubbed as the “King of Ramen.” Just like how we have hot dog eating champions and a TV show dedicated to pitting a man vs. food (literally), there are televised ramen cooking competitions back in Japan. Kawahara won it in 2006.  + Shiny star for Ippudo’s resume.

Ippudo is no joke. Downstairs, ramen noodles are laboriously made by hand. The place is famous for their ‘Hakata Ramen’ (originates from Hakata, Japan). Hakata Ramen is characterized by its white, thick soup that is made from Tonkotsu, or pork bones. This is where the best ramen are differentiated from their inferior peers. It’s the broth that makes the true difference. Yes, noodles are very important, but part of the ramen experience is drinking the broth at the very end. Of course, this is ironic for me to say as I never drink mine since I hate soup.

This is the spoon that you eat the ramen with. Duh.

Ippudo defines ramen as “a cosmos created in a bowl.”  The basic broth consists of prok, chicken, beef, or seafood. It’s then seasoned with soy sauce, salt, or miso. The noodles are made of flour, eggs, kansui (an alkaline water). See their website for more details.

So enough about ramen basics. On a Monday afternoon around 1:30pm, Stick and I walked into a 10-15 minute wait at Ippudo. Who would have thought there was a recession! We were seated within the 15 minutes somewhere in the way back where mirrors align one side of the wall and a sequined framed piece of art aligned the other. The server came immediately and brought us water. It took Stick awhile to decide what he wanted but eventually he settled for a lunch set.

Most of the ramen is priced at $13, but for an extra $3, you can get a lunch set which includes a small salad and a) Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) over rice; b) Roast pork over rice; c) Fried chicken (spicy) over rice; or d) grilled eel over rice.  Guess what Stick picked!!

Just an important side word. That side salad may look like your average salad but it’s not. The wasabi dressing on that is phenomenal [widens eyes].

Karaka Men ‘the original tonkotsu’ soup noodle with special blended hot spice, served with pork belly chashu, kikurage, cabbage, onion, minced pork & scallions ($13/16)

The ramen came soon after. I ended up going with the spicier version. Have you ever had Shin Ramen? It’s that Korean DIY ramen. The flavor reminds me of Shin Ramen, but it’s much more intricate. The broth looks orange, but when you’re fishing for the noodles with your chopsticks, the broth swirls into a murky pale yellow/brown color. It’s spicy but so flavorful at the same time. In other words, the broth isn’t flavored by the spiciness. That just merely enhances the true flavor of the broth.

What I love most about Ippudo is their noodles (despite me talking about how important authentic broth is). It’s cooked al dente, and despite sitting in that sweltering hot broth, it never gets soft or soggy. There’s enough in there to fill you up, but you end up asking yourself whether you should order extra. The chashu, or pork belly, is tender and slightly salty. I’ve read that it’s worth splurging on the side chashu for an extra $3 as it’s different from the one that they serve in the broth.

Tori Ramen salt flavored ramen noodle in ‘ippudo chintan’ chicken and pork soup, with pork loin chashu, 1/2 boiled egg, menma, spinach, shiso & daikon ($13/16)

Stick went with a more traditional broth, though he thought he was trying something exotic and crazy. I guess if you use the Japanese name of any ingredient on your menu, you can sound exotic. This is a much more mellow broth. It’s what I’d crave for if I were sick. Sort of like your Japanese version of chicken noodle soup.

At the end of your meal, if you’re still hungry and still have some broth left, you can say “Kae-dama, please” to your server, which translates to “a ball of noodles please.” That will set you back $2, but worth every penny if you ask me.

Oh look! A rare moment. Stick actually used chopsticks?!

I almost forgot. At the end of the meal, they serve you a nice, hot mug of steamy green tea. What a nice gesture.

Minus the wait (this place is always teeming with long lines, especially on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights), this place is definitely worth coming back to. I wouldn’t exactly call it cheap, but $13 is still pretty cheap for a quality meal in NYC. Oh and I heard from Angela that the appetizers are amazing, especially the Hirata buns. Guess I have to make another trip back to try them!

MENU
65 Fourth Ave.
New York, NY 10003
Near 10th St.
See Map | Subway Directions
212-388-0088

You should also check out:

• The Great GoogaMooga | Prospect Park, Brooklyn
• An interview with Terry Chen of “Filled with Sweets”
• Co. Pizza
• Crif Dogs (take 2)- best hot dogs ever
• Saturday brunch at Locanda Verde

Black Label Burger: Selection of prime dry-aged beef cuts with caramelized onions and pommes frites ($26)

This morning, I ran to reverse the damage and abuse from my relationship with butter. Last night, that involved a giant ribeye steak smothered in butter, sizzling on a 500 degree plate (brownie points to anyone who can guess where I was). Last week, it involved one of the top ranked burgers in New York City at the revered Minetta Tavern. I’m going to focus on the latter.

On paper, the Black Label Burger is everything an omnivore could ever dream of. Serious Eats did a fantastic article, dissecting the thought and process behind the Black Label. Here are some key points:

• The beef is a combination of prime dry aged ribeye, skirt steak, and brisket from Creekstone Farms, KENTUCKY (whoa, right?). Although the burger goes for a whopping $26, it’s pretty cheap when you compare it to the ribeye entree (the same cut that goes into the burger) which goes for $90 at the restaurant. And why prime? Because the natural marbling requires less external fat
• The bun is a peppered brioche from the famous Balthazar Bakery just avenues across. The brioche is baked a day in advance so that it can harden slightly overnight. It’s not your typical sweet, buttery brioche. If a Kaiser roll could ever be in a brioche form, this would be it.
• The toppings include lettuce, tomato, and sautéed onions. That’s right, no cheese. You can order it with cheese (free of charge too!) but it’s not recommended. I agree, the burger is seasoned and salted enough on its own. But the onions are amazing. Sauteed to the brink of caramelizing, they provide this delicate sweetness.
• Butter: Didn’t think I was going to forget this one now eh? Basically, they slather clarified butter all over the surface of the beef while on the grill.  And no, clarified butter is not just melted butter. It’s melted butter sans milk solids, whatever that means.

Conclusion:

You’ll be surprised to hear that I was not impressed. A big factor is the price. For $26, I could have gotten 5 Shake Shack burgers, 1.5 Spotted Big Burgers, or made 10 of my own. I honestly thought that the burgers Esther and I made last week were better.

I think what really killed the burger was the butter overload. My first bite felt like I was taking a bite out of a stick of butter, which is really gross. The burger was juicy and cooked perfectly. I think sans clarified butter, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. But honestly, I just didn’t feel it. Don’t get me wrong. It’s an incredibly rich burger and you can feel it every time the juice just oozes out with each bite. The meat is tender, almost like eating a medium-rare steak. But the flavor is too mild in my opinion. Maybe it’s because I was supposed to appreciate the “natural beef” flavor like you do at a steakhouse, but nope. I thought the Spotted Pig offered a better burger despite it being over salted. So yes, one thing this burger could have used more of is salt! The brioche bun was also a bit disappointing as the juices still rendered the bottom bun soggy. Despite it being brioche and all, I couldn’t find anything special about it (usually, I think burgers with brioche buns are just absolutely out of this world!)

Overall, an above average burger for a way above average price. I think this fellow food blogger but it best when he said (comparing the Black Label to the original Minetta Burger)

Ounce for ounce, penny for penny, the Minetta Burger destroys its super-uber-gourmet counterpart. Furthermore, and I don’t think I’m being unreasonable here, If I’m going to spend $26 on a hamburger, it had better change my life in some way shape or form, otherwise I just feel stupid and cheated.

On the bright side, the fries are delicious…

(Nothing like an Old Speckled Hen to wash down a burger)

Chocolate Dacquoise: Rich chocolate ganache layered with hazelnut meringue ($9)

We did end up ordering dessert, a Chocolate Dacquoise. Let me tell you, this was phenomenal. It was like dissecting a truffle. The top part is this bitter chocolate that crumbles at the touch of the fork yet retains this crunch at the bite. Then there’s a layer of meringue and then a rich, dense ganache, and another layer of meringue. It may not look 100% perfect, but it tasted 100% perfect.

Go for the cake. For sure. Oh, and to meet the Maître d‘, Robert. He’s pretty cool.

MENU
113 MacDougal St.
New York, NY 10012
nr. Bleecker St.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-475-3850

You should also check out:

• The Great GoogaMooga | Prospect Park, Brooklyn
• An interview with Terry Chen of “Filled with Sweets”
• Co. Pizza
• Crif Dogs (take 2)- best hot dogs ever
• Saturday brunch at Locanda Verde

Oh, the memories this Japanese joint brings back… A classic favorite of NYU students during my freshman year (partially because of the cheap, cheap food but mostly because of their blind eye towards underage drinking), I remember coming here every Thursday and Friday night while pledging in between exams. And then there were times when we came back twice within a night to a confused waitress that asked us, “Really?! Again?!”

Kenka still stands in the same spot on St. Marks, but the days of non-carding and underage drinking are over. Nowadays, for those of us that can drink legally, they’ve made drinking even cheaper. Where else in New York City can you get a 32 oz Sapporo on draft for only $5?! Heck, we couldn’t even buy a 40 for that price anywhere.

Amy is super excited. (And no, I did not photoshop that $5.00!! red sign into that menu leaflet!)

Actually, Amy agreed to pose since I was the designated photographer. At first, I didn’t realize that 32 oz was that big. The waitress came by and smacked the glass onto the wooden tabletop and our eyes widened. “You’re going to drink all of that?!” Amy inquired. “Um yeah, I hope so,” I responded. Thou shall not waste food beer.

We arrived around 9:15pm on a Saturday night to a long waiting list. Luckily it was just Amy and me because it looked like groups of three or more had to wait alot longer. Staring into Kenkas along the busy nightlife of St. Marks, Kenka epitomized that popular restaurant that you see in a Time Out Japan guidebook. Despite clearly having a heavy Japanese vibe, guests of all races aligned the wooden stools along the bar. It was refreshing to see non-Asians at a restaurant where the menu was the paper version of an anime comic, predominantly in Japanese with few words of English for description purposes.

So we waited for about 10 minutes before we got our seat. And then only a minute before the server came by to take our drink orders.

32 oz Sapporo Draft ($F-to the-I-to the-V-to the-E!!!)

I wish I had taken the shot upon arrival, in all its glory with its 1.5 inch thick foaming head but… It was so difficult to decide what to get. The menu has an extensive list of ramen, udon, and soba, but it was way too hot to get anything with a soup base. Sushi was out of the question (I’m not sure I trust eating raw fish here although I’m sure the turnover rate for the fish must be high), and we sure as heck didn’t want rice, so… we were left with their pancakes.

Oh, and did I mention? They serve turkey testicles and bull penises. Definitely out of the question.

Okonomiyaki: japanese pancake w/ pork, squid and vegetables ($6.00)

Instead, we got the okonomiyaki, the popular Japanese pancake and our favorite of the night. Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) actually means “what you want” (okonomi) “grilled” (yaki). The base is usually flour + yam + water + eggs and then your meats, vegetables, and seafood. Man, if I ever go to Japan, heck, I’m not going to Tokyo- I’m going to go to Osaka first to get myself some authentic Osaka style okonomiyaki.

The okonomiyaki is topped with tokatsu sauce and mayo with some bonito flakes sprinkled on top. Bonito flakes are essentially fish flakes and if dropped on top of a steaming plate of okonomiyaki, they start waving back and forth, as if dancing. It’s trippy at first, but it’s really just the steam. I think Amy got a bit scared when I told her it was just fish (omitting telling her flakes).

Yakiudon: fried udon noodle with pork, squid and vegetables ($6.00)

We also ordered the Yakiudon (焼きそば), which should be no stranger to any Japanese food lovers. Udon are thick noodles (my personal favorite) and yakiudon stirfries the udon with vegetables and pork. The traditional version is Yakisoba (made from soba noodles) but the concept is the same. Usually it’s topped with “aonori” or seaweed, but ours wasn’t. Either way, the yakiudon while good, wasn’t terribly delicious. However, with that 32 oz Sapporo, it was good company for my taste buds. The flaw with all yakiudon that I’ve noticed is that THEY GIVE YOU TOO LITTLE!

Modanyaki: japanese pancake w/ noodles, pork, squid and vegetables ($8.50)

Initially, we only ordered two dishes. By the time we finished the food, it was around 10:30pm and my beer still had a third of it left. We were at the mercy of Clare, who was attending a wedding and so Amy and I wanted to sit at Kenka longer. Taking all that into consideration, we ordered another dish. Don’t ask us why now because by the time it came, we were about to burst and couldn’t only manage to eat less than half of it.

Modanyaki (モダン焼き) is okonomiyaki but with thin fried noodles in it. It tasted good, but that’s as much as I can tell you because by that time, food was the last thing on my mind… I do have to say that alot of the flavor from many of their dishes come from the heavy usage of their sauces, but what can you expect for a $6 entree?!

By 11pm, things were starting to get quiet. The table to our right, full of college-age kids, were winding down their drinking games and the long line outside began to dwindle. I can tell you from past experience that this is just a blip, as around midnight, there’s usually another wave of hungry (more like drunk) New Yorkers seeking for cheap grub.

Our whole bill came out to…

$28!

Holy shiz. $28! For that beer large enough to fill my three-person family on a normal night and three entrees?! $28! I still can’t get over it.

Anddd, as if that wasn’t enough, they have a COTTON CANDY MACHINE outside. When they present the bill, they give you a tiny plastic cup of pink sugar. You pay the bill, make your way outside, and flip a switch. The motor starts humming and you spill the sugar into the center of the hole. Then… you start twirling and twirling.

And twirling and twirling…

Too mad neither of us like cotton candy. I just like the concept of me being able to make it.

And Amy does a good job posing as a cotton candy lover.

MENU (although clearly incomplete)
25 St. Marks Pl.
New York, NY 10003
nr. Second Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-254-6363 Send to Phone

You should also check out:

• The Great GoogaMooga | Prospect Park, Brooklyn
• An interview with Terry Chen of “Filled with Sweets”
• Co. Pizza
• Crif Dogs (take 2)- best hot dogs ever
• Saturday brunch at Locanda Verde

Mocha Maldon Salt Caramel ($2.75)

Wow! It took me like a month to realize that Pichet Ong, the owner of Spot Dessert Bar, is this tiny bubbly Asian guy from Amy Blogs Chow’s “stupidly simple snacks”. I think it was awesome of him to appear on the video while giving away two of his recipes from his other restaurant, Village Tart. I loveee this video, and if you haven’t checked out Amy’s blog, you should because her videos are super cute (and I don’t use the word “cute” liberally).

Spot is located on St. Marks, a ten minute walk from NYU, a two minute walk from Astor Place, a 30 second walk from Yoga to the People, and last but not least, a 10 second walk from Red Mango. It opened in late 2009, and if you haven’t paid attention, you might have missed it. It’s underground, although there’s this magnificently large window that you can peer through and the doors are pleated with glass. Oh, and there’s a giant chalkboard menu outside, marked with the menu in bright pastel-y colors. In order words, you really have to be blind to miss this place.

The story behind Spot is basically this- American desserts with an Asian influence. The menu boasts of hot and cold drinks alike, from bubble tea to Thai tea floats. There are cupcakes with their domed icing and cakes drizzled with olive oil. Even better, Spot makes a conscious effort to go green. The dessert bar is set against the backdrop of repurposed raw barn wood and glass, and 80% of the decor and packaging is made of repurposed or recycled materials. How do I know this? Well, it’s on their website.

Adhering to its geographic roots (on St. Marks),  Spot is reasonably priced. Besides purchasing a-la-carte, you can divulge by ordering dessert tapas in three’s for only $19.95.  I think that’s loads better than the $14 you pay at Chikalious a few streets/avenues away, as you get quite a decent portion.

And yes, $7-9 desserts may sound expensive. But if these desserts don’t wow you with the ingredients, they sure will with the presentation and the way all the flavors complement each other in this mind blowing experience that we call taste.

Soft Cheesecake: Orange blueberries with walnut cookie crumbs ($7.50)

This was Sabrina’s pick. When it came out, we were so confused. “Uh, is this all three? In a glass?!” Deep down, I secretly prayed it wasn’t so and a few seconds later, the server (who by the way was super nice and quick) came out with another dish.

We didn’t know how to eat it. Were we supposed to lift the glass upside down and dump it all out? Or use a spoon? Or… lick it?

We chose the spoon method.

The top layer of the cheesecake was as soft as whipped cream and the strawberry sauce was foamy. But as we dug a bit deeper, our forks picked up this rich, creamy filling that was simply divine. A blueberry jam-like taste hid in between the crumbled crust and pineapple. Essentially, it was three carefully chosen but different fruits, all beautifully melded into cream and contained within glass. While it wasn’t our favorite dessert of the night, it came first in presentation. It’s a shame that we saved this for the end, despite it coming out first (the two other desserts both involved ice cream or sorbet), because we were too full to finish it all.

Thai Tea Float ($4.95)

I’m not exactly sure why I ordered this float. I think it was the thought of having two of my favorite things in a narrow glass with a straw thrown on top. I asked the server to use cold tea (I think it would have been similar to affogato where they pour the hot tea over a scoop of ice cream, had I not specifically requested this). While there was nothing special about it, as in I could easily make this at home, Thai iced tea is always satisfying. Would I order it again? No. But, Sabrina and I felt like indulging and this definitely satisfied my craving for something cold and creamy.

White Miso Semifreddo: Olive oil cake, raspberry sorbet, candied sesame ($8.50)

This was my pick. Ironically, I had just made olive oil ice cream a few days ago, so I knew I had to try this. What was most intriguing was not the olive oil- it was the white miso semifreddo. We had no idea what that even meant. Later we realized that the white miso semifreddo was the ice cream-like substance layered in between the olive oil cake. Semifreddo, Italian for half cold, is made with equal parts of ice cream and cream. If I remember correctly, the server said it was made of soy. But what I loved about this dessert was not the semifreddo, nor the miso, nor the olive oil. It was the burst of concentrated raspberry that came from the sorbet. Oh my. I could almost imagine raspberry fields exploding in my head as I took each bite.

Hands down, my favorite dessert of the night. I learned that raspberry + olive oil = deliciousness.

The dessert is garnished with more miso, olive oil, blackberries, and raspberry syrup. One day, I’m going to recreate this at home. It’s going to be a hit.

Five Spiced Fennel Cake: Caramel citrus with peach frozen yogurt ($8.00)

This was the one dessert and Sabrina and I chose together. I don’t know about Sabrina, but I chose it for the peach sorbet. Surprisingly, the peach sorbet was a bit of a miss for me, or at least when I had it by itself. I mean, since this came out last, the raspberry sorbet from the dish before set such high expectations that nothing could have shattered that bar. In contrast to the light, sweet, and salty play from the White Miso Semifreddo, the Five Spiced Fennel Cake is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of raspberry fields, imagine pumpkin fields.

The fennel cake had this warm and and earthy taste to it. Imagine all of those deep spices that we all bake with- like cinnamon, five spice, nutmeg, pumpkin spice… Then blend that all together deep into a moist cake. The peach sorbet, which contrasted against the intensity of the raspberry sorbet, was light in comparison. But it was perfect in complementing the cake, balancing out all of those loud flavors. The caramel citrus was also a thoughtful addition, providing sweetness above all else. This would be the perfect dessert to order on a hayride (or in front of a fireplace).

And there you have it. Three gorgeously prepared desserts, influenced by both Western and Eastern cultures. As we ate, we watched the pastry chefs prepare other desserts. It’s a small, open kitchen, and it was humbling to see how such creativity can be produced in such a confined space.

By the time we finished, neither of us could move, so even contemplating the prospect of finishing off a cupcake would have been absurd. All their cupcakes run at $2.75 a pop, which is the standard for the city. Which one would I have tried? The green tea or the mocha with the sea salt for sure.

If you’re ever nearby or are just craving something sweet, I definitely suggest coming here. If Spot Dessert Bar was in the West Village, I think they could increase their prices by 20% and easily get away with it. For someone who is frugal and is constantly on the lookout for a deal, I really loved this experience. For $20, you’re not only paying for quality dessert, but you’re paying for the ingenuity behind the creation of pairing flavors that you won’t be able to find easily elsewhere and for the craftsmanship of Pichet Ong.

You should also check out:

• The Great GoogaMooga | Prospect Park, Brooklyn
• An interview with Terry Chen of “Filled with Sweets”
• Co. Pizza
• Crif Dogs (take 2)- best hot dogs ever
• Saturday brunch at Locanda Verde

For awhile, frozen yogurt shops were sprouting up on every other block. What really got me was the name of these places. Like… Daydream. Really?! Do you want to eat at a place called Daydream? It sounds like a candy shop for little girls dressed in pink.

16 Handles isn’t such a bad name. Sorta reminds me of 21 Choices in Pasadena, CA. Anyway, nowadays all these fro-yo places are all the same. You get frozen yogurt in all these wild flavors and blah blah. Customize it with your favorite toppings all for the standard price of 50 cents/oz (or something like that).  They always end up tasting the same, and they always end up costing you like $6+ per cup.

But, on a hot day, how can you resist that? At 16 Handles, it’s what you’d expect- 16 flavors everyday “on tap.” Too bad beer doesn’t come that way. Anyway, the flavors I tried were:

• Red velvet: Holy shizz, it tasted like red velvet. Let me tell you though. I love red velvet cake. I love frozen yogurt. BUT I DON’T LOVE RED VELVET FROZEN YOGURT. I can see why others would though. For me, it was just a bit too rich. I could see it going very well with angel cake though.
• Strawberry: Tasted like exactly like a frozen yogurt version of strawberry ice cream. Sabrina liked it and I gave it an “eh.”
• Pomegranate: Possibly my favorite! A little tart from the frozen yogurt itself, but also a bit acidic (in a good way). It’s like, a diluted version of POM in a frozen yogurt, but without that puckering dryness after you have POM.
• Pina Colada: Also really good. Really pineapple-y, but goes well with the fruit toppings
• Eurotart/Original tart: They’re two different flavors but I couldn’t taste the difference. Essentially, they tasted like the Pinkberry vanilla to me.

So why 16 Handles over Pinkberry? Because you can get more flavors. Because you get more toppings and you can pile them on yourself. But why Pinkberry over 16 Handles? Because you can easily over spend at 16 Handles without realizing it. However, I’m pretty sure that per ounce, 16 Handles wins.  So if it’s hot, and you’re in the area, do check this place out. It definitely satisfies the sweet tooth that’s craving for something chilly.

MENU
153 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 260-4414

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Photo du jour:

You should also check out:

• The Great GoogaMooga | Prospect Park, Brooklyn
• An interview with Terry Chen of “Filled with Sweets”
• Co. Pizza
• Crif Dogs (take 2)- best hot dogs ever
• Saturday brunch at Locanda Verde