I {love} ramen!

Ramen is awesome!

No, not that $0.25 packaged brick of noodles that can keep for a million years.  I'm talking about real ramen.  It seems to be the new food fad here in NYC and I am loving it.  (Much better than some of the overhyped, overpriced dry cupcakes that were/are all the rage.)

Last weekend we went to Ippudo.*  A Japanese food chain that recently came to NYC.  If you want to venture there be prepared to wait a long time.  As in, bring a snack and go wandering around the hood for two hours.  Yes, you might wait as long as two hours.    Ippudo opens for dinner at 5pm, we got in line at 4:30pm to put our names on the list.  We were seated around 6:30pm.  I guess I'm not the only one loving this ramen craze.

The food is totally worth the wait.  It is so delicious!  Ippudo was surprisingly accommodating and child friendly (with special kids dishes!).  The kids behaved so amazingly well and we had a great time.

I ordered the Shiromaru Hakata Classic

Spencer ordered Kasane Black (the current special)

Brian ordered Akamaru Modern with Bakudan  (Ippudo's original spicy paste) on the side.  They were all delicious. For the kids we ordered edamame and plain noodles.

One of the things I love about Ippudo is Kae-dama*.  If you've devoured all your noodles but still have plenty of broth you can order more plain noodles for $2.

*We are also big fans of Totto Ramen in Hell's Kitchen.


**I love how they explain Kae-dama on their menu:
Kae-dama is a system that offers you an extra serving of noodles.  When you have almost finished your first serving of noodles, order by saying, "Kae-dama, please".  In a few minutes the server will bring you another 'ball of noodles', and put it in the soup. At that time, you must have enough amount of the soup in the bowl to accommodate the new noodles, that is, you shouldn't drink much of the soup if you are going to order the Kae-dama.