Ivan Ramen

May 26, 2015 by 12 Comments

For today’s Travel Tuesday, I am taking you to New York City and Ivan Ramen. Located at Gotham West Market, which is like a food court but with eight really really nice food booth restaurants, in Hell’s Kitchen, Ivan Ramen is the brainchild of Tokyo Ramen Master Ivan Orkin. If you’re thinking that does not sound Japanese at all, you’re right. He’s an American, but lives in Japan (it seems he fell in love with Japan when he went there to teach English in the 80s and has never looked back). He even has a ramen joint there in Japan- and the only place to get his ramen outside Tokyo is in New York, at one of two locations. One of them is the Slurp Shop here at Gotham West Market.

Gotham West Market, New York

I was fascinated by the idea of a foreigner being able to break into the food scene in Tokyo, particularly with something as beloved as ramen. Ramen can differ by region – and in fact there are even Ramen Museums. Yes, entire museums… and more than one museum. You can also take a bath in ramen. I don’t really have anything to say about that, if only you could see my face when reading that article though… anyway.

So in New York, off I went to Ivan Ramen. I had been eating a progressive meal every day I was in New York, and honestly was about to go to dinner at Todd English Food Hall after this stop (and I had eaten earlier at Chelsea Market), so I told myself I would only eat half the bowl. But… yeah I ate the whole thing. The kitchen was pretty busy when I arrived, with most of the seats taken at the tables and bar countertop. Thankfully, shortly after I ordered at the register, some bar seats opened and I had a chance to carefully study the Art of the Slurp illustrated at the countertop of Ivan Ramen.
The bustling kitchen of Ivan Ramen at Gotham West Market Instructions of The Art of the Slurp from Ivan Ramen in Gotham West Market

This is the famous Spicy Red Chili Ramen with minced pork, scallions, smashed egg, fully loaded with egg, extra pork and roast tomato.
Spicy Red Chili Ramen with minced pork, scallions, smashed egg, fully loaded with egg, extra pork and roast tomato. Ivan Ramen, Gotham West Market, New York

I was not shy about adding all the garlic oil in the container. Look at how beautifully cut those scallions are. What makes Ivan’s ramen different than most you might try in the US is that he does a double soup, where they combine two broths to create a balance of flavors in the ramen bowl.
Spicy Red Chili Ramen with minced pork, scallions, smashed egg, fully loaded with egg, extra pork and roast tomato. Ivan Ramen, Gotham West Market, New York Spicy Red Chili Ramen with minced pork, scallions, smashed egg, fully loaded with egg, extra pork and roast tomato. Ivan Ramen, Gotham West Market, New York

If you visit Ivan Ramen, rest assured that he has vegetarian ramen available from his menu of about half a dozen noodle options. The only thing you should definitely be aware of is that the ramen is not cheap – it starts at $13, not counting any add ons or making it fully loaded like I did. As with all ramen, it’s always good to eat it relatively quickly because you don’t want the noodles to get too soggy as it absorbs the broth. I also recommend grabbing a glass of water for yourself – often just drinking the broth is enough for me, but it was a bit on the salty side for me so I needed the water as well.

Besides ramen, there are also rice bowls at Ivan Ramen NYC Slurp Shop, and most intriguing, a breakfast menu and a brunch menu involving scrambled eggs and breakfast buns (Japanese breakfast sausage, scallion omelet, yuzu hollandaise) or sweet silken tofu and more! Check out the Slurp Shop menu!

I leave this Travel Tuesday post with some great advice from Gotham West Market:
Gotham West Market advice: Sleep Til You're Hungry, Eat Til You're Sleepy

If you wish you could taste the creations of Ivan… there actually is an opportunity coming up in Portland on Saturday, June 13. As part of the Salt Fire Water series presented by Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen, with Ingredient Sponsor New Seasons Market at the Jacobsen Salt Co.’s headquarters and event space, Chef Earl Ninsom of Lang Baan and Chef Ivan Orkin of Ivan Ramen are working together to create a special dinner. The cost of the dinner is $135 ticket and includes five courses, four glasses of the featured wines, producer/chef discussions, and the ability to purchase special product, books, etc. at event.

Only 50 seats are available…. and I am going to be in one of those seats! Of course I’ll share the recap after the dinner if you want to vicariously live through me. The IVAN RAMEN + LANG BAAN – Jacobsen Salt Co.’s SALT FIRE WATER tickets seem to be sold out (no surprise here since Earl Ninsom’s Lang Baan is basically sold out until November, and Ivan Orkin usually spends his time either in Tokyo or New York where his restaurants are so it’s a big deal for him to be in Portland cooking for us), but you can check out more SALT FIRE WATER events here at Eventbrite.

Are you a big fan of ramen? Would you go to a Ramen Museum (I am contemplating visiting one on a future visit to Japan)? What food would you like to see be a museum here in the US?
Have you seen the movie that celebrates the artistry and deliciousness of ramen, Tampopo? It’s one of my top food movies!

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Pearl Oyster Bar, New York

June 11, 2014 by 7 Comments

You may have been shocked – shocked! – that in my previous posts about my week in New York where I visited Chelsea Market and Todd English Food Hall, both where I had pictures that showed lobster rolls were available, that I did not eat lobster while there.

Believe me, I was very very tempted. I am a sucker for lobster rolls. There was one time all I asked for my birthday were lobster rolls, and after being gifted some shipped from the Northeast, I ate them everyday. Hmm, I might ask for that gift again…

One of the reasons I was able to resist (though it was very hard… I promise you each time I probably stood and gazed longingly at the lobster for a couple minutes and tried to rationalize if I could order it, have a few bites, and still have the meal I planned and save the rest away in the hotel fridge) was thanks to Pearl Oyster Bar.

You see, that’s because I ordered the lobster roll there. And Pearl is pretty reknown for their lobster roll, among many other things on their menu.

I loved it. I visited on a Sunday evening, relatively early in the evening so the restaurant had only just opened for dinner service. I sat at the bar, where I chatted with the New Yorkers on the barstools on each side of me (both turned out to be regulars) and the friendly and knowledgeable barkeep poured such a crisp delightful white wine that I couldn’t help but want to linger.

The whole feel of this restaurant in Greenwich feels so fabulously classic New York. It’s close quarters in there, so be prepared to get cozy, and there may be people waiting anxiously for you to vacate your seat at this small restaurant that takes no reservations.
Pearl Oyster Bar, New York Pearl Oyster Bar, New York Pearl Oyster Bar, New York

I think the best seats are at the marble bar.
Pearl Oyster Bar, New York

As an appetizer, I could have gone with the tasty sounding fried oysters, or safe and well reviewed clam chowder. But I remember that Amanda Hess once wrote a chapter about dining alone at Pearl, and she had ordered the Salt Crusted Shrimp. So there was no question in my mind that was what I would get too.
Pearl Oyster Bar, NY. I remember that Amanda Hess once wrote a chapter about dining alone at Pearl, and she had ordered the Salt Crusted Shrimp. So there was no question in my mind that was what I would get too. Pearl Oyster Bar, NY. I remember that Amanda Hess once wrote a chapter about dining alone at Pearl, and she had ordered the Salt Crusted Shrimp. So there was no question in my mind that was what I would get too. Pearl Oyster Bar, NY. I remember that Amanda Hess once wrote a chapter about dining alone at Pearl, and she had ordered the Salt Crusted Shrimp. So there was no question in my mind that was what I would get too.

Maybe I was supposed to eat that daintily with a fork, but I totally did so with my fingers. Well, ok I did use the fork with the green beans… mostly.

And then it was time for that famed lobster roll, possibly the best lobster roll in New York. I feel a need to test this more.
The Pearl Lobster Roll w/Shoestring Fries at Pearl Oyster Bar, NY The Pearl Lobster Roll w/Shoestring Fries at Pearl Oyster Bar, NY

In fact, one of my bucket list dream vacations is to just travel the Northeast of the US eating lobster rolls. For some reason, vegetarian F is not as thrilled by this roadtrip idea. But I tell you, I don’t know any limits on my ability to enjoy sweet, succulent lobster. Well, I at least had you, Pearl Oyster lobster roll, to tide me for a while until then.
The Pearl Lobster Roll w/Shoestring Fries at Pearl Oyster Bar, NY

What are your thoughts on lobster rolls? Have you ever had a real New England lobster roll before?

Other New York highlights from this trip that I have blogged about:

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Scenes from Chelsea Market and Todd English Food Hall

May 28, 2014 by 7 Comments

I couldn’t visit New York without stopping by both of these food court meccas, could I? So as I mentioned in my last New York recap post where I basically draw little hearts all over Russ & Daughters, I had one day off from the conference. After eating the best bagel and lox sandwich in my entire life, I needed a little walk… so I walked to Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market became my progressive lunch stop. Later that evening, I would visit Todd English Food Hall for dinner. Here is my photo recap of the scenes from Chelsea Market and Todd English Food Hall. Warning, this is a very photo heavy post!

Chelsea Market

I browsed the Chelsea Market looking at all the shops, even bringing back some snacks from The Nut Box and learning about spices at Spices and Tease. If you haven’t heard of Chelsea Market before, it’s a giant building- a whole city block long- which hosts an indoor food hall that includes shop vendors like I just mentioned as well as cheese vendors, bakeries, and imported Italian specialty food.
Chelsea Market, New York

It also is the home to many small booths just like you might expect in any food court mall, but here the vendors include big names like Buddakan, Morimoto, Sarabeth’s or an outpost of the highly ranked sandwich New York chain Num Pang. You can get fine Maine lobsters (Lobster Place) and escargot, Australian meat pies (Tuck Shop), made fresh daily pastas (Rana), conversation cookies (Eleni’s) or crepes (Bar Suzette) and more.
Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York

I walked around a long time, wanting to eat everything but settling for just feasting with my eyes. There was a lot to look at just in terms of the building itself with its stripped down architecture including safe deposit boxes that surround one elevator shaft, glistening starry strings of lights that sparkle as curtains in a hallway with a large clock, a fountain gushing water echoing the richness of the food bounty surrounding its location, and various art, old and new, adoring its halls.
Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York

I ogled all the food in the shops and food booths and on people’s tables also like it was another form of art all around me.

Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York
Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York

For lunch, I followed a recommendation to Dickson’s Farmstand, where I had the rotisserie chicken with brussels sprouts and potatoes. The poultry at Dickson’s is brought into the city every morning from Amish farms in Lancaster Pennsylvania or live poultry market in Queens. Dickson’s calls in their order for their chickens fresh each day. The chickens are cage-free barn raised without hormones or antibiotics and have a vegetarian diet. I couldn’t help but want to support this old fashioned way of sourcing.
Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York

Oh, did I also mention that this building is also the office of Food Network, and they film Iron Chef America and used to film Emeril Live here? During my visit I was still in the midst of reading From Scratch: Inside the Food Network, which I already reviewed in another blog post so I was also letting my imagination fill in the blanks of the tales from the book on how Food Network was formed and grew up as I also people watched during my visit.

Todd English Food Hall

Later that same day, I browsed the Todd English Food Hall, located in the basement of the Plaza Hotel. I walked there from my hotel, which gave me a little time to walk around Central Park at dusk by Columbus Circle as I walked there along W 59th and watch the moon rise.
Some shots from Central Park at dusk by Columbus Circle Some shots from Central Park at dusk

Keep in mind that the Todd English Food Hall is in the Plaza basement floor. So, rather then going up the steps past the doorman to enter the hotel, look for the sign and doorway, which will then lead you to escalators down.
Todd English Food Hall entrance Todd English Food Hall entrance Todd English Food Hall entrance

While Chelsea Market had been an upscale take on a food court, the Todd English Food Hall is a modern take on European specialty markets. There were lots of rows of beautiful goods, and in a few places there were some stools so you can sit at a bar and enjoy a bite to eat at some of the booths that offered food service rather than just food goods. There are nine such food booths, representing nine kinds of food stations (Burger Grill, a Seafood/Oyster Bar, Asian Noodles and Dumplings, Pasta Bar, Flatbread Pizza Bar, Sushi Bar, Taqueria, Cheese & Charcuterie, and a Wine Bar and Patisserie).
Todd English Food Hall, New York listing of occupants

As I was waiting for my friend and her friends to arrive, I browsed with my eyes and camera… Yes, that is S’more made to order. Why is this not a food cart here in Portland.
Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York  Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York

For our dinner we ate at the restaurant within this underground food hall. Here, the menu includes some selections from each of those food stations, but it is brought to you at the table instead of sitting at one of the individual food stations. You don’t get access to the whole menu of each station though – for instance you can’t order the lobster roll, but you can a whole grilled lobster, or you can only have 3 choices of tacos.

There was a lot of wine going on at this dinner, and also I wasn’t exactly starving for a lot of dishes given my visit to Russ & Daughters and Chelsea Market and Momofuku Milk Bar earlier in the day. So, my pictures here are a bit more limited. We started out with a side order of Brussels Sprouts with pancetta, roasted jalapeno, red wine vinegar, and butter. Although I won’t be adding pancetta to my regular roasted brussels sprouts standby recipe, I did like the addition of the roasted jalapenos for a little extra kick!

And we got two orders of those addictive and light Risotto Tater Tots with fontina and truffle aioli
Todd English Food Hall, New York - Brussels Sprouts with pancetta, roasted jalapeno, red wine vinegar, and butter Todd English Food Hall, New York - Risotto Tater Tots with fontina and truffle aioli

Also maybe some Fried Oysters with caviar creme fraiche, lemon, and micro cilantro
Todd English Food Hall, New York - Fried Oysters with caviar creme fraiche, lemon, and micro cilantro Todd English Food Hall, New York - Fried Oysters with caviar creme fraiche, lemon, and micro cilantro

When you dine here, do not miss out on the Rigatoni Bolognese. It uses Todd’s Old School bolognese, veal reduction, and pecorino – here we happened to switch out the rigatoni pasta with gluten free spaghettini for my gluten free friend (you can also substiute Whole wheat for any pasta dish of your choice). That sauce is incredible- I can just eat that sauce by itself with a spoon. 10/10. Would go there and order this pasta dish again, as well as more new things to try, but this is a dish worth repeating. The Veal Agnolotti with veal confit, truffle, and parmesan was good, but that bolognese was even better.
Todd English Food Hall, New York - Rigatoni Bolognese, It uses Todd’s old school bolognese, veal reduction, and pecorino - here we happened to switch out the rigatoni pasta with gluten free spaghettini for my gluten free friend Todd English Food Hall, New York - Veal Agnolotti with veal confit, truffle, parmesan

If you are meeting a group of friends in New York, definitely consider stopping by either Chelsea Market  or Todd English Food Hall for a meal together. By having a good group, you can try a lot of different things at these places, and the possibilities are just amazing that you will want to take advantage of numbers to try as much as you can! If you go to Todd English, make a reservation – otherwise if you are trying to eat at the food stations since it is a bar it is better to be a small party of 1-2. For Chelsea Market, there are some tables but if the weather is nice consider taking your food outside and walking to the High Line park.

I still have two more meals to cover from my time in New York (it sure seems like I ate a lot huh in the 6 days I was there…): Pearl Oyster Bar, and Ivan Ramen!

Other New York highlights from this trip that I have blogged about:

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Collegetown Bagels in Ithaca, New York

October 16, 2013 by 4 Comments

While I was in upstate New York at the beginning of October for a wedding, I had a chance to spend a few days in Ithaca. This included, to my delight, the ability to visit Cornell University. I went to University of Chicago for my undergraduate, but there was a summer semester that I took at Cornell, and which I look upon very fondly. It was an intensive class meant to cover a year during that summer timeframe, so I was in class from morning to mid afternoon, and then I spent some time in the labs in the evening as well. This basically made the experience like camp for us because my classmates and I were constantly seeing each other basically all day every weekday, in constant conversations and discussions.

I subletted a studio during my stay just off campus (in the aptly named Collegetown) during that summer semester. Every morning on the way to my 8am class I would stop at Collegetown Bagels for my usual toasted bagel with butter. I had never really eaten bagels much- my experience with them had been they were chewy and too dense. But also most of my bagel experience was at the college cafeteria. These were different. These were so much better. These were New York bagels. I also discovered that I liked bagels with melted New York cheddar. I’m not kidding when I say I was here everyday.

Collegetown Bagels, in Ithaca Collegetown Bagels, in Ithaca

I was glad to see they were still there when I visited- in fact, they have been there since 1976, still opening early and late, matching the hours of the college crowds. It’s still a small independently owned business, and still completely and utterly charming to me, from the overwhelming chalkboard menu to the assault on the eyes of stuff to look at, even read, just everywhere, just like you would expect if you were a young college student decorating your dorm room for the first time with “art” aka “posters you tape up everywhere”. I can’t even recall exactly how many posters I had when I graduated college- probably 30?

Collegetown Bagels, in Ithaca

I admit I went slightly out of my way to visit them, because it was the same day I needed to go to Cooperstown, and this was the opposite direction. But I refused to leave the area without a visit. I found parking a couple blocks away and dug in the bottom of my purse, trying to find change to feed the old fashioned meter. The service was just as quick, efficient, yet friendly as I remembered (I’m not a morning person, but could always get in and out with my bagels every morning in less than 5 minutes, including the toasting!). I wanted to purchase a t-shirt to remember it buy after the bagel was gone, and the young girl brought every color of that shirt design in my size for me to choose from, and after opening up the shirt and realizing it was a little big, she did the same thing in the next size down- and did so cheerily.

Collegetown Bagels, in Ithaca

And the bagels were still just as delicious as I remembered, doughy but crispy at the edges but not heavy so it didn’t take too much chewing.

For 5 minutes or so while I was eating this  bagel with melted cheese, still a little bubbly, I was 19 again.

I totally bought a bagel (cheddar, buttered) to go as well. I wish I had been able to buy a whole dozen of bagels to take home to freeze, but I knew I still had several days vacation left. Collegetown Bagels is forever remembered by me where I learned how good bagels could be, and will be the best bagels ever.

Do you remember a place fondly that you would always be at when you were going to college, the first place you were a “regular” when you left home? If you were in the area again, would you go out of your way to visit it?

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Eats in New York, New York

October 22, 2011 by 1 Comment

First, a lunch at Shake Shack. We visited the Battery Park City location since this was close to where I was staying (T’s apartment on a high floor also offers a dramatic view of New Jersey and sunset, and around the corner we can admire  the Statue of Liberty). We both passed on the shakes but splurged on cheese fries to go with our cheeseburgers. Those cheeseburgers went down WAY too easy, and I liked how the cheese fries had a little stick with a fry icon sticking out of it that we could stab some of those cheese-coasted morsels with.

Shake Shack, New York

We worked off those calories by walking from Battery Park through Chinatown and Greenwich Village where we didn’t have any (the line was longer then our patience) but admired the frosting of cupcakes by hand in the window of Magnolia Bakery. With sore feet we took the subway back for a Chardonnay and brie and manchego cheeses at T’s apartment. Both cheeses were wonderful with the Sonoma chardonnay which had a great round and slightly buttery profile that was enhanced by the cheeses. Then we were off to a ladies night dinner at Morso and drinking at a speakeasy out of teacups.

At Morso we shared small plates. We started with my favorite dish of the dinner, Gorgonzola fritters, roasted pears, endives,frisée, spiced walnuts, apple cider vinaigrette. Next, a little side dish of Butternut squash gratin, and a full dish we split of the Pappardelle, homemade pasta with brisket pot roast, porcini sauce. Also in the back you can see the other ladies’ side dish of roasted brussels sprouts they shared as they enjoyed their entrees, Cannelloni fresh pasta rolls with spinach,ricotta, light tomato sauce, and an order of Spaghetti carbonara, guanciale, onions, eggs, pecorino cheese. Both upon my small sampling were really fresh pastas and delicious as well.

Morso, small plates, New YorkMorso, small plates, New YorkMorso, small plates, New York

The next day, we put our names for a table for brunch at Sarabeth’s Central Park South location and took a wonderful autumn walk in Central Park.

Central Park South, New YorkCentral Park South, New York

When we returned to eat at Sarabeth’s Central Park South , we started with their pickled Bloody Mary for me and a Bellini for T. After our disappointment that a large party had already taken up all their muffins so we couldn’t share a basket (their jams are renowned), we were only (hah only) left with the entrees we wanted. She had the Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Berries that had a nice little lightness and bit of tartness to them to balance the softness of those sponges for butter and syrup.

Sarabeth's Central Park South, New YorkSarabeth's Central Park South, New York

I had the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Irish smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce, and the homemade muffins they used were so doughy and wonderful I found myself cleaning off the plate even though I was full halfway through. We also split a side of pork & apricot sausage- I kept mopping up the marmalade those sausages were so casually rolling in.

Sarabeth's Central Park South, New York

We then carried our heavy tummies to the Museum of Modarn Art (MOMA). We had the specific  exhibit Talk to Me in mind, which explores how design communicates and how the dialogue is designed and the interaction proceeds between objects/technology and people. As designers ourselves, T and I were a bit more drawn to the technology ones and communication of information rather then just communication for more artistic purposes such as games or shared emotion: we were practically purposeful.

Not that we weren’t amused by the concepts- “Tweenbot” the robot with a little flag that relied on passerbys to assist it into reaching its goal destination, “Hi: the Real Human Interface” the man in a little box who acted like a computer, “Animal Superpowers” which were VR boxes put on small children so they could see how animals or adults perceive the world. But they didn’t resonate quite as much as for instance ways to provide information for use for people such as interaction design for a manual with cutouts (reminiscent of a pop up book) to help instruct how to put together and use a mobile device in which the device is literally put into the book, annotating the space around you in 3-d as you walk in a city to provide contextual information, adding a chip in a pot that warns you that the plant is very thirsty or that the garbage can is upset you are using it so much instead of the recycling/compost bin, or enabling a paralyzed artist to still create art only using his eye movement.

For some of these other ones, I liked the irony in how the descriptions on some of the pieces sometimes used ridiculous adjectives and phrases that barely communicated and I had to filter through them to even figure out what those plaques were trying to explain the piece even was. I also found it astute that every single of those plaques had a QR code. On the other hand, I couldn’t tell you how many times I saw people touch the various screens that were playing videos demonstrating the exhibit- really no one thought to make an interactive exhibit?

Museum of Modarn Art (MOMA), Talk to Me exhibitMuseum of Modarn Art (MOMA), Talk to Me exhibitMuseum of Modarn Art (MOMA), Talk to Me exhibitMuseum of Modarn Art (MOMA), Talk to Me exhibit Museum of Modarn Art (MOMA), Talk to Me exhibitMuseum of Modarn Art (MOMA), Talk to Me exhibitMuseum of Modarn Art (MOMA), Talk to Me exhibitMuseum of Modarn Art (MOMA), Talk to Me exhibit

Thanks T for being such a fabulous hostess, it was wonderful to not have to think about anything or research or plan anything and just be taken care of. Even though it’s been some time since we’ve seen each other, we fell into the same easy comfortable routine and banter we had back when we saw each other daily at our previous jobs, despite all the events and now physical distance in between- like time had barely passed. Hopefully though we won’t have as much time in between the next face to face.

Next: Seattle Visits

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