Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers: Ippudo Rocks

Friday, April 18, 2008

Ippudo Rocks

I went, I ate, I wanted more.

If you haven't read my previous post, and if you are not already obsessed with noodle soup in general and ramen in particular, you may not know that a new ramen joint, called Ippudo, has hit Manhattan and is being fawned over and welcomed and debated and dissed, depending on the circles you travel, by various food bloggers and eaters in the city. Being a typical white person who is obsessed with Japan (see #58 on Stuff White People Like), and also someone who is obsessed with food, I love ramen, and went yesterday, which was literally my first opportunity since hearing about it, to Ippudo.

Here' s a general rundown:
Pickles: too sweet. I hate sweet pickles. It didn't matter. I was so happy to be there, I dealt with the sweet pickles.

Service: friendly to the point of being surreal. When you walk in you run a gauntlet of grinning Japanese faces greeting you in some manner or other. Service was totally adequate in other respects.

Decor: weird and modern and sleek, with a mirror trick happening, where you're not sure at first glance if the people across from you are really there. I love the funky rundown aesthetic of places like Decibel, the sake bar on 9th street. Mismatched sake cups, Japanese hipsters grilled yakitori on a tiny hibachi. Or Rai Rai Ken, my first ramen joint here in NYC, which has all this funky cement work and mosaics and feels cobbled together in a homey-artsy way, which seems to go with ramen. Whatever, this place is sleek and modern. I'll deal with it.

Soup: crazy, crazy, weirdly good. Good like, you almost feel like you shouldn't be eating it. Like, what could be in here that makes it taste so amazing? It's so good. There is seaweed and a slice of sort of dry-ish pork, and a whole mess of thin long noodles. The broth is cloudly, which my friend suggested might be because they cook the noodles right in the broth, which I think was true. It also gave the noodles a slight SLIGHT gumminess, which was not perfect, but whatever. So damn good. Like all soups, it all comes down to the broth.

One problem: I could have eaten whole other bowl. I was not satisfied, even after a $13 dollar bowl of noodle soup. Just thirsty.

I'd like to go back tomorrow, or as soon as possible.

Hakata Ippudo
65 Fourth Ave., New York, NY 10003
nr. 10th St

4 comments:

Unknown said...: Hey Larrisa,

I'm sooo glad to know you like it. My friends went there tonight but I didn't have a time to go with them. I'd like to try it some time soon, since I already consumed ramen noodles which I had bought in tokyo...

akiko; April 26, 2008 at 9:35 PM
Larissa said...: Thank you for telling me about it, Akiko!; April 28, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Jamie said...: The NY Times reviewer liked it also. Now if only I could ditch that baby...; April 30, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Larissa said...: Ditch her, let's go!; May 6, 2008 at 4:45 PM

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The Mothership Method

(Or, how to sit down for dinner with your family without completely losing your mind)

It would be great if kids AND parents wanted boiled chicken and baby carrots every night for dinner. But, too bad, we picky parents want spicy, exotic, fun foods, and our kids want, well, sorta lame foods.
Here's the solution: break it down. Serve the dish deconstructed, and let everyone put their own dish together at the table. Sort of like tapas, or smorgasbord, or tacos. Or how in some parts of China you get a bowl of rice, and everything else is in the middle of the table and you take what you want for your own little bowl of rice. That way everyone gets to eat what they want, parents don't have to nag their kids, and kids get to feels some ownership over their meals. Plus, kids get exposed to the look and taste of the foods you hope they will one day love. But it's not just tacos. You'll be amazed at what can be served with the Mothership Method.

Ten Tips to Get Through Dinner Without Having A Nervous Breakdown

1. Accept That Kids Are Picky. No need to freak out on your cooking ability, or look at your kids like there is something wrong with them. It's called "neo-phobia", and it's just how they are, especially from ages 3-6.

2. Serve Meals Broken Down. Even grown-up meals like coconut curry or linguine with clams can be served in their elements, making them more appealing to kids. Grown ups can assemble their own jumble of deliciousness at their own plate while kids take on the pared-down elements.

3. Push if it Works, But Don't Nag If It Doesn't. Some kids are okay with being expected to taste everything on their plate. Others aren't. I think it's okay to push kids -- but not if you're turning dinner into a battlefield.

4. Suggest a Smell. Smelling a new food is easier than tasting it, and can sometimes provide a kid with the information needed to take that scary first bite. But don't confine smelling to new foods. Smell favorites, too, and help them develop their sense of smell by making a game out of it.

5. Don't Ask "Do You Like It?" Instead, try, "What does this remind you of?" or, "Would your cousins like this?" or, "Does this taste salty or sweet?". Asking if they like it or not gives kids too much power and ends the conversation. Besides, we don't care if they like it! We just want them to keep tasting it until it is familiar.

6. Don't Get Frustrated. Imagine being in Taiwan, or Nairobi, or Rome for the first time. Would you eat everything on the local menu? New foods are scary and gross. Our kids need time to learn about the foods that we eat.

7. No SubstitutionsThis is family dinner, not a diner. You, in all your wisdom, have provided foods that are healthy and delicious and appropriate for your children. There is something on the table for them to eat. Period.

8. No Snacks Before Dinner. This can be the hardest with our hectic schedules and hungry kids. But children who come to the table hungry are more likely to eat than cause trouble.

9. Put Peer Pressure To Your Advantage. School children are more likely to accept new foods if the alpha girls in their group accept them. Swap healthy food ideas on playdates.

10. Involve Your Kids In Cooking, Shopping, and Gardening. The more experience kids have handling and preparing a variety of foods, the more likely they are to eventually accept the foods. (But don't get upset if they help you make a complicated wonderful meal, and then refuse to eat it.)