I love NY more than ever...
October 23, 2008
I saw that sign in a window as I was coming back from my run along the river and thought it was so appropriate for me. I arrived yesterday and it felt like I was coming back to my second home.
I'm staying in a beautiful loft, converted from a factory, in Alphabet City (because some streets have letters of the alphabet like Avenue A) in the East Village, an area that many years before people didn't want to come in to as they thought it was dangerous and now it's a vibrant and eclectic area filled with a diverse range of people, hip stores and just an extension of East Village which is filled with small cosy hip and chique restaurants, bars and stores all around, and lots of people, in particular students as NYU is expanding all around this area.
Yesterday, I went to Momofuku ramen house, which has moved to a bigger location a few doors down as it was so popular and now the chef uses the old location for more upscale dinners around the counter and a local store owner I met yesterday said that it's very hard to get a reservation, and didn't see that as a deterrent but part of the fun and allure of the place. "I'll have to get on the phone early one morning and see if we can get in as my husband hasn't been reminding me lately," she said in passing while looking at her husband as if it was his fault she hasn't gone lately.
It's interesting to come to NYC with modern Japanese cuisine very popular and in high gear. I've been reading about how the latest Japanese restaurant and bar trends have become popular in NYC in a big way and that chefs are going to Tokyo to see what is happening, and I saw with my own eyes, and tasted, the Tokyo restaurant scene - well, not all of it but it felt like it on certain days - but I didn't get to see the other side of the equation until coming here now.
The owner of Momofuku is not Japanese but a young chef that went to study in Japan at numerous ramen houses to perfect his own version to bring it back to NYC. He started with a small place many years back that were just a few counters in a small crowded place and now has a total of three locations in town and is going strong, with always line-ups out the door at night. Well, I was one of the people that lined up outside the door with my friend as she told me about it and I said I had a craving for ramen so there we were. My quick review... I loved the bustling, vibrant atmosphere around communal tables of people chatting, I found the steamed bun and homemade kimchi delicious, the ramen noodles yummy but the broth a bit too salty for both of us. And, this is a place that focuses on meats of all kinds, in particular pork, although they identify which farms the meat comes from as well as some of the other produce.
Other noodle and soba places are popping up in the area as well. So this noodle thing is definitely one of the trends adapted from Tokyo for the NYC audience. Apparently there has been a surge in sake sales with most of these restaurants selling Japanese sake, and beers.
I saw that sign in a window as I was coming back from my run along the river and thought it was so appropriate for me. I arrived yesterday and it felt like I was coming back to my second home.
I'm staying in a beautiful loft, converted from a factory, in Alphabet City (because some streets have letters of the alphabet like Avenue A) in the East Village, an area that many years before people didn't want to come in to as they thought it was dangerous and now it's a vibrant and eclectic area filled with a diverse range of people, hip stores and just an extension of East Village which is filled with small cosy hip and chique restaurants, bars and stores all around, and lots of people, in particular students as NYU is expanding all around this area.
Yesterday, I went to Momofuku ramen house, which has moved to a bigger location a few doors down as it was so popular and now the chef uses the old location for more upscale dinners around the counter and a local store owner I met yesterday said that it's very hard to get a reservation, and didn't see that as a deterrent but part of the fun and allure of the place. "I'll have to get on the phone early one morning and see if we can get in as my husband hasn't been reminding me lately," she said in passing while looking at her husband as if it was his fault she hasn't gone lately.
It's interesting to come to NYC with modern Japanese cuisine very popular and in high gear. I've been reading about how the latest Japanese restaurant and bar trends have become popular in NYC in a big way and that chefs are going to Tokyo to see what is happening, and I saw with my own eyes, and tasted, the Tokyo restaurant scene - well, not all of it but it felt like it on certain days - but I didn't get to see the other side of the equation until coming here now.
The owner of Momofuku is not Japanese but a young chef that went to study in Japan at numerous ramen houses to perfect his own version to bring it back to NYC. He started with a small place many years back that were just a few counters in a small crowded place and now has a total of three locations in town and is going strong, with always line-ups out the door at night. Well, I was one of the people that lined up outside the door with my friend as she told me about it and I said I had a craving for ramen so there we were. My quick review... I loved the bustling, vibrant atmosphere around communal tables of people chatting, I found the steamed bun and homemade kimchi delicious, the ramen noodles yummy but the broth a bit too salty for both of us. And, this is a place that focuses on meats of all kinds, in particular pork, although they identify which farms the meat comes from as well as some of the other produce.
Other noodle and soba places are popping up in the area as well. So this noodle thing is definitely one of the trends adapted from Tokyo for the NYC audience. Apparently there has been a surge in sake sales with most of these restaurants selling Japanese sake, and beers.
posted by Caroline at 11:06 AM
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