Ippudo Westside
Sunday of 4th of July weekend felt like a magical snow day of sorts to me. We had zero obligations, the city was completely empty and there was no work the following day. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take Mr. T to lunch at one of my favorite Korean spots Danji.
I'll admit maybe somewhere in our area may have been a better choice. Both of us had a few too many beers the night before and traveling up to the westside didn't exactly seem like fun but I was determined. I really, really wanted to eat at Danji. So I dragged Mr. T off the couch and onto the excruciating hot train up to Hell's Kitchen; through all of the tourists and sailors in Times Square finally to Danji where we found the grate pulled shut and lights off. CLOSED! I couldn't' believe it! I had even checked the website to make sure they were open however in my holiday weekend excitement I kept thinking it was Saturday not Sunday and yeah...we were completely out of luck. I could see this error quickly escalating Mr. T from Code Yellow hangover toward Code Red anger but lucky for me one of his favorite spots was just around the corner and actually open...Ippudo Westside.
An order of Tori Karaage served with shishito peppers and a spicy mentaiko mayo. These always take a little longer to make than the other dishes but it's worth the wait for that salty, crisp exterior and juicy innards. Just be careful not to burn the roof of your mouth on the first bite (I do almost every singe time).
And of course a big steaming bowl of Akamaru Modern style ramen with pork chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms and Ippudo's Umami Dama paste. It was all smiles and happy bellies after this bowl of filling noodles :)
Ippudo Westside
321 West 51st Street btw 8th & 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10019
I'll admit maybe somewhere in our area may have been a better choice. Both of us had a few too many beers the night before and traveling up to the westside didn't exactly seem like fun but I was determined. I really, really wanted to eat at Danji. So I dragged Mr. T off the couch and onto the excruciating hot train up to Hell's Kitchen; through all of the tourists and sailors in Times Square finally to Danji where we found the grate pulled shut and lights off. CLOSED! I couldn't' believe it! I had even checked the website to make sure they were open however in my holiday weekend excitement I kept thinking it was Saturday not Sunday and yeah...we were completely out of luck. I could see this error quickly escalating Mr. T from Code Yellow hangover toward Code Red anger but lucky for me one of his favorite spots was just around the corner and actually open...Ippudo Westside.
Nobody can stay angry while eating the delicious Hirata buns at Ippudo. Steaming hot rice buns stuffed with a sweet and spicy pork belly, crisp lettuce and mayo. These glorious little pockets of goodness were only surpassed by the amazing Frozen Yuzu Sake-Rita; basically a sour cocktail slushie that completely took away any of the beer blues from the night before.
And of course a big steaming bowl of Akamaru Modern style ramen with pork chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms and Ippudo's Umami Dama paste. It was all smiles and happy bellies after this bowl of filling noodles :)
Ippudo Westside
321 West 51st Street btw 8th & 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10019
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