Ramen Shack, a new beginning...

As for the menu...

I want to keep it simple at first.

My goal is to tell a story.

A story about how ramen evolved in Japan.

From a little shack in the hidden alleys of Yokohama.

To what it has become today. Stay tuned...

This is happening...

So much has happened since I last blogged. So much so that it's been painful to even think about why I haven't. I've had so much to say, but never the right moment to say it. So much to share, but never the right means to share it. For now you'll just have to take my word for it and trust that every decision I have made (and will make) is not for selfish fame or fortune, but for the greater good of continuing to live the ramen dream in all of us. If you would like to hear these stories in person, please join me this summer as I work on my newest concept--Ramen Shack.

Beginning July 11th at the new Smorgasburg Queens in Long Island City, I will be serving different styles of ramen (hopefully) every Saturday until they kick me out of the building. With only three weeks to go, as you can see I have nothing but a logo. Pressure time!!!

At least I got my design sketched out.  Now to work on recipes!!

Seriously short...

Still cold outside. But it's the weekend and we all know what that means!

Chicken Noodle break.

Lately we've been busy with prep so I've been leaving Kris, Karl, and Todd in charge of Smorg while Paul and I work back at the kitchen (just in case you were looking for me on a Saturday). Good job guys! Another sellout!

Speaking of sellouts...

I was craving some ramen on a cold day, but I couldn't choose which disappointing bowl to get so I chose tsukemen.

Seriously. C'mon.

Unacceptable.

Hmmmm...

Day 1371:

Hmm...I wonder when we'll be able to do Smorgasburg again?

????

The next big thing...

Dear friends,

I truly appreciate the support that you've given me--the uplifting comments, the encouraging emails, and the overwhelming messages of support. What happened is unfortunate, but it is now in the past and I'm ready to move on. So let me ask you, are you ready to move with me?

For years I've obsessed over a certain food item and always wondered how I could make it work. Yes I've been obsessed with ramen since I was a kid, but shockingly that's not the food item I'm referring to (well at least half of it isn't). If you've followed along closely to my blog, you may have seen it pop up every now and then. But even then I didn't have the tools to make it what it is now. So without further ado, let me introduce to you my new obsession:

The Ramen Burger™

A famous friend once told me "A burger isn't a burger if it ain't beef!" So I got inspired and created a REAL Ramen Burger™. And now it's time to feed it to you! 

Not only did I grow up loving ramen, I also grew up loving burgers.

So stay tuned for an announcement of where you can get it!!

Queens...

Day 1330:

Prepping for the move...

A story uh...

Day 1318:

I don't know why I keep coming back here.

But it seems to be getting better.

So please keep improving.

Okay?

Okay.

Tamashii...

Day 1312:

Newly opened Tamashii Ramen in Queens.

Nice decor.

Tamashii Shio Ramen.

Shoyu Ramen.

Both were lacking body and contained a bit too much msg.

Overbooked...

Day 1288:

I was so excited to go home...

I ate Panda Express!

And then the unimaginable happened. My seat on my plane was "accidentally" given to someone else. But after raising moderate hell...

The Delta folks put me on the next ANA flight to Tokyo.

I guess I can't complain much now. I'm going home!!

Back back to NYC...

Day 1287:

Before we pack up and leave...

We gotta eat!

And eat we did.

Charleston rocked!

Thank you GrowFood Carolina!!

Back to New York.

Why is it so dark?

You know, I can't wait to get home.

Hinomaru nemo...

Day 1193:

With the storm of the century beginning its wrath, I took a walk in the light snow to HinoMaru Ramen in Astoria.

I was craving shoyu ramen, but in my anticipation of being disappointed I ordered the Tonkotsu.

Perhaps I should have just went with the shoyu.

Yearning for something more, I decided to order a bowl of Miso Ramen too.

I actually liked the way this bowl tasted. The soup had some terrific flavors that took my soul to Sapporo for a brief second, but there were also a few things that I didn't like. It looked like a mess. The noodles didn't match. There was way too much ground pork. And it looked like a mess.

Nemo!!

The snow began piling up fast and the kids were quick to build a snowman.

Or should I say snow...person?? scary! haha.

Pizza time!

What? My flights been canceled??

NY mission...

Day 1191:

Good morning Queens!

Hello Brooklyn!

The first item on my agenda was to meet up with the FoodFilmFest family at Ganso in Brooklyn.

Over gyoza...

And ramen.

Always a good time. Thanks George, Seth, Nicole, and Will! Btw, congrats to George Motz for having Burger Land get picked up for another season!

After lunch it was off to Chinatown.

For a beer...

And some Mission Chinese Food!

All the dishes were great, but I was looking forward to this Mapo La Mian (Mabo Ramen?) the most.

Oh man was it spicy! I gotta go back for this and have a whole bowl on my own.

Thanks Danny Bowien! Thanks Kenshiro!!

Hey look it's the new location for Ivan Ramen NY.

And now time for some Idle Hands.

Thanks to everyone who made it out tonight!!!