Turkey Day 11-27-2008

"Overstuffed."

Location: Somewhere in Long Island.
People: The Family
Time: 4pm
Feelings: Stuffed. Happy Thanksgiving!

Bun Soho and Ceci-Cela Afternoon 11-26-2008

"Return of Bun and Associates for a day."

Location: 143 Grand St.
Time: 5pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: Bun Soho is a Vietnamese bun and pho shop with a bit of a modern flare. The interior and neon sign scream 90's club scene, appropriately for Soho, but the place looks clean and comfortable compared to other noodle shops. The waitstaff seemed inexperienced, but they were polite and courteous. RB enjoyed his Bun with Baby Nem Lamb, and my Tofu Bun was fresh, and herbs gave amazing mixed flavors. I found the sauce to be overpowered by garlic but tasty nonetheless.

Post Noodle Dessert: Ceci-Cela 55 Spring St
Feelings: This is my favorite French patisserie with adjoining cozy cafe. It is a quintessential patisserie: It is appropriately claustrophobic, the service is always hit or miss, and they always have the best pastries and cakes. Our Financier and Black Forest cake were fresh and buttery heaven. As we sipped our espresso and hot chocolate, it almost felt as if we were back in Paris for a tiny, brief moment.

Tia Pol Night 11-19-2008

"Long wait, nice staff & good food"

Location: 205 10th Avenue
Time: Started waiting at 7:20, seated at 8:30
People: JR, JV (congrats JV!), and myself

Feelings: Tia Pol is a tiny Spanish Tapas restaurant in West Chelsea where you'd have at least 45 minute wait. Thankfully, there is a cozy bar where you can catch up with your friends and observe what other guests are ordering. After a long wait, quite a traditional and appealing tapas menu awaits. Suggested by the extremely knowledgeable and amicable waiter, we ordered four tapas plates: Patatas Bravas (potatoes with aioli), Garbanzos Fritos (fried chickpeas), Txipirones en Su Tinta (squid in ink with rice), Croqutas with pumpkins. While our favorite was Txipirones en Su Tinta, they all contained bold and complex flavors. Tia Pol is a Tapas heaven where you can catch up with your old friends over nice wine and delicious dishes...but you must have at least three to four hours to spare. If you are in rush, this is not the place for you.

A Salt & Battery Pre Dinner 11-19-2008

"Chippy Feelings."

Location: 112 Greenwich Ave
Time: 6:30pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: When you have cravings for authentic British Fish and Chips or if you are Anglophile, I suppose you must run to A Salt & Battery in the Village. The haddock we ordered was brilliantly made: the fish was fresh and flaky, and the batter was crisp, and believe it or not, it was not overly greasy. Chips were thick and properly soggy as authentic chips should be. I am hoping to finish off the meal with Fried Mars Bars next time. I just wish it was not so overpriced, but it sure is cheaper than taking Virgin Atlantic to Heathrow.

Souen at Soho Night 11-16-2008

"One relaxing dinner in Soho."

Location: 210 6th Ave
Time: 6pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: This Japanese inspired Macrobiotic restaurant in Soho is even better than Souen on 13th Street. First thing you notice is that the interior does not have the hippie vibe as the 13th Street one does. Instead, it is very spacious and nicely lit, and it gives extremely relaxing ambiance. The waitstaff was gracious and attentive, and it was never rushed.

RB's Tofu Okabe was fresh and hearty, and my Soba Curry Soup was quite filling, but not excessively. Souen in Soho is a little oasis to both body and soul.

Kyotofu Night 11-13-2008

"To Tofu or not to-fu?"

Location: 705 9th Ave
Time: 7pm
People: 17 Ramen and Friends: PMont, PeeWee, GB, Jaye, JLam from MeSoHungry, RB, MGru, Johan, JT, Rich, ZK, Sujin, JH, Steve, Jennifer & TA, and myself

Feelings: Kyotofu is a chic dessert restaurant that specializes in tofu and soy based dessert. They also offer small savory tasting menu, which was pleasant but unexciting. The Chicken and Tofu Sliders really tasted like White Castle for some reason, and unagi wrapped in phyllo dough was tasty but completely masked the flavors of unagi. For dessert, we all enjoyed various kinds of tofu and soy plates. The "Warm Miso Chocolate Cake" was probably the favorite among our table while Yuzu & Backberry Anmitsu caught people's attention with its interesting texture. Overall, this is a great dessert restaurant for non dairy seekers. But other than that, it missed its mark. I feel this place has a vibe of a stereotypical Hell's Kitchen restaurant's attempt to be unique and trendy. Every plate was good, but unmemorable...it was lacking major umami.

Feelings towards their service: I hope the service at this place will improve. They were completely under-staffed, and in addition, our waiter was extremely inexperienced and inattentive. Also, we had three separate checks for our group, and we were all charged with a group service charge, even for the table of two.

Home on 8th Night 11-09-2008

"Can you tell which picture is vegetarian?"

Location: 391 8th Ave
Time: 9pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: This is our go-to vegetarian Chinese restaurant in Chelsea/34th Street area. They offer non vegetarian menu as well, and either vegetarian or not, they have not disappointed us with any of their dishes. Every dish is perfectly seasoned and freshly cooked, and their Ma Po Tofu and General Cho's Chicken, which is a vegetarian version of General Tso's Chicken, always satisfy my vegetarian stomach. Also, in the city full of bland hard brown rice, their brown rice is always perfectly moist and flavorful. The service is friendly and fast, and I know we can always count on them.

Bistrouge Night 11-07-2008

"Juicy Mussels!"

Location: 432 E 13th St
Time: 7pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: This new bistro in East Village brings a casual yet romantic dining experience with their exceptional drinks and dishes. Its exposed kitchen and warm interior welcomed us as the lovely hostess and waiter made us feel comfortable and at ease.

While we started off with organic beer and bread with pesto sauce, the savory aroma from the kitchen and nice crowds provided a good energy. Our starter dish, Vodka cured Alaskan salmon with baby arugula and cucumber, was fresh and the yogurt sauce with cucumber had the perfect creamy texture.

Now to the real reason we came to this bistro: Mussels with Fries! I cannot stop dreaming about the juicy flavor of mussels and crisp potato wedges ever since I left the place on Friday. I love how the fries soaked up the garlic sauce, becoming a delectable blend of crisp and sog.

My only regret is not ordering dessert and their highly regarded coffee. I hope to go back to this wonderful bistro soon.

Thai Basil Lunch with Showtime Ops! 11-06-2008

"Yummy tofu, nice lunch specials, salty pineapple rice."

Location (Delivery): 860 9th Ave
Time: 12:30pm
People: Showtime Ops Knitting Club!

Feelings: Showtime Ops' next Thai venture was a delivery from Thai Basil. The staff was extremely polite on the phone and ensured that the order was correct. Our lunch specials were rather small portions, but they were satisfying none the less. Each dish was accompanied by a spring roll and a tiny salad topped with ginger dressing. It was very affordable at $9 including the tip.

Sa-Sha thoroughly enjoyed her Yellow Curry with Tofu but admitted that it was not the best in the neighborhood. The tofu had good texture, and the sauce had nice heat and flavor. AP's Pineapple Rice was quite salty while PC enjoyed his Vegetarian Duck. Pehaps one man's salty is another man's just right.

My Tofu Pad See Ew also had great flavor and texture. The vegetables were pleasantly al dente and crisp to the bite. This combined with the soft flat noodles and flavorful sauce made a very pleasant experience to a stressful workday.

Announcement from Ramen and Friends 11-04-2008

Hello Friends,

Please go out and vote today! There will be plenty of Ramen tomorrow.
-Ramen and Friends officially endorses Senator Barack Obama.

Chai Halloween Lunch 10-31-2008

"Halloween lunch with Peewee"

Location: 930 8th Ave
Time: 12:30
People: Showtime Ops! (Peewee Herman, Jem, the Misfits, Pirate, and Banker)

Feelings: The Showtime Ops Crew got dressed up for Halloween and headed out for another delightful Thai lunch. This Thai fusion spot offers clean minimalist decors, quick service, and great lunch specials. $6.95 for fresh appetizer and flavorful entree is hard to beat in Midtown West. It is indeed a very small cramped space with limited seating, so I recommend takeout instead...unless you have Peewee with you. You can have seats anywhere if you take Peewee.