Ippudo NY

St. Marks Place is a cool, hip, trendy area... Well, it used to be back in the days. Now, it's full of students and tourists. But still doesn't discount the fact that there's good and cheap grub to be had in this area. Go a few streets down and you can get sick ass KFC at Mono+Mono, go a few streets up and you got Momofuku's sick ass fried chicken that feeds like 80 people, mebbe that was 8, I forget. Speaking of Momofuku, their Noodle Bar started the whole noodle soup craze in NYC. But we're not here for the noodle bar, we're here for some Japanese Ramen...

Ippudo's been around for awhile now, it had it's ups and downs but business has never been better. As big as NYC is, decent tonkotsu ramen is hard to come by. I have to eat as many bowls of tonkotsu when I find a decent one. Shit is like crack to me and the 15 million other people in NYC... Except the veg-heads. They don't know what they're missing. Broth made out of dirty pig's feet and cooked until its disintegrated? Fuck yeah, bro.

I needed a quick snack before my lunch at ABC Kitchen, so I had some time to kill...

(Great Wall of Bowls)

(If they're serving these dusty old dried out noodles, I'll need a 12 pack of Sapporo)

(Hirata Pork Buns)

Similar the Chinese steamed buns but not as good. The relatively small piece of pork belly was good but the Napa cabbage cheapened it. These weren't cheap, though... More expensive than the $2 whore around the corner.

(Ippudo Teba Gyoza)

I lurv these things... Deep fried chicken wing stuffed with ground pork and veggies, vinegar shoyu sauce. Now, only if these Japanese chicken farmers can only grow them like this... It would be heaven, heaven I said.

(Shiromaru Hakata Classic)

"The original "Tonkotsu" noodle soup topped with pork loin chashu, kikurage, menma, red pickeled ginger, sesame and scallions". I can't read Japanese but this sounds purdy good to me... Especially, the pickeled ginger. I'll have a bowl, pweez. The broth was real nice, creamy, not too salty. The ramen was "toothy"... Ha, I used that filthy word, yes I did done that. It was a nice bowl of ramen. A great everyday comfort meal.

Ippudo, while it's been commercialized and tourist-fied as of late, still pumps out good food. I wouldn't go here every day because there's just way better places to eat around this area and on the cheap. But it's fun to come here every once in a while and laugh at the Gaijin who asks if they have California Rolls up in this piece.

Domo arigato, Mistor Roboto, bitches.

3.5 Stars.

65 4th Ave
New York, NY 10003

(212) 388-0088

http://www.ippudony.com/