Golden Ticket to Minca Ramen Factory

Minca: Pork Gyoza

We recently had dinner with a friend and not surprisingly, the subject of Ramen came up (we're a little obsessed). He mentioned that his brother lived in Japan for a time, so is a ramen snob and chose Minca Ramen Factory as the destination the last time he visited NYC. We quickly bookmarked Minca and headed there at our next available opportunity.

Finding the pot of gold at Veselka

Veselka: Borscht

Veselka has been on my "to try" list since we originally moved to NYC almost 4 years ago. While I've been wanting to try the pierogi, I also had their burger bookmarked for The Mr since it frequently shows up on "Best Burgers of NYC" lists. On a frosty night we finally made our way out to see what this little "coffee shop" has to offer.

Debonair Bites at db Bistro Moderne

db Bistro Moderne: "I really can't stay..."

Tonight we had tickets to see "No Man's Land" over at the Cort Theatre so I hunted for nearby restaurants and was excited to find that it is close to db Bistro Moderne which has been on my radar for a long time. Not only is their burger often seen on "Best Burgers in NYC" lists, but I've been eager to try any/all of Daniel Boulud's restaurants. The Mr. got stuck in some traffic, so I ordered the "I Really Can't Stay..." cocktail while I waited. Although I really dislike "Baby It's Cold Outside", I really like Rum, Lime, Walnut Infused Sherry, Maple and Egg mixed together and served in my favorite cocktail glass!

Tot-totally Digging Yakitori Totto

Yakitori Totto: Sake

We finished a Knife Skills class at Sur La Table and were absolutely starving. I pulled up my "To Try" list and found we were a mere few blocks away from Yakitori Totto, which would officially round out the "Totto" trio of restaurants (or quartet if you count the new Totto Ramen).

By Jean-Georges, I think we've got it! (Nougatine)

Nougatine: Gently Roasted Fennel and Goat Cheese Salad
with Black Olives

Tonight we were going to see Macbeth in Lincoln Center which afforded us the rare opportunity to eat at one of the many fine dining establishments in the Lincoln Center area. It was a tough choice, but it came down to Jean-George Vongerichten vs Daniel Boulud. From there, it was just a matter of finding an open reservation. Nougatine won out and that is where we found ourselves for tonight's pre-theatre meal.

Adventures in Ramen Making

Ramen Prep

Miso Ramen

The Newbie Foodies are embracing Ramen making with a fury. The Mr. made a dashi and a pork belly based broth. We got a pasta machine for Christmas so celebrated the end of 2013 by making our own noodles for the first time. We started with not just 1, but 3 different variations so that we could contrast and compare. The first was this basic ramen noodle recipe from NoRecipes.com. We then modified that recipe a bit by using Whole Wheat flour. The final batch was from the Ivan Ramen Cookbook. As an intro, Chef Ivan says something to the effect of you will curse him and/or love him when you try this recipe and that turned out to be very true. This dough was by far the most complicated AND the most difficult to work with- but in the end it blew the competition away with its superior mouthfeel and ability to grasp the miso broth.

When we finally assembled our bowls of ramen and sat down to eat I heard a loud cheer from outside and realized that it was officially 2014. A fantastic foodie way to ring in the New Year!