3 Ramen anyone?

I don't know if anyone has noticed but it's pretty damn cold outside! No worries though. With cold weather comes hot, soupy, noodle lunches!!! Enter the season of RAMEN!

Ramen huh? Out of the hundreds of places to get ramen where did you decide to go, and what made you go there?
Don't sound so excited. I went to this kinda sorta hole in the wall place by my job called Saburi. It's  funny how I stumbled on to this place. One random afternoon I was craving a Bento box for lunch. Coincidentally, my boss was looking for sushi and kept walking pass this place that he thought was a sushi restaurant (Saburi) and wanted to try it out. I say what the hell and one thing leads to another our quest for Bento boxes and good sushi turned into a ramen lunch. And that right there was the beginning of my Saburi relationship.

Ok...how was/is the food?
For a hole in the wall kinda spot, I think it's pretty damn good. Actually, I think it's the best ramen by my job. Just a heads up, ramen isn't the only thing on their menu but it's definitely the only thing I'm looking for when I go there. In particular the daily specials. So far the Thursday (Spicy Miso Ramen) and Tuesday specials (Tonkotsu Ramen)...in that order...are hands down my favorites.

Spicy Ramen? Tonkotsu Ramen? What is this you're talking about?
Ok.
So the Spicy Miso Ramen is ramen (obviously) served in miso broth, topped with ground pork, bok choy and bean sprouts with a side of Japanese style fried chicken and steamed shrimp dumplings. Top it off with some of their spicy powder (still can't remember the name)...AH-MAZING!
The Tonkotsu Ramen is ramen (obviously...again) served in a rich pork broth, topped with braised pork belly, wood ear (absolutely NO idea what that is), pickled red ginger & scallions, with a side of tofu, onion and seaweed salad covered with onion dressing (not a huge fan) and fried pork and veggie spring rolls. Again...sprinkle some of the that spicy powder on there and just enjoy the greatness!

That sounds like a lot of damn food that you get with this special. Is it always like that?
It's a good amount. 1 bowl of ramen + 2 sides = daily special. For the $12 price I don't think it's all that bad compared to the other places in the area where you're paying the same price but don't get as much.

Nice. Anything else we should know about this place? Perhaps some dislikes?
Food and ambiance-wise I have zero complaints. The one issue I do have is that they're closed on some very random days. I've gone over there a few times craving ramen on a regular Tuesday/Wednesday and they were closed. Wasn't even a holiday...at least not one that I knew of.

Recommendation?
During this cold wintery season I can't think of any other place to be for lunch! Just a heads up, the menu can be a little bit overwhelming, but the daily specials are very solid. Stick to those and you'll be alright.

 Saburi

168 Lexington Avenue

(212) 481-7766

2 Adventures In Restaurant Week Part Deux

I think I can get use to this restaurant week stuff. Select menu, discounted items, 3 course meal...I'd be a fool to not take advantage. Next up on my restaurant quest...Haru!

What the hell is Haru?
Simply put...Haru is a Sushi restaurant. Not like one of those $8 dollar Bento Box kind of places. It's waaaaaay more upscale. Kinda sorta like a Blue Fin or maybe Sushi Samba.

Ugh! Sushi! There's something about raw food (especially fish) that just doesn't do it for me. So you was over there eating a bunch of raw sea animals?
SMH! I was not. Even though I am a Sushi fan the items I chose to order weren't typical Sushi items...actually I didn't order Sushi at all. To start I had the King Crab Dumplings. For an entree I had the Filet Mignon. And for dessert I had the Cheesecake Tempura.

Doesn't sound like the typical Sushi order! With a place catered towards Sushi, how were the other non-Sushi items?
A! M! A! Z! I! N! G! The crab dumplings weren't what I expected. I thought it would be more of a jumbo lump kind of crab meat, but it was more of a paste. Either way I wasn't disappointed. The...Filet...Mignon! COOKED TO PERFECTION! So tender! So flavorful! Just an extremely well cooked piece of steak. And last but CERTAINLY NOT least...the cheesecake tempura. I'm not much of a dessert guy. It's not that I don't like sweets but during the course of a dinner outing, by the time it gets to dessert I'm full! Knowing this, I rarely get dessert. But since it came with the whole Restaurant Week special I said what the hell. THAT CHEESECAKE TEMPURA WAS SO DAMN GOOD!

Looks like the best part of your meal was dessert. Did the other courses not measure up?
The appetizer and entree were amazing! Like I don't have one single complaint about either. But I'm convinced that sweet baby Jesus himself...came down from the Heavens...and crafted that Cheesecake Tempura! It was without a doubt the best part of my already amazing meal.

What was so good about this damn tempura?
Let me paint a picture....
You're at an amusement park, carnival, fair, bazaar, etc. After looking all day you finally find the funnel cake stand. OF COURSE you get some funnel cake because you don't know when you'll ever have some again. You take that first bite and find out that your funnel cake has been filled with sweet, warm cheesecake. But not just any old box cheesecake that can be purchased from some random corner store. This is homemade, hand-crafted cheesecake! So now you're sitting there with cheesecake, wrapped in funnel cake, and some syrup at the bottom of the plate that does nothing but complement. That right there ladies and gentlemen...is what made that Cheesecake Tempura so damn good!

I kind want a piece of that right now! Obviously, the food was good...how was the ambiance and service?
Very clean, dim lighting, pleasant staff, mellow vibe. The type of place you could go to for a romantic evening or an after work get together.

Nice. Recommendations?
GO HERE! Whether you're in the area or not, you NEED to try this place out! And that's all I got to say about that.

Haru Sushi

220 Park Avenue South

New York, NY 10003