ivan ramen slurp shop - gotham west market grand opening

I had to make a trek out to 11th avenue and 45th in order to get my slurp on. It was super cold outside so ramen must be the cure, right? 

 I chose the roasted garlic mazemen with roasted tomato, egg and chili garlic oil as add-ons. The broth was creamy and complimented the chewy rye noodles quite well. There was, as you can see, a metric ton of green onions put on top. Towards the end of the bowl I got a big mouthful and had to fight off nausea (too many onions at once does that to me every time). Since I didn't want to spew all over their opening, nor lose the food I'd just finished consuming, I had an internal battle with my stomach and won. *cue Final Fantasy win music*

The chili garlic oil wasn't spicy at all, which I kinda liked cause I could dump the whole thing in, but kinda didn't because even after dumping the whole thing in there was barely any kick. I did love the garlic flavor though.

Also, and this is a big also, there was one piece of chashu nestled in the entire bowl. I expected two, probably because of Ippudo and Totto spoiling me. I know you can add additional meat to the ramen, but normally when I do that I find that I have too much if the original had more than one piece. Knowing this now, I'd probably get the pork as an add-on and skip the roasted tomato unless they can get it where the tomato is actually room temperature to warm (mine was cold in the middle).

I also had their yuzu lemonade which was quite refreshing and not weirdly lemonadey like some other restaurants seems to make their lemonade. I still haven't found something close to what my mom used to do besides, perhaps, Auntie Annie's pretzels which gets the flavor right if a little too sweet for my liking. 

I'd totally go back and give the other noodles a try plus they have a whitefish rice bowl I'm interested in tasting. Next time, I will not stuff a wad of green onions in my mouth either. 

some sausages look gross on the inside

jaegerwurst with fried yellow potatoes and broccoli

But these jaegerwurst from Dickson's in Chelsea Market are ever so tasty.  

things I did last year: pig island

Lots of pork, lots of beer, way too much heat in the sun and not enough shade. I spared you the pictures of pig heads/bodies in various states of food prep.  

There was a veritable porksplosion of food on the island that day. Having just been to another pork even that winter (I tried to call it pork-pocalypse, but i think it was porkapalooza or porkducken or something, totally sorry I'm bad with names).

My favorite food of the day was the sausage which was SO FRICKEN GOOD and isn't actually on the menu at Butter or The Darby *sadface*. The chocolate dipped bacon made another appearance (it was at the other pork event, still don't remember). There's a picture above of the slab bacon frying in a well seasoned cast iron pan. <3

things I did this year : cronuts

Yeah. I waited in that line late in May right before my birthday twice , because the day before I missed a cronut by like 4 people. Silly me. I like his DKAs more. The cronuts were good, but not worth me standing on line two days in a row before work. I ended up seeing myself in the cab on the way home as some reporter from NBC apparently took a picture of the line that day.  It's not fun to have photographic proof you were waiting in line at 6:00am for a pastry, though. 

food & comfort

Thanksgiving is almost here and it will be the first I have without my father. I always remember painstakingly planning the menu so that he would be able to enjoy the food he loved, but not get too sick from eating what he shouldn't. Renal diets are no joke. When his kidneys failed he wasn't supposed to have so many of the things he loved: potatoes, dark leafy greens, chocolate, tomatoes, bananas, bacon, pig's feet... salt. It got difficult, but I always managed to make something that he could enjoy even if he only ate a little.  

Last year he could barely manage a few spoonfuls of everything, but he surely tried and had to enjoy the food with a sip of beer or wine because he liked it that way. This year, as I prepare to make some of the foods he loved, I wonder if he'd like the menu I'm planning.

Anyway, it's been on my mind. As a first post since ever it's a bit of a downer, but I'm ok with it so you don't have to be. The picture is a throwback from a few years ago, but I know it's something he'd have loved.