A lovely morning walk to a nearby temple, a few hours working on the house and then a short walk to a neighborhood ramen restaurant (Sachiko's son has the car, he's setting up temporary housing up north for the earthquake and tsunami victims). Japanese Ramen (see a previous blog) is a 'must-have' dish when you visit - too delicious to describe, and basically not available in Denver (ya, ya, I know there are a couple places with ramen on the menu - but since Ototo Den quit making Ramen, nothing I've tried in the Denver area can even come close - waaaah!
This was something new - Char Siu Ramen, the first time I've ever seen it! Rich pork bone stock with spicy pork and tofu sauce over tender noodles. I had mine with negi (a major veggie here, basically a tender leek with a mild flavor - you can get a version at H-Mart, they call it Tokyo Big Green Onion), bean sprouts and wakame (sea veggies). Sorry, I was starving and started eating before shooting pics...
Gyoza - darn good, but my wife makes the best! And darn-it - I got another one of those defective beers - dang thing must have had a leak, there is no way I could have drank it so fast!
A hard workin' fella in the kitchen - service is an art well understood in Japan - the servers at this shop ran everywhere, were there within seconds of raising a hand, and served our piping-hot ramen with a smile in less than 5 minutes. Spicy ramen, a cold beer and an afternoon nap - unlike the folks up north, I'm feeling like a very lucky guy today!
About the author: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci is the Corporate Chef and co-owner of Tony’s Markets in the Denver Metro area. Mick also teaches cooking on Denver’s Channel 7 News and Dig In, a local gardening show on FOX. For more recipes, visit www.TonysMarket.com and/or subscribe to Tony’s Culinary Club by clicking here.
I hope to find that Char Siu Ramen in the Tony's take home case soon. :-)
ReplyDelete