All stories about "Ippudo"
Week in Reviews: Momofuku Ko Gets the Tres
Kalina, 3/3/08
BrunDog finally got to eat at Momofuku Ko (by making "Ko-dependent arrangements") enough times to drop his long awaited review in today's paper. He gives it a big ol' three, and it sounds like it missed the four mark because of decor, comfort, a lack of extras like hard liquor and tea, and most of all, inconsistency:
"You don’t get start-to-finish enchantment, but that’s not a function of insufficient coddling. It’s a function of where you set the bar for a restaurant that must master only a cluster of dishes on a given night...And of course Franktastic leaves room for the resy system. He devotes the first few grafs and this beauty of a closer to it: "...the 10 a.m. reservations lottery favors people under 40, who are perhaps wiser in the ways of technology and more zealous and dexterous in their clicking. That’s probably as it should be: Ko looks to the future, ignoring the old rules and beckoning epicures open to new ones." [NYT]...there’s a promise of unwavering transcendence, and Ko in its early months serves a few dishes that merely intrigue along with others that utterly enrapture. It also falls prey to some inconsistency...
Deification may have come prematurely to Mr. Chang. But a low-key coronation makes sense."
More Ko, Ippudo, and the Elsewhere, coming up.>>
Week in Reviews: Commerce Gets a One
Krieger, 2/19/08
Bruni heads to the West Village's newest shiny object, Commerce this week and gives it one star. Unlike Platt—who thought the good food mitigated the 'exhausting' atmosphere—the Brunz calls the out place (and the food) as fussy, overwrought:
"...he creates a rankling dissonance, his dishes beseeching a closeness of attention that the frenzied atmosphere doesn’t easily permit...Oh but wait. There is one good thing: "...if all else fails there’s the bread basket...a throwback to the days when carb wasn’t a four-letter word....I always vowed not to polish it all off, and I always ended up staring at crumbs." [NYT]And he errs. While there’s some wonderful food that reflects the talent he showed and the experience he received at Montrachet and then March, there’s also some food that’s not cooked or seasoned as it should be, and there’s food that’s too fussy, not just for the ambience but also for its own good...
...It’s more pretty than comfortable, and its menu is more interesting than trustworthy, though no evening is likely to be a bust."
Benoit, Adour, the Elsewhere, next.>>
The Week in Eater: Hangover Observations, Opening Night at Ago, Inside Ippudo & Park Avenue Spring, and More!!
It's time for the Week in Eater, where we review some of the week's most newsworthy stories via a convenient and attractive photo gallery.
This week's top stories: Hangover Observations at this year's Food & Wine Best New Chefs Party, Opening Night at Ago, A Peak Inside Park Avenue Spring, A Look at NYC's newest ramen joint Ippudo, Q&A with Dell'Anima's Joe Campanale, a Mega Plywood report, and the shuttering of West Village favorite AOC Bedford.
Eater Match Game: Link the Nutty Reviews to the New Restaurants
For a little Wednesday fun we present Eater Match Game. Match the correct wacky comment from all the usual sources—Yelp, Menupages, Citysearch, blog comment sections—with the correct new restaurant. The prize? You get to be slightly less productive at work for 5 minutes.
Today's Restaurants: A: Totally Baked, B: Ippudo, C: Antik, D: Artichoke, E: City Burger, and F: Broadway East.
And your reviews:
1) "The wait was agonizing. The service was less than personal. The fries were milquetoast."
2) "This place sucks, definitely not hipster or cool. The people are whack, service is horrible, and models?? Who are they kidding? Obviously they are writing their own good comments on here."
3) "...for me it's sort of a one-note wonder. I'll be back to try the two other...types...I would have liked to have had at least some options for toppings...just wish I had the option of adding some additional flavor in there. One's mileage, obviously, varies. Some like their burgers plain, others like toppings, right? :-)"
4-6 and the Answers ahead.>>Eater Inside: Ippudo
Krieger, 3/20/08
Yesterday marked the official opening day for the first New York branch of the famous Japanese ramen chain, Ippudo. Anticipation has been running high for this one, and the press preview (see the full gallery) attracted no less than eight major Japanese media outlets. Chances are if you are a real ramen fanatic, you went already in the restaurant's soft opening stages. If you haven't been yet, know that the early reports have been mostly glowing, especially among the city's pork lovers (Andrea Strong called the ramen "liquid pig").
Here's the breakdown. There are two dining rooms, a sake bar, an open kitchen for non-ramen dishes, and an open ramen bar. As is the trend these days, they've got a communal table and some more intimate numbers in the back. And as for food, the main draw here of course is the ramen, which features homemade noodles, broth made from bones cooked for over 15 hours, and the customary slabs of pork and cabbage. By the looks of the early reports, the media buzz, and the general design, this place is going to be something. Major papers: dispatch your Underground Gourmets, your $25 and Unders, and maybe even you fat cat big timers down to the EVill. Further reading here and here.
Ramen, Japanese Chain
65 4th Ave, East Village; 212-388-0088
Open daily 11 a.m. - 4 p.m, 5 p.m. - 12 a.m.
Thursday Mega Opening Report: Ippudo, Bowery Wine Co, Totally Baked and More
This is the Thursday Opening Report, a regular feature that provides the precise status of venues reported as open elsewhere. As per standard operating procedure around here, your contributions are so very welcome.
Akti, Photo via Joey in Astoria
1) East Village: Although not “officially” opening until Monday the 31st, reports that ramen chain Ippudo soft-opened this week on Monday came from Lady Strongbuzz among others. Her early review: “While slurping and spooning, I jotted down this phrase on my note pad: “perversely porky.” Yes, this broth is so rich, and so fully embraces pork’s oinky flavor it’s almost perverse. You could also call it liquid pig.” Status: Certified Soft Open, official opening Monday. 65 Fourth Avenue; 212-388-0088. [Strongbuzz]
2) Lower East Side: TONY reported on the opening of Noodle Bar on the Lower East Side this week, describing it as a: “Lower East Side "Asian bistro," a sister spot to the West Village restaurant of the same name, bears no relation to the Momofuku chain. Rather, owners Nicky Dawda and Connie Yu will offer fare like the Western-inspired tom yum bouillabaisse.” Status: Unknown. No answer to calls. 172 Orchard Street; 212-228-9833. [TONY]
Many, many, more openings after the jump>>Board Wrap: What Would the Colonel Think?
· Casings, Beefiness, and TMI on the 'Best Hot Dog Board' [CH]
· What Would the Colonel Think of this Kentucky Grilled Chicken Nonsense? [SE]
· Best Russian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese All You Can Eat Buffets Outside of Vegas [Yelp]
· Noodle Experts: Will Ippudo serve Konaohtoshi or Bari-kata style Noodles? [eGullet]
· The Best Way to Kick the Coffee Habit? Cold Turkey, Diet Coke, The Flu. [SE]
The Week in Eater: Ippudo Preview, Sand in at WTB, Manuel Out at Dos Caminos, and More
It's time for the Week in Eater, where we review some of the week's most interesting and newsworthy stories via a convenient and attractive photo gallery.
This week's top stories: Ippudo Sneak Preview, Sand in at Water Taxi Beach, Top Chef's Manuel out at Dos Caminos, Mega Plywood Report, North West Restaurant Seized, Scouting out the Kefi Location, The Saga of the Sosas.
Post Plywood Special: Ippudo Sneak Preview
Here's the big takeaway from last night's press preview of the East Village's ramen joint Ippudo: the place was swarming with Japanese reporters. TV cameramen, photographers, and reporters from no less than nine major Japanese outfits cased the joint interviewing attendees and eying the Ramen King himself Shigemi Kawahara. This place, the first NYC outpost of a famous Japanese ramen chain, is apparently a big deal. The space itself includes a sake bar, a ramen bar, a large glassed in kitchen, and two dining rooms with a variety of flair pieces like a bamboo tree and a wall of ramen bowls. As for the food, Fiesty Foodie has a full run down, but they'll be serving five types of ramen (including their two "famous" varieties) and a number of small plates. Opens to the public on March 31st.
· Opening Report: Ippudo [~E~]
· Ippudo NY [Official Site]
Monday Opening Report: Palm Court, Bistro Milano, Lomito Certified Open, Ippudo Needs a Few More Weeks
This is the Monday Opening Report, a regular feature that provides the precise status of venues reported as open elsewhere. As per standard operating procedure around here, your contributions are so very welcome.
Ippudo, image via alexkane, won't open until the end of the month
1) East Village: The debut of Japanese ramen chain Ippudo has been eagerly anticipated by so-called "rameniacs" throughout the city who are dying to get a taste of the chain's "signature pork-based tonkotsu served with spicy miso sauce." Lady Strongbuzz reported back in February that the plywood would come down for an opening date sometime in the first week of March. Status: Not Open. Actual opening date is March 31st. 65 4th Avenue; 212-388-0088. [Strongbuzz]
2) Midtown: Closed since 2005, The Plaza’s Palm Court reportedly reopened this weekend with chef Didier Virot and pastry chef Nicole Kaplan at the helm. According to NewYorkology: “Only a few people were eating, but The Plaza's famed Palm Court was indeed open and serving tea and brunch on Sunday, marking the weekend the historic hotel reopened after three years and $400 million of renovations.” Status: Certified Open. The Plaza Hotel, Fifth Avenue/Central Park South; 212-759-3000. [NewYorkology]
Bistro Milano, Lomito, and more, right this way>>
About Eater
From the newest temples of haute cuisine to the oldest dive bars in New York, from Batali to McNally, Eater has you covered. More about Eater...
Tipping Is Customary
Know about a restaurant opening or closing in your neighborhood, or other NYC restaurant gossip? Do let us know.
Restaurant Search
Archives & Feeds
Full-Content FeedContact Us
Email Eater
|
EATER
Editor
Amanda Kludt
Eater Radar Editor
Kelly Dobkin
Photography
Will Femia
Noah Kalina
Daniel Krieger
Interns
Erin Sikorsky
Adam Hass
Banner Design
Khoi Uong
Editors-in-Chief
Ben Leventhal
Lockhart Steele
