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Ippudo

1/2/2010

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KONICHIWA!

Dining at Ippudo is an experience in itself. Every person that enters the dining area, all the waiters, bus boys, and chefs stop what they’re doing and yell simultaneously, “KONICHIWA!!”

Ippudo specializes in japanese ramen with a modern twist. But they also have other dishes that are noteworthy.

*WARNING* This is not your typical ramen from a cup.
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The Akamaru Modern is the most popular ramen dish there. It is the original tonkotsu soup noodles with ippudo’s special sauce, miso paste and garlic oils with slices of berkshire pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage and scallions.
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The Kamo Nanban Shoyu Ramen is a soy flavored ramen. A little bit  sweeter than the Akamaru Modern ramen. It has a combination of chicken and tonkotsu soup with berkshire pork, cabbage, naruto and scallions.
Samurai Ribs. The ribs were so savory and perfectly seasoned. The best part was, the meat fell right off the bone. A sign for perfect ribs.

Hirata Buns. These were my favorites. Even better than.. I hate to say it, the Momofuku pork buns. (sorry DK!!) The special spicy, buttery Ippudo sauce is what made these buns a winner.

The 2 most popular desserts there were the mascarpone cheese and matcha brulee. They both were refreshing and light after eating a huge bowl of ramen. Perfect desserts to finish off a perfect meal.

Price. Total: $77. Definitely not a cheap meal BUT we had a full course dinner (with 2 beers and a martini). Considering how good the food was, it was definitely worth it. You can get away with just spending $30 for 2 people if you just order ramen. Each bowl of ramen costs about $12 to 15.

SEATING. Make sure you arrive there before 6!!! They DO NOT accept reservations over the phone, only in person. We got lucky and only had to wait for 20 minutes because we arrived there before 6. The wait after 6, will definitely be an hour or 2. Keep in mind, they are ALWAYS busy. However, service is pretty quick.

SCENE. Fellas, its a good place to impress the LADIES!!

BOTTOM LINE. One of the best places to get gourmet Ramen and modern Japanese dishes.

ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!!!
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Sushi Yasu

1/2/2010

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All i can say is, hole in the wall places are the best!

Sushi Yasu is a quaint little sushi restaurant located in Forest Hills owned by Chef Yasu. It is probably one of the best places in New York to eat sushi/sashimi. The menu is small and concise but you will still find something that will satisfy your cravings. Oh by the way, this place is BYOB!

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First, lets start off with the salad. It’s not the typical dressing that I am use to eating at a Japanese restaurant. You know, the orange-colored ginger dressing. This dressing had a stronger sesame and ginger taste to it with toasted sesame and blended sooo well with the salad.
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Clockwise: Octopus, Scallops, White Sea Bass, and Crab
I am usually not a fan of sashimi but man o’ man was the sashimi fresh. Mind you, we were there at 9:30 pm and it was still delicious. The sashimi cost about $2 to $3 a piece depending on what you select. I do recommend the white sea bass. It was one of my favorites of the night. 
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Top Left to Bottom Right: Spicy Salmon, Catepillar, Marilyn Monroe, Shrimp Tempura
WOW! Not only was each piece full of flavor, the rice, vegetables, and fish were fresh as well. The Marilyn Monroe is one of the best rolls here. John’s friend, Shaaker, even described this roll to have “bursts of flavor.” This roll consists of crab, cucumber topped with succulent, buttery scallops and special mayonnaise sauce. In the words of Rachel Ray: "YUM-O!"Only down fall was that the spicy salmon roll was NOT spicy. =( I even requested for the roll to be extra spicy, but nada. It was still good but I like a lil’ spice in my salmon roll. 
Price: This place is not too bad considering we ate all that and only paid $66. I don’t think you can even find a sushi place in New York and pay that much and receive tasty and fresh sushi. 

Service: Usually service is not a big issue for me, but this place can become frustrating. The first time I was here, I was with a group of 6 and we were there for 3 hours! It took 30 to 40 minutes to receive just one roll of sushi. However, the food was so good I had to go back.  Expect, that they are always short staffed and that it can get busy. They only have one waitress and 2 sushi chefs. 
Seating: The sushi bar seats about 8 and there are 4 other tables. Small, quaint and an intimate restaurant. Since there is always a wait for your meal here, its a great place to catch up with friends and family. So, don’t come here if you are in a rush!

Bottom line: If you love sushi and you have patience, definitely check this place out. 

71-45 Yellowstone Blvd.Forest Hills, NY 11375718.544.0942
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