restaurant

Urban Ramen

Originally from Los Angeles, Urban Ramen opened its second location in Midtown Detroit last June; and we’re so happy they’re here! According to Detroit Eater, “Owner Kohei Robert, was born in the U.S. but raised in Japan… and worked with executive chef Yohei Uchida to develop the menu for the original location which features noodles served with chicken, pork, and vegan maitake mushroom and shoyu broth.” The noodle shop has generated quite a hype with foodies by offering an exciting and authentic Japanese menu. And come on, say…”Urban Ramen” -it just sounds cool. 

We’d be the first to admit that we’re probably jaded when it comes to the Japanese noodles known as ramen.  We grew up on Maruchan Ramen, those wavy noodle bricks accompanied by little silver seasoning packets. No broth necessary, just boil the noodles until soft; strain and add the MSG laden spice pouch. So freaking good! They were the perfect after school snack, and the means for survival for many college students. We could probably eat it every day, (and for a long time actually did).

However, this is a new era in cuisine quality, and an authentic variety of food places is turning up at every corner of the Motor City. Walking down Woodward, you instantly take notice of the chef through the window, working fast in the steamy kitchen with lots of well organized produce and ingredients. You can also see an impressive industrial-sized ramen noodle maker (they make their noodles in house, daily). The restaurant emanates fresh and a standard of quality, before you even step in. Once past the threshold, we were greeted by a warm and knowledgeable server and seated after we placed our order (which included almost the whole menu- ‘cause we came to eat).

Mini Salad & Garlic Edamame

We started with the mini salad, which was a cabbage slaw tossed in ginger dressing and topped with fresh corn. We sampled the garlic edamame, totally radiating garlicky goodness; but too fibrous to eat whole (in spite of Sadie’s best efforts). So we’ve included a link for you on “how to eat soybeans“. You’re welcome. We followed up their most popular (Detroit exclusive) Chicken Paitan Ramen (pictured below). The bowls are loaded with interesting bits, and the presentation is like something you drool over on your foodie Instagram pics. (Somehow, our photos don’t do it justice.) Now time to slurrrpppp. Seriously, that’s how it’s done, and even considered complementary in Japanese culture… along with no conversation so that you’re sure to savor every bite. We tried to slurp… (but we were too busy talking about it all. We’ll get there.)

Chicken Paitan Ramen

The creamy broth had a strong umami taste. The chicken was wonderfully tender with crispier edges… and hello ramen, I don’t think we’ve met! The thin noodles were so good and fresh, like an elegant distant cousin of the aforementioned bricks (which shall forever carry a special place in our hearts). But the biggest surprise was the soy marinated egg- perfectly soft boiled and soy infused, so delicious.

Japanese soda

We cleared our palate with a drink of Ramune, a Japanese soda that the server compared to Sprite. **Read the instructions on bottle of how to open.** In complete transparency: it was fun to try something new, but we’ll stick to Sprite.

Next we had Shoyu Vegan Ramen (featured post image), and please don’t let “vegan” detract from this weightiness of this dish. It’s a meal. The ramen was a bit thicker and had a good chew. There were generous amounts of white onion and Maitake mushrooms, with garnishments like radish sprouts and fried burdock (shout out to fried burdock, you’re awesome). However, the star of the show (drumroll please), is bamboo! Yeah, baby! We should call it BAMBOOM because it is an explosion of delicious! Wider and thicker cuts than the kind in our stir fry, it was bursting with teriyaki-like flavor… and we’d go back just for that! 

Plain noodles

Picky eaters have options too, so don’t think you shouldn’t tag along! If you have kids like Sadie’s, know that plain noodles are available. (Rachel’s kids have more grown up tastes than most adults.) And feel free to mention “no scallions,” then you won’t have to pick them off one-by-one. 😉

Matcha Mochi Ice

For dessert we had Matcha Mochi Ice. Matcha Mochi!!! This green tea ice cream with roasted soybean flour and brown sugar syrup was creamy and cool, light and sweet, and as Sadie put it, “money in my mouth.” Also notedly, it was her son’s favorite.

Urban Ramen has a good thing going. It’s fresh, modern, authentic…, and if you’re ever in Midtown, you should stop by and see what it’s all about! (And be sure to order an extra side of Bamboom Bamboo, because you’re going to love it.) 😉


Marrow

What is Marrow? By definition, it’s the choicest of food; the inmost, best, or essential part. In Detroit, it’s all that- in a hot new restaurant.

Actually, it’s a butcher shop by day, restaurant by night. Rachel and I happened to stumble upon Marrow on a trip to the Detroit’s West Village after frequenting a local pie shop. When we saw “hot birds” on the window sign we, being from The Nest, thought “that’s us.” Of course, they were advertising rotisserie chickens.

The Detroit Free Press had just bestowed Marrow with the honor of No. 2 in Detroit’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants as we moseyed our way in. Oh sure, their cameras might have been bigger, but they had nothing on our appetites. It was like being a kid in a candy store for these carnivores, and we couldn’t wait to take things home for our families to try too. We grabbed sausages (spicy, summer, and pork), Lebanese bologna, and pepperoni. If only we would have brought a cooler, we could have taken home some steaks- or a shank. (Next time…)

Marrow’s butcher shop offers a lunch special every day, we were serendipitous enough to come on a Corned Beef Reuben day. I am not exaggerating when I say the thin slices of corned beef melted in my mouth. Honestly, it melted like a good prosciutto, except with the flavor of a delicious mild corned beef. The sandwich bread was a soft and hearty wheat from Zingerman’s (an Ann Arbor favorite); the Russian dressing was flavorful, but not overpowering; and the crunch from those sweet pickles, mmmm… Let me say that again, those sweet pickles from Coriander Kitchen and Farm of Detroit, were a star in their own right. And FYI, we heard that Coriander is going to be opening a Detroit restaurant in the near future. Oh yeah!

Rachel felt baller sitting at the bar next to the dry ager full of meat (it was a little early for her cognac and cigar). Marrow emanates a great vibe. It’s local-butcher-shop-esque with their impressive displays of meats and charcuteries- complete with meat-carver in apron for day-comers…

And urban chic-meets industrial bar for the night crowd. “The neighborhood butcher shop and restaurant hybrid serves as a community gathering place.” I wish I lived across the street, because I could see me hanging out there regularly.

But I think what I loved most about Marrow, okay, besides the friendly and knowledgable staff- (shout out to the Executive Chef Sarah, who shared a sample of a prototype seasoning blend)…

What I loved most, was the sense of community. #DetroitProud Marrow is supporting local business, who in turn support them. It’s a real grassroots effort that is contributing to the Detroit comeback. Business owners and community members alike are working together and supporting one another for the betterment of the city at large and those who live there. Shelves are stocked with Michigan made goods, and the names of local farms who supply the meats, cheeses, and such are visibly listed on the back wall.

There are great things happening in the D. And it’s contagious- because of businesses like Marrow who take pride in giving their community quality products and services. The vision of founder Ping Ho is to “inspire a return to old world practices of buying direct and supporting small local producers.” There are strength in numbers, and Detroit business owners working together, along with the backing of local patrons, is a movement that is gaining momentum. Although, being excellent at what they do, it’s no wonder that Marrow is getting due recognition for being outstanding.

Thanks to Marrow for letting us spend time perusing your establishment. Our lunch was delicious; and we’ve been enjoying our products, such as Graham’s Organics breakfast pork sausage, at home too!

We can’t wait to get back for dinner at Marrow soon, and a word to the wise: reservations are recommended. (And they are closed on Tuesdays)

Marrow is located at 8044 Kercheval Ave, 1B  |  Detroit, Michigan

For more information check out their website at www.marrowdetroit.com

Puck V Legasse: Duel of Dinner

In the movie Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, there were two superheroes in their own right battling it out in a brawn vs. brawn sort of way. I thought it would be fun to do a comparison of a couple chefs who’s cuisine I recently sampled and see if there was an overall winner; a duel of dinner! To begin, let’s set the stage with two well known and successful chefs, namely Emeril Legasse and Wolfgang Puck, that for all intents and purposes have reached their own individual superhero status in the world of celebrity culinarians. They both are successful TV personalities, have written popular cookbooks, and have reached international acclaim as restauranteurs. They also each happen to have their own restaurant, Wolfgang Puck and Emeril’s Orlando, in Orlando, Florida outside of two famous amusement parks, Disney World and Universal Studios respectively.

When Disney Springs was still Downtown Disney, we visited Wolfgang Puck’s “The Cafe”. I ordered the Butternut Squash Ravioli and my husband ordered a wood fired pizza. (I can’t remember what we ordered the kids… only two of them then!) I do remember we really enjoyed our dinner. This time we had reservations for “The Dining Room,” his upstairs venue with a completely different menu. I have to say, I was really excited to visit Emeril Legasse’s and Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants. To me that just screams vacation, mommy style.

(Side note: Fair or not, if two such well known chefs are going to put their name on the side of a building and imply that their very own recipes can be purchased and tasted inside, I have an expectation that I am going to be impressed. I don’t pretend to have some well-trained palate that can pick up subtleties others would often miss. I’m only saying that if I am going to pay tourist prices for a celebrity chef meal for a family of 6, I’d like it to taste good… Okay?)

Our first stop was at The Dining Room by Wolfgang Puck. It had been a long day on the road (we drove in from Atlanta, Georgia) and we were happy to finally be at our Disney World resort. After we were seated upstairs, we placed our orders. Since I’m on my health kick I ordered the Sweet Corn Chowder (with crab, paprika oil and basil), along with the Apple Salad (with golden raisins, almonds, blue cheese, parmesan, and a sherry vinaigrette). They were very accommodating when Owen ordered a Blackened Shrimp that wasn’t exactly on the menu; My oldest son was excited to find out they offered a children’s steak option; My next two children are pretty consistent with their desire of chicken tenders, and the baby was taken care of with a (non-dairy) pasta marinara.

My soup was fantastic, absolutely delicious. Owen thought the shrimp was probably the best shrimp dish he had ever eaten. Isaiah devoured his perfectly done and tender filet. Naomi and Elijah were happy with their chicken and Noah LOVED the pasta. Just because I could, I tasted a piece of the kid’s chicken. Sometimes I think the best way to know if something is special is to try what you make or order on a regular basis. It was crispy, moist, very flavorful and did not disappoint. But honestly, the baby’s pasta surprised me the most. It looked like a regular spaghetti with a light coating of red sauce, but the amount of concentrated garlic and tomato flavor that clung to those thin noodles was impressive! It was an overall great meal.
A few days later we visited Emeril’s Orlando for a late lunch/early dinner between switching parks at Universal Studios. It was kind of fun that they were offering a free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of any entree. Yay! With the exception of myself, our orders were coincidentally similar to the ones at our other celebrity chef’s restaurant. This time I ordered White Bean & Cheese Enchiladas served over Steamed Mussels (pictured above). Owen ordered the New Orlean’s Barbecue Shrimp with a side of white rice. Isaiah ordered another steak; the middle kids ordered their chicken and fries, and again we ordered the baby a pasta marinara.

I don’t know how I missed the part about the enchiladas being served over mussels. I don’t eat mussels! What was I thinking? Regardless, it was presented beautifully and the enchiladas were delicious. Owen’s shrimp was good, but not nearly as impressionable as the shrimp he tasted the other day. Isaiah ate his steak, but it wasn’t a juicy or flavorful as his previous filet. Naomi and Elijah only took a couple bites of their chicken. The tenderloins were very meaty and the crust really didn’t stay on which made them difficult (particularly for a 3 year old) to handle. To make things worse, Noah took one bite of his pasta and spit it out. To be fair, the pasta was not on the menu, they made it to accommodate the special needs of the baby. But he couldn’t be coerced into another bite. Believing it couldn’t be that bad, I tried it myself… it was edible, but I didn’t want another bite either. At least there was dessert!

In short, here is my theory: Everyone knows that Superman is awesome, but anyone can beat him if they have kryptonite; which makes Batman the clear winner. In this scenario the kryptonite was flavor, and Wolfgang Puck won hands down. Maybe on any other given day it could have gone the other way. Perhaps if we had adventured out from our repetative orders, we would have been pleasantly surprised by a different outcome. And I’d like to add that we had great service at both places. However, as it stands, the next time we’re in Orlando, we’ll make sure to get reservations… with one of them. 😉