New Food Thing: Ippudo NY

Tonkotsu ramen, despite being a complex dish with dozens of ingredients and an elaborate preparation process that few bother to take on at home, activates my brain's pleasure centers in a way reminiscent of simple comfort foods like cheeseburgers and pizza. A warm, fatty, garlic-y broth with noodles and large slices of pork belly? Great!

Ippudo NY has a large number of positive reviews on the ol' Yelp machine, and because I'm inclined to believe whatever large groups of people tell me to believe, I quickly went there once the ramen cravings kicked in. After being seated at a large community table with other people sheepishly looking at their phones, I ordered their "akamaru modern" ramen and proceeded to stare at my own phone until it arrived in a gigantic red bowl. Other than a dollop of miso paste that blended in rather well, it was mostly "just" a great bowl of tonkotsu ramen to my unsophisticated palate, which means that I loved it. 

It would be even better if it was cheaper, though. All food in New York should be cheaper. Everything here should be cheaper. I swear to god, the rent...