A midtown branch of Ippudo, the Japanese ramen chain, opened recently, serving terrific bowls of tasty ramen and a host of creative and delicious appetizers.
And while the lines at the downtown location of Ippudo are legendary, we were able to get in without a hitch for a pre-theater meal one early Wednesday evening.
Sarah’s cocktail, the EESJ, with tequila, spicy sriracha sauce and pickled cucumbers:
My Pomm Choi, with sake, campari and Pomm liqueur, garnished with lychee. Delishy.
Boo had Ippudo’s take on a sazerac. Smoky!
I also ordered a sake.
Our first appetizer was salmon sashimi with yuba (tofu skin) wrapped in cucumber and served with a sesame-wasabi sauce:
Super refreshing and light. A great start to the meal.
Then we had this: Yasai Pinchos with Anchovy Herbs. Little stacks of potato, zucchini and eringi mushrooms served with a toasty brown butter infused with anchovy and rosemary. A revelation!
One of the best dishes I’ve had all year!
These panko-crusted croquettes with crab and shrimp and a tonkatsu sauce (an earthy, soy-Worchestershire sauce usually served with pork cutlets that have been breaded and fried.)
Oh these were terrific: gooey and slurpy, sweet and crunchy. So fun.
Ippudo is famous for its chicken wings, and rightly so. These are like Korean-style — double fried, I’d bet — with that super-crunchy skin and juicy meat. They’re tossed in a black pepper sauce. Heavenly.
Sarah and Boo chatting:
Now to the main event. We ordered two of the three ramens available, Classic (in the white bowl) and Modern (in the red bowl);
The menu describes them as follows:
Shiromaru Hakata Classic: “The original “Tonkotsu” (pork) broth with Ippudo Westside’s signature dashi; thin noodles topped with pork loin chashu, sesame kikurage mushrooms, memma, red pickled ginger and scallions.
Akamaru Modern: A more bold, modern translation of the original “Tonkotsu” (pork) broth; thin noodles topped with Ippudo’s secret “Umami Dama” miso paste, pork chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms, scallions and fragrant garlic oil.
They were both fabulous: rich, complex, wonderful.
Modern was a little more earthy, while classic was a little more bright and acidic. 
We ordered pork belly and egg as extras on both, and also got a spicy paste to mix in.
Completely and utterly fabulous!
The 411 on Ippudo: The Japanese ramen chain serving terrific bowls of tasty ramen and a host of creative and delicious appetizers. Don’t miss the potato-zucchini-mushroom skewers or the chicken wings, and save room for the complex, addictive ramen, too. 321 W 51st St. near Eighth Avenue, Manhattan. 212-974-2500. ippudony.com
