Ruckus + Sakura Sunakku | Ramen Noodles in Chinatown

I have been very into Ramen Noodles since college. I might go so far as to say Ramen is my favorite food. My death row meal. The Ramen Noodle bowls in Boston's Chinatown are far better than the Maruchan of my college dorm days. From humble beginnings comes a deep appreciation.

Ruckus is literally serving the best ramen noodle soup in the city. 

Pictured are two different and equally phenomenal bowls of deeply flavorful broth, bracing vegetables, tender pork, house pulled noodles, gooey egg and crisp shards of nori. An elaborate fanfare of warm comforts are captured in a single ramen bowl. 

S H O R Y U K E N ($15) | Shoyu broth, pork neck chashu, bok choy, scallion marinated yuba, furikake

S P I C Y   M I S O  L I T  R A M E N ($14) | chicken and pork broth simmered for 24 hours, house made noodles, ground pork, grilled corn, soft cooked egg, chili oil, shaved nori

Runner up best Ramen in Boston: Sakura Sunakku in the Avana Marketplace - the same Food Court as Avana Sushi so you just know it's good. It certainly presents in a similar fashion as somewhere under the radar and to discover it feels sensational.  The Vegetarian Ramen ($16) features more exotic mushrooms than you have ever seen in one dish. Shitake Mushrooms, enokitake mushrooms, beech mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms with bamboo shoots, corn, scallions, yuba and miso broth. This soup is giving so much squeaky clean earthiness and umami. It is divine. 

Ruckus

9 Tyler St

Boston, MA 02111

Sakura Sunakku

42 Beach St #101

Boston, MA 02111

Newport - Laguna - Huntington | California

Behold the laid back, surfer cool, palm tree lined, wide sandy beaches of Southern California.  It was my first time here!

We were staying in Santa Ana for a wedding and on the day of decided to spend the morning in Newport. We walked the pier and the beach, feeling invigorated by the suns warmth and salt water. Then we headed south to Laguna Beach. Downtown Laguna is bustling with fine art galleries and beachy shops; it is very picturesque and artsy. The landscape is essentially a canyon surrounded by rolling hills with wide arched beachfront coves. We had lunch at Nick's (440 South Coast Hwy) - a go to spot of the bride and groom. It was packed but we managed to snag seats at the bar next to the breezy open windows and street front patio. We loved the California comfort food menu: the Asparagus Fries ($11), Shrimp Taquitos ($13) and Spicy Thai Soba Noodle Salad ($18) were all terrific. The fun pink cocktail is a Spicy Paloma ($14) made with milagro reposado tequila, jalapeño, basil and grapefruit. 

After the wedding we road tripped east and spent time in the desert. On the return prior to our flight out of LGB we hung out in Huntington Beach. We had an early dinner at Duke's (317 Pacific Coast Hwy) located right at the pier - it was recommended by locals in the surf shop across the street and turned out to be a great meal. We started with Moana Margaritas ($11) and the Crispy Coconut Shrimp ($12) with lilikoi chili water + green papaya slaw. I had Sautéed Macadamia Nut + Herb Crusted Ono ($18) - a Hawaiian white fish dusted in parmesan panko with tomato lemon caper butter, house rice, bok choy + macadamia nut slaw. Bob went with the Chef's Cheeseburger ($16) - an angus chuck, brisket + hanger grind with smoked cheddar, black pepper bacon aioli, pickled Maui onions + arugula on a brioche bun with a side of grilled asparagus.  A pretty west coast sunset later and it was off to catch our red eye. 

While the beaches are nice, no doubt relaxed and sunny and beautiful, the desert was life changing and easily my favorite part of Southern California. Can't wait to share more!

eats + drinks | Gracenote, Granary, Silvertone

Gracenote Coffee Roasters | Leather District

Lattes at Gracenote Coffee: This tiny espresso bar at 108 Lincoln Street is conveniently located right where the bus drops me off every morning. Even if you don't take a Mass Pike express bus into town this independent roaster is worth a visit. The finest beans sourced from for example: La Papaya Farm in Ecuador, Misty Valley, Ethiopia and Irati AB, Kenya are meticulously roasted. 

Strong and rich espresso with thick frothy milk, this is one of the best lattes I have ever had.  The barista art puts a smile on my face and makes them photo worthy, every time. (Yes, there are three different lattes pictured here. Give them a second glance and you can tell! So pretty!)

    Granary Tavern | Financial District

The New Guinness Nitro IPA alongside BBQ Pork Nachos ($12) and Fried Chicken + Waffles ($17) at Granary Tavern. The nachos are next level with house made potato chips, pickled onions, fresh cheese + avocado aioli. And with an ideal ratio of chicken to waffle to maple drizzle + honey butter, the latter dish is a home run.

Townsman | Edge of FiDi and Chinatown

A single cocktail at Townsman: the Green Girder ($12) with Beefeater Gin, fresh celery juice, smoke and salt. The cocktail was terrific and I love cocktails with a celery element! The fact that I haven't had a meal here yet and I work SO close is inexcusable. They are sweeping every publications best new restaurant category, pretty much every where you turn there's a positive buzz about Townsman. One of these days....

Silvertone | Downtown Crossing

Ultimate comfort food at Silvertone: Mac + Cheese ($10) topped with toasted buttered breadcrumbs + peas and Meatloaf + Mashed Potatoes ($12) with brown gravy + the vegetable of the day, bok choy.  

Where have you guys been eating + drinking lately? New hotspots? Old favorites?

Seattle Layover

Happy Monday, friends! I am taking it way back today sharing some photos from my archives of a forgotten evening on the West Coast. On March 1st we were making our way home from Banff, Alberta and Revelstoke, British Columbia, by way of Kelowna thru Seattle. On our extended layover we breezed into the city on the metro, meandered around the Public Market, wandered into Steelhead Diner on a whim and had a terrific dinner, and visited the first Starbucks on Pike Place. It was such a nice way to wind down the week-long Canadian ski trip, that was, until we got back to the airport to find our flight was delayed (mechanical issues) and eventually cancelled (timed out). We spent a miserable night in the Seattle Airport, but, we did receive vouchers from Alaska Airlines for our troubles.

We successfully redeemed the vouchers and head out this week to Portland, Oregon.  We will be road trippin' to the Columbia River Gorge, the Pacific Coast and Willamette Valley. I'm super excited for this adventure and can't wait to share it all when I'm back. 

For now, if you're ever playing tourist in Seattle, the six of us loved everything about our experience at Steelhead Dinner. We ate: Dungeness Crab & Bay Shrimp Tater Tots ($9) with tiger sauce and celery leaf salad / Pike Place Cioppino ($25) with Mediterranean mussels, Manila clams, Fin fish, Torchio pasta, steamed potato, spicy tomato broth and grilled bread / Kasu Marinated Oregon Black Cod ($37) with shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy and carrot-ginger slaw / Salted Caramel Pot De Creme ($10) with vanilla bean Chantilly cream.