Tanoshii Ramen

Mushroom Ramen at Tanoshii in Dallas, Texas.

In my culinary adventures, my friend Janet continually pushes my food limits when it comes to tasting different cultural staples - she takes me to places where I would most likely not venture out on my own. One of the recent foodie fads is ramen, a Japanese noodle soup dish - I concede, I am a little tardy to the party.  The stereotypical college food turned foodie phenomenon struck me as unimaginative and an excuse for restaurants to create and sell cheaply made food to the unassuming masses for high prices. That opinion was before Tanoshii.  My wonderful friend Janet opened my eyes to the depth of flavor potential in this unassuming dish.  We arrived at the restaurant ravenous for food - any food would suffice at this point as the evening had grown late and the gym was only a distant memory.  Janet took the lead and immediately ordered veggie dumplings, pan seared, and braised shitake mushroom sticky buns to start, followed by two bowls of mushroom ramen topped with a soft boiled egg.  The lack of pictures for the first two items indicates the level of hunger - we gobbled these starters up immediately.  Dumplings are by far one of my absolute favorite dishes, sticky buns are a concept still somewhat alien to me, so these were fine by my standards, as I have only in the past few months began to appreciate these delightful buns.  By the time our ramen dishes had arrived, our stomachs were less loud and angry, allowing me time to fully appreciate the depth of flavor in the mushroom broth.   As you can see from the picture above, the amount of ingredients found in this soup dish impresses the eyes.  The moment the soup arrived, we knew this dish would be special - the picture does not give the dish the applause it rightfully deserves.  People often talk about food being made with love - this dish is one of those which feels like a hug from the inside out.  Words cannot express the feelings evoked by this dish.  I felt like the food critic in Ratatoie when he is transported back in time to his childhood - except not back to my childhood per se as I did not grow up in Japan. I will be back again for more ramen - and also, more dumplings as well.

Cheese Board Galore

What could be better on a lazy Saturday afternoon than enjoying a lovely cheese board, scrumptious accompaniments, bold wine and the company of a loved one? The only way this scenario could be better would be to add pjs, a comfy couch and an extra few bills in your wallet.  After a disappointing couple of cheese boards, my fiancé and I decided to take it upon ourselves to explore building our own cheese board with the cheeses we know we enjoy along with a few of our favorite accompaniments including ham, jalapeno pickles, spicy mustard, homemade pesto, a freshly baked baguette and of course, honey.  Recently, a trip to the Magnolia Cheese Company in Fort Worth left me disheartened with the array of cheeses selected.  It felt a little like we had been fed the scraps from the other patron's tables. While I cannot pretend to understand the nuances of running a small business, I do understand high quality cheese and the cost associated with supplying and selling the product to eager cheese consumers.  Instead of trying again at the Magnolia Cheese Company we decided to create our own, with the cheeses that we tasted and purchased. In a few weeks, we will be taking a Cheese 101 class at the best cheese store in Dallas, Scardello! After which I assume to become an expert in all things cheese and pairings so that I can better prepare cheese boards and antipasto platters like a pro!  As for the board, we used an aged Texas cheddar and a younger gouda along with the aforementioned accompaniments (at home no one will judge me for the excessive amount of pickles I require).  In the coming month, I will be conducting an experiment on food by planning out (almost) every single meal we consume in an effort to not only increase the savings in our bank accounts, but also to improve on our eating habits. Mi Cocina is far to close in proximity to the apartment and those Sunset Chicken Fajitas with queso, fried onions and all you can eat chips call our names incessantly.  My plan is to only make one trip to the grocery store each week - with a list from which I can only buy items listed before I enter the store.  Resisting the sale and cheese items will be my greatest struggle. Stay tuned for more!