our downtown date

we hate hanging out downtown. i work downtown in the gold coast. it's just filled with slow-walking tourists and absurd consumerism. it's a lot. especially during the holiday season, everything downtown gets amplified. despite all that, we decided to brave the crowds and go on our first ever ramen date.

this was my first time having legit ramen. after watching chef david chang's section on mind of a chef, i've always wanted to try it. alex met up with me after work and we went to ramen-san (59 w hubbard st). spoiler, it's incredible.

we snagged a cozy booth right next to the bar, and started with okonomiyaki, something both of us have never had. it's a cabbage pancake topped with a fried egg, scallions, a meat or two, and a spicy ketchup - basically a broken down bowl of ramen. we got two - one with pork belly and one with brisket and octopus.

then onto the main event. alex got the tonkotsu, which is a traditional broth, chashu (marinated, braised pork belly), and molten egg. i went for the spicy miso, with ground pork, kung pao chilies, and napa cabbage, which really, really spicy (but so good). i don't know how to use chopsticks, although i've tried to learn many times, but i managed pretty okay in between blowing my nose and ferociously consuming ice water. but it was so worth the pain.

we finished as much ramen as we both could manage, and ordered two cones of their homemade ice cream: one black sesame and one matcha green tea.

we both rated the meal an honest 10/10, a rare-as-hell rating. we worked away talking about how fun the actually the dining experience. everything was expert-level quality and authentic, but completely accessible and approachable. the atmosphere felt very urban - there are no windows, and it's all exposed brick. they played hip hop and rap. there was no doubt that this place is a very trendy spot but it didn't feel overdone or overpriced. it was definitely a little pricey ($$ as adveristed), but the bill fit the experience and i would definitely pay for that again.

overall, we had an amazing time filling our bellies and enjoying the experience of it all. it was kind of the perfect winter meal, we'll definitely be back when the snow hits for real.

i would highly recommend checking it out if you happen to be in the city.