Santander wrote:If you order the 4 and eat it within a certain number of minutes, you win something - perhaps a hot egg.

Your bowl is free if you eat the level 4 hell ramen in under 20 minutes.

Lerdawg wrote: Your bowl is free if you eat the level 4 hell ramen in under 20 minutes.

Where is Adam Richman?
More technically, does it expect you to eat the bowl using only chopsticks?
If you're 16 minutes in and looking like you might be able to finish it, does Yusho suddenly take away the spoon and the glass of water you had?
I contemplate this because, for some reason, Yusho blocks me from following it on Twitter. What does it fear? {Psst. I spent over $55 there at the last ramen battle. Is that the last money I'll ever spend there? Maybe.}

Couple notable news in regards to ramen scene in Chicago(land) :
- Ramen House Shinchan opened recently in Palatine.
- LA-based ramen bar Jinya is slated to open in Lincoln Park around May.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ramen-Ho ... 7400069531
http://www.jinya-ramenbar.com/locations/jinya-chicago/

Any word yet on Ramen Takeya? Have they opened yet? It's relatively close to my office, and we're in perfect Ramen weather right now...

I've been to Ramen House Shinchan in Rolling Meadows (thought it was Palatine but actually RM)

Very nice first bowl of tonkotsu ramen. great egg, pretty good pork & a great porky broth will be back.

Strings Lincoln Park location is set to open on Teusday, March 17th. 1629 N. Halsted.

Independent George wrote:Any word yet on Ramen Takeya? Have they opened yet? It's relatively close to my office, and we're in perfect Ramen weather right now...

Looks like it will open within 2 weeks

https://www.facebook.com/RamenTakeya/ph ... =1&theater

I'll add my plaudits for Ramen House Shinchan. I thought their broth was excellent.
I'd also note that we got there today (Saturday) around 11: 35. They open at 11:30 and we got the last table. At least for weekend lunch/brunch (don't know what it would be referred to in Japan) this place is very popular. If you have to wait, however, it shouldn't be a problem because the meal does not take very long.

Coogles wrote:Strings Lincoln Park location is set to open on Teusday, March 17th. 1629 N. Halsted.

Strings Ramen is set to open its doors Thursday night with a few unique ramen options on its menu including ostrich meat.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150326 ... at-on-menu

Independent George wrote:Any word yet on Ramen Takeya? Have they opened yet? It's relatively close to my office, and we're in perfect Ramen weather right now...

I bring word and the word is good. Both the regular and the spicy broth are worth trying. The interesting thing is that in the spicy version, the chili oil somehow obscures the chicken flavor, making the whole thing taste like a very respectable tonkotsu ramen. The noodles start out properly chewy, the pork is meltingly tender, and the menma is sweet and crunchy. Do it.

The "Furious Ramen" at Furious Spoon is a tonkotsu-based broth which is more a gravy than a broth, being more viscous than any other example I've ever run across anywhere. Not necessarily a good thing. Tasty, yes, but rich as hell. I know that thick tonkotsu broth seems to be the rage across the ramen world these days but don't expect to go dancing after eating this thing.

The chashu is succulent while the honjuku egg is perfectly cooked and is thankfully not served cold. The bowl is topped with dallops of Habenero salsa ("Fury sauce") and garlic/ginger. Pork-broth marinated shiitake mushrooms are also a nice addition.

I absolutely love the homemade thin noodles here. A notable effort.

If you hate tonkotsu ramen because it is so rich - beware. This is the Hulk Hogan of all Tonkotsus.

As the name implies, many elements in this bowl are meant to be extreme. But, shockingly, this is the real deal since everything works exceptionally well together.

In spite of the nuclear-level viscosity of the broth, it is apparent that there's a lot of thoughtfulness that went into this bowl and is certainly worth checking out...on an empty stomach.

Furious Spoon
1571 N. Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 687-8445

PIGMON wrote:...the nuclear-level viscosity of the broth...

Whoa, I saw what you did there, Mr. Math, using Yang-Mills theory (essentially a non-Abelian gauge theory based on the local symmetry group SU(3), for any social scientists, artists, or philatelists who might have missed it) to explain the sub-atomic properties of your entree. Ima hafta read some Feynman before I visit Furious Spoon.

PIGMON wrote: This is the Hulk Hogan of all Tonkotsus.

That broth doesn't look very orange?

Choey wrote:

PIGMON wrote:...the nuclear-level viscosity of the broth...

Whoa, I saw what you did there, Mr. Math, using Yang-Mills theory (essentially a non-Abelian gauge theory based on the local symmetry group SU(3), for any social scientists, artists, or philatelists who might have missed it) to explain the sub-atomic properties of your entree. Ima hafta read some Feynman before I visit Furious Spoon.

Um, is that the same Mills as from 17th Street Bar & Grill?

Hi all! New to Chicago, new to this forum, new to this thread! I also must admin up front that I have yet to read this entire thread, which I'm sorry for in advanced, because here is a question:

I'm looking for a traditional, not-fancy, but high quality and awesome tasting tonkotsu ramen in Chicago. Nearly white, opaque broth, chashu, an egg, and noodles, perhaps pickled bamboo shoots and nori, but not a ton else. Basically "pork forward" tonkotsu ramen. Ideally the chashu will be very tender and melt-in-your-mouth-ish also .

I'm not exactly rich, so price is always an issue, except in this case, when price is not an issue. More importantly is that the ramen is authentic and of high quality.

I spent two months in Japan recently on a backpacking trip and ramen is one of the things I miss most. I am FAR from a ramen expert, but sadly what I've found so far in the few random (un-researched) ramen restaurants is not great. It might be "fancy" and sound great, but in reality it's not great ramen.

I'm in Logan Square, for what it's worth, but am certainly willing to travel where ever I need to in Chicago.

If I had the budget for one bowl (to start), what would you recommend?

Thank you all!

Wasabi in Logan Square does a fairly milky tonkotsu and you wouldn't even have to leave the neighborhood. Plan for a wait though. They seem to be slammed with a line out the door every time I walk by.

I'd second Wasabi--I love Misoya's tonkotsu ramen but I happen to think that Wasabi's is pretty darned good and right in your 'hood. Last time I was there, it was about 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon-- I was solo--sat right down at the bar with no wait. Speaking of Misoya, in addition to the Mt. Prospect location, there will soon be one in Streeterville at 213 E. Ohio.

More love here for Wasabi (though I hesitate to mention it for fear of lines getting longer). I've never understood why they don't show up on ramen rankings in the city; for richness and depth of flavor, I find them unmatched by many of the more lauded spots. While I can't personally speak to authenticity, I'm always struck by the large number of Asian diners throughout the restaurant, which I take as a good sign. I'm often a solo diner as well and I've never had a wait for counter seating. Plan to spend about $15/bowl plus tip. Enjoy!

I should point out that you can also just hop on the blue line for a few stops and hit Oiistar and Furious Spoon. Actually I think my wife and I might hit those two this weekend, so PM me if you would like to join us (this goes to anyone else that is interested as well).

Thanks much for the recommendations! I'll add them to the list and check them out asap!

Wasabi is the best I've had in Chicago (not counting suburbs). It has the quality of something like Ippudo in Manhattan. If you go there at an unconventional time, like 2pm on a Saturday, you probably won't have to wait long or at all. Last time I went, I was seated right away, though the place was definitely not dead. It's not cheap there, but outside some of the places in the suburbs, the bowls of ramen in Chicago are going to be the same as a trendy place in Manhattan (let's say $13-$16 for a bowl).

I have a friend who lived in Chicago for awhile, originally from Asia and been to Japan extensively who agreed that Wasabi was the best in the city.

Seriously, oiistar's oiimen. Ignore the rest of the menu. I took a friend who lived in Japan for a few years and the oiimem brought a rear to his eye.

laikom wrote: brought a rear to his eye.

hehehehehehe

boudreaulicious wrote:

laikom wrote: brought a rear to his eye.

hehehehehehe

rear in eye.jpg

Thanks, now I can't even edit it.

Last time I was @ Oistar I noticed the broth did not have the same lipsmackingness associated w/good ramen broth. When I mentioned it to the waiter, he told me they were changing the broth a bit, a change I'm not certain they kept, but did not enjoy as much. Since they were experimenting, maybe that didn't last, but have since moved on to Furious Spoon for a not trad, but a very good bowl of soup. Wasabi doesn't do it for me, and the burbs are a bitch to drive to.

I was last there end of July and it was as good as ever.. rich, filling, and milky. I hear the stuff at furious spoon is good, if borderline overly thick and rich, yet I cannot comment as I've not had it yet. Maybe furious spoon ruined the standard stuff for you.

Since I see it referenced quite a bit in this thread but didn't find the basic info posted, for the benefit of future readers:

Wasabi
2115 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60647
773.227.8180
http://www.wasabichicago.com/

Flirting w/a recipe change put me off, so I just walked down the st and enjoyed the difference is all. It may have been temporary- the waiter said they were trying a variation on the broth. This was months ago.

We did a number of ramen bowls in one week and came to the conclusion that Oiistar is our favorite by a large margin. Thoughts below:

Strings - Very straightforward bowl of tonkotsu, just porky broth and a bit of soy/mirin for seasoning. A little skimpy on toppings and the egg surcharge is ridiculous but it gets bonus points for being marinated.

Furious Spoon - This was just OK. I am not exactly sure what it is but the bowl doesn't really come together and the toppings are unexceptional. The broth lacked the straightforward and rich pork flavor of Strings or the delicate nuances of Oiistar. Also the poached egg doesn't work for me.

High Five Ramen - We had been here closer to its opening and quite enjoyed a Half Spice Ramen (if you recognized it as not really "ramen") and the seafood special. This time we went no spice because even the half spice was a bit over the top for us and tried the chicken dashi. The latter was fine, if unexciting, though the bamboo shoots had a strange overly chewy texture. However the signature ramen was a real letdown. Either the spices we were missing masked the weakness of the base broth or they completed the puzzle, because this bowl of ramen was muddy flavored and frankly a bit gritty. The pork belly was very nicely textured and fatty though. I think execution was subpar compared to our first visit.

Oiistar - I can't say how much we enjoyed this. The broth is rich and satisfying with just a few garnishes like a bit of chili oil. The toppings are fantastic (though I wish the egg were marinated), particularly that pork belly. It's more flavorful than the others on this list, thick and fatty and it looks like they may torch it before it is served. The buns were weak, but the vegetable apps seem solid if a bit confused. We came back in less than a week and tried the chadolmen which was also spectacular. The noodles could stand to be just a tad less chewy for my tastes, but this is really minor. Absolutely loved it.

^ You didn't try Wasabi? Come on!