é by José Andrés

This is the last post in the Winter in Las Vegas series. Other posts in this series include Le Cirque and Julian Serrano.

Deep inside Jaleo, José Andrés's well-known and popular Spanish tapas restaurant, lies another almost hidden, restaurant-within-a-restaurant called simply "é." é is one of José Andrés's gastronomical "playgrounds" where he delights diners with various tastes, smells, and sights through the use of molecular gastronomy, among many other techniques.

é joins the ranks of José Andrés's other two "flagship" restaurants that serve related exploratory-type tasting meals: minibar in DC and Saam in Los Angeles. Unlike minibar, which draws from numerous different cuisines and pushes the envelope on using new, modern techniques, é is decidedly more Spanish, applying new cooking techniques to age-old Spanish ingredients and dishes.

With only eight seats and two seatings a night, reservations at this tiny little bar are infamously difficult to get. There's no online book system or phone number to call. Instead, all reservations are simply done via email.

If you're lucky enough to get a confirmed reservation, you actually get an email that begins with "Congratulations, you've made it!" To make it feel extra special, "golden tickets" for the "show" arrive in the mail a few days later.

They urge you to arrive early. After all, it's a tightly orchestrated "performance" that aims to bring you through a journey of 23 individual tastes in a little over two hours. There are two seatings a night - one at 5:30 and one at 8:30. There's no room for error. They must finish the first show by around 8:15PM.

Because we arrive early (as they requested), they bring us to the bar at Jaleo to relax for a few minutes while they finish setting up.

A little after 5:30, we are whisked away to the deep interior of the restaurant, where we find another glass door.

Welcome to the show. Your journey is about to begin.

The seating at é is quite intimate. Eights seats wrap around a semi-circular bar, where every single diner gets up-front and personal front row seats facing the kitchen. Rows of old-school card catalogs line a wall, and whimsical art and odd knick knacks decorate the walls and shelves.

Sous chef Cody Jeffs kicks off the show with a dramatic flair, pouring liquid nitrogen into a flask full of orange blossom water. A pool of smoke arises, spilling all over the table.

This liquid nitrogen-chilled water is mixed with Mazanilla sherry to create our first "course", a Rebujito Cocktail which is absolutely refreshing and delicious.
 Chef Cody and another sous chef soon lay out eight molds in the shape of José Andrés's hands.
They gently lay out whimsical balls of Truffle Cotton Candy, our second course, each topped with edible gold flakes. This is paired alongside Idiazabal "Macaron", an tense, cheesy cookie that pairs beautifully with the cottom candy.

It's as if José Andrés is personally serving us all cotton candy.

I sincerely love both. The truffle cotton candy is intoxicating with strong truffle flavor, and the salty, intensely cheesy "macarons" are a perfect match.

Next, the chefs begin laying out perfectly formed hemispheres that look just like egg shells, have the consistency of chocolate, and taste like almonds.

These cold shells, presumably made with the use of liquid nitrogen (?) are called Nitro Almond Cups, and are filled with various almond flavored elements (such as foam) as well as a generous portion of caviar. The champagne with which this course is paired nicely bring out the nuttiness of the almonds.

The next course, called Apple "Brazo de Gitano", reminds me of a similar course I had at Samm in Los Angeles. Airy, almost like styrofoam, this savory bite beautifully pairs together the flavors of apple and a strong blue cheese.

Next we enjoy another bite that looks like it should be sweet, but is actually savory. Barquillo is a traditional Spanish rolled wafer cookie.

Here, the barquillos contain a rich and savory truffle and anchovy filling that has the consistency of whipped cream. The flavors are absolutely fantastic, and our one little bite leaves me wishing for more.
The playful name "Almejas al Natural" literally means "natural clams", though in fact it's anything but.  These unassuming "clams" are actually filled with spherified balls of reconstituted clam juice. The resulting bite is gorgeously flavorful with intense clam flavors, and pairs well with the sherry with which it is paired.

The next course, Bocata de Bacalao, again reminds me of Chef Andres's "Bahn Mi" that I had at Samm. Although the fried bread is similar from both places, this é version is more Spanish, made from salt cod, aioli, and caramelize onions. It's deeply savory and quite rich.

Crispy Chicken Skin in Escabeche consists of a paper thin, flattened crispy chicken skin topped with chicken oysters and a foam inspired by "Escabeche" flavors, an acidic marinade traditionally used in Mediterranean cuisine. I find this dish to be tasty, though I am not particularly blown away by the flavors like I was for previous courses.

As a palate cleanser of sorts, we take a break from savory bites to enjoy a huge spherified ball of Cava Sangria. This is fun, and I am surprised at how much it really taste like cava. Knowing from experience, sometimes it's not that trivial to make your spherified liquid taste the same as it is in its liquid form, especially when it comes to complex wines.
I've lost count at this point, but I can tell the dishes are getting more substantial and less like little "bites."

Our next course is Artichoke "Puree" with Vanilla. Three perfectly formed artichoke hearts sit at the center of this dish, served with a rich, artichoke flavored sauce and vanilla foam. It's wonderfully flavorful, though I don't find any groundbreaking new flavors.
It's hard to take notes for this meal, as things happen so quickly you might miss something if you're head is buried in your notebook or phone. For example, during the preparation of the next course, Lobster with Citrus & Jasmine, the chefs draw a little "é" into the sauce of each plate (see middle picture above).

It is only there for a fleeting second, and soon a succulent piece of lobster tail is laid over the pretty letter that was just carefully drawn moments before.

This juicy piece of lobster tail is served with jasmine foam and tiny bits of  fruit. The dish is paired with either a Spanish beer or a sparkling white wine (depending on whether guests opt for the normal pairing or grand pairing).

The next dish is one of my favorites of the entire meal. Chickpea Stew with Iberico Ham may sound simple, but the actual preparation that goes into this soup is astounding. Jamon iberico fat is first clarified and then emulsified together with three different stocks made with different types of bones. The "chickpeas" that you see in the photo are actually spherified balls with an intense, creamy essence that is much more than just chick pea. Finally, little bits of actual jamon iberico "bacon" dot the plate, rounding out the wonderful tastes and textures of this complex soup.

We were scraping the bottom of the bowl, trying to get every last drop of this flavorful elixir into our mouths.

Bryan loves bone marrow, and therefore loves the next course, Turbot with Bone Marrow. The simply prepared turbot (probably prepared sous vide) is topped with its skin fried and served with deep fried capers. Bryan loves the breaded and deep fried bone marrow "tater tots" served on the side. I personally find it to be way to rich and fatty, but Bryan loves it.

Chef Cody then brings out an entire lobe of foie gras covered in salt and herbs, appropriately named Whole Lobe of Foie Gras Baked in Salt.

It is served with tiny cubes of confit grapefruit, a paint-stroke of chocolate, and a light, clementine soup. The balance of the slightly salty foie gras and the sweetness from the other components works quite well.

Chef Cody explains to us the meaning behind the next dish, Secreto of Iberico Pork with Squid. The "secreto" is a particular "secret" part of the pig that butchers used to love keeping for themselves because it was so tasty.
 This lovely piece of jamon iberico shoulder secreto is served with a squid jus sauce, made from squid a la plancha (on the grill).

Finally, it's time for dessert. We are quite stuffed at this point, and hardly realize there is still so much more to come . . . .
Orange Pith Puree La Serena is almost like a transitional cheese course, savory and sweet at the same time. La Serena is a 60-day aged Spanish raw sheep's milk cheese, strong, creamy and salty. It is topped with a fun, flat foamy sheet and whimsical flowers.

Flan is a traditional Spanish custard. Here, we enjoy tiny little cups of flan alongside crushed fruity ice.

The dramatic show continues as Chef Cody begins to cook  "pirate-spiced" rum (lemon zest, vanilla, and cinnamon) and coffee together with this electrifying blue flame.

It's almost hypnotizing to watch the blue flame as Chef Cody repeatedly raises and lowers his spoon.

The resultant coffee rum drink is served in a tiny espresso glass alongside Pan Con Chocolate, literally "bread with chocolate". Here, bread baked in simple syrup is covered with a chocolate powder which tastes like shaved frozen chocolate mousse served with saffron olive oil. The flavor combination works surprisingly well.

"Arroz Con Leche", a traditional Spanish tapioca pudding, comes inside a tiny candied cone as a single, delicious bite.

And the desserts keep coming!

Chef Cody begins to make "25 second Bizcocho", an almond cone-shaped cake that is "baked" in the microwave for 25 seconds.

The cake is moist, not too sweet, and filled with a light cream. This is served with "Air" Chocolate, a fantastic bite of salt-topped chocolate with air holes all throughout the inside. It sort of reminds me of the British chocolate called "Aero."

And finally, a delightfully fun final dessert that is visually huge, but takes up virtually no stomach space. The Cocoa Paper with Dried Strawberry is extremely delicate. I believe it's made mainly from sugar, but this paper-thin sculpture crumbles and quickly disintegrates in your mouth as you eat it.

I love it, and finish my entire piece.

We finish this off with José Andrés's signature drink - his awesome gin and tonic. I first had this drink at Jaleo in Washington DC. It's there that I realized that I love gin & tonic. Andrés's version uses Hendrick's gin, Fever Tree tonic, kaffir lime, lemon, and juniper.

It's a perfect, refreshing way to end the evening.

As you would expect at the end of any show, the "characters" come out for a bow as we applaud their hard work.

It is only about 8:05PM, plenty of time before the next show. Most guests leave, but we hang around a bit, savoring the space, chatting with the staff.

I've got a huge smile on my face, because I've had so much fun the entire evening.

The food was absolutely phenomenal. I loved José Andrés's creative intepretations of traditional Spanish classics. Even though he does some similar dishes at Samm in Los Angeles, I much prefer this meal over that one, possibly because I didn't like the French-inspired dishes as much at Samm.

This could very well become one of my favorite meals I've ever had in Las Vegas.

Seriously, it's up there with Joel Robuchon and L'Atelier.

I like it when I'm surprised by new and innovative flavor combinations, and é does not disappoint. Even though José Andrés says it's more Spanish and more conservative, I still find it to be refreshingly different from the traditional French-inspired tasting menus that you typically find. Plus, his use and command of molecular gastronomy still sets his food apart from most high-end meals around.

Of course, it's also possible I just like the bold flavors of Spanish cuisine more.

Whatever the reason, I had a wonderfully memorable time at é and I would highly recommend trying to get a reservation if you can. It's become one of my favorite meals in Vegas, and I can't wait to try it again when I return. I know they change the menu quarterly, so you can go back and (hopefully) try a  range of a totally new set of surprising flavors.

The Details
Reservations are only done by emailing reserve@ebyjoseandres.com up to three months before your date of dining. If they indicate availability, you must fill out and sign a form (more like a contract, really) where you give them your credit card number and agree to a few terms. Any cancellation made less than 14 days before dining date results in a 50% cancellation fee. A no-show results in a 100% cancellation fee.

The tasting menu is $195 and does not include alcohol or gratuity. There are two pairings: the standard pairing costs $130 and the premium pairing costs $300 (see below for both full lists). You can also order off of the extensive wine list (given to you in the form of a tablet!), which is shared with Jaleo.

Definitely put your name on the waiting list, as cancellations do happen. I called less than two weeks before my dinner and was  able to secure seats for four due to a cancellation that happened a few days later.

Cheers!

Want to read more Vegas posts? Check out the Las Vegas Eating Guide which includes links to all Las Vegas area restaurant posts I've written.

WINE PAIRINGS
Standard Pairing
2008 Agusti Torello Mata Reserva Cava 
La Gitana “En Rama” Jerez; Hidalgo, Manzanilla (Sherry)
Alvear “Carlos VII” Amontillado; Montilla-Morales (Sherry)
Estrella Damm Inedit (Beer)
2002 R. Lopez De Heredia “Vina Gravonia”; Rioja (Crianza Blanco)
East India Solera Jerez NV; E. Lustau (Sherry)
2000 Alejandro Fernandez “Dehesa La Granja”; Zamora (Tempranillo)
2008 Jorge Ordonez & Co. “Victoria”; Malaga (Moscatel)
2004 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Trockenbeerenauslese; (Riesling)
Ron Cremant (Warm rum and coffee cocktail)
Jose’s Gin & Tonic

Premium Pairing
Krug Grand Cuvee Brut NV; Reims
 Pasada Pastrana Jerez; Hidalgo, Manzanilla (Sherry)
Bodegas Tradicion V.O.R.S. Jerez; Oloroso (Sherry)
2009 Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli; Getariao Txakolina
2000 R. Lopez De Heredia “Vina Tondonia” Gran Reserva; Rioja (Rosé)
East India Solera Jerez NV; E. Lustau (Sherry) 
2003 Vega-Sicilia Valbuena 5° Año; Ribera del Duero
2004 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Trockenbeerenauslese; (Riesling)
Ron Cremant (Warm rum and coffee cocktail)
Jose’s Gin & Tonic

e by Jose Andres
The Cosmopolitan (inside Jaleo)
3708 Las Vegas Blvd
S Las Vegas, NV 89109

Julian Serrano (Aria)

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I've been traveling a lot plus dealing with some crazy deadlines at work. Things will resume back to normal very soon, I promise! Meanwhile, please enjoy this second post in the Winter in Las Vegas series. Other posts include Le Cirque at the Bellagio.

I've always been the type of person who gets bored after eating a few bites of any one dish. As someone who grew up eating Taiwanese food at home "family style" (where you sample little bits from all the communal plates in the center of the table), I could never understand the Western way of eating.

Doesn't one get bored of that same big chunk of meat, the one side dish, and the veggies on your plate?

Although I've learned a lot about the way different cultures enjoy food, I still generally prefer eating in small little "snack"-sized portions. For Chinese food, family-style or dim sum work great for that. For European style food, Spanish tapas might be the closest thing.

After eating some pretty crazy meals in Las Vegas, Bryan and I were ready for something a bit "lighter." We were meeting some local Las Vegas friends and decided on this place because it seemed interesting, was very popular, and allowed us to sample a variety of food.

Us with Julian Serrano (center) at Picasso

Julian Serrano is the namesake restaurant of Chef Julian Serrano, the executive chef of Picasso at the Bellagio.

Though Julian Serrano is originally from Madrid, he became known for his French cooking, honing his skills as executive chef at Masataka Kobayashi's well known French restaurant, Masa, in San Francisco. Around the time he won the James Beard Award for "Best Chef" in California in 1998, he was lured away from the state to join Bellagio's new high-end French restaurant Picasso as executive chef.

Julian Serrano continued to receive countless accolades for his work at Picasso, including 2-Michelin stars.

In December of 2009, with the opening of the new City Center, Julian Serrano finally had a chance to create a namesake restaurant serving the food of his homeland in a more casual setting.

We were definitely most curious to try it.

The decor is bold, colorful, and quite trendy, the first work in America by the famous Spanish design firm, Gente de Valor. The places gets mobbed on weekends, probably due to a combination of its hip atmosphere, good food, fun cocktails, and reasonable (for the Strip) prices.
 
Bryan can never resist a spicy cocktail, and this one was no exception.

The menu at Julian Serrano is quite large and changes from time to time. The tapas are divided up by type. "New Style Tapas" are Chef Serrano's own creative takes on traditional Spanish tapas, including international influences (lots of Japanese), as well as a bit of molecular gastronomy.

The rest of the menu focuses on more traditional tapas, and are divided up into "Ceviches and Seafood", "Cheese and Charcuterie", "Vegetarian", "Meat and Poultry", and "Paellas." If you still prefer to eat larger plates, they have a few larger offerings under "Platos Grandes" as well, everything from a "mariscada" seafood stew to organic sous-vide pork chops.

The server high recommended getting at least one paella (they are designed to be shared by two people), along with several other tapas. It was hard to choose, but here are the ones we tried.

One of the favorites of the evening, Stuffed Dates ($12) are Medjol dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped with crispy pancetta. This came with a side of tomato marmalade. I loved the well balanced mix of crunchy, soft, savory, and sweet.O
We seemed to focus our choices a lot on Spain's famous black pork (Iberico), such as this Black Pig Pintxo ($18), Spanish Iberian pork shoulder meat with caramelized onions served over thick toasts. 
We all loved these Artichoke Hearts, which came with gorgeously crispy bits of Iberico pork. Here, the mini crunchy bits of the flavorful pork "bacon" totally made the dish.

Beef and Cheese was a toast topped with prime tenderloin, cheese, honey, and walnuts. ($17)

Rabo de Toro was a fun little bite of stewed oxtail and Îberian pork on top of creamy mashed potatoes ($14). 
There are several types of paellas available on the menu, such as the Valenciana which includes chicken, pork shoulder, and Spanish pork chorizo or the seafood focused Rosellat, which includes shrimp and monkfish.

Paellas take 35 minutes to prepare and are meant to be shared between two people, though they can make larger ones upon request.

We opted for the Mixed Paella ($50), which came with an entire half lobster, mussels, chicken, Spanish pork chorizo, vegetables, and saffron rice. This was very well executed. The rice had gorgeous saffron flavors and picked up all the aromatic flavors from the richly flavored seafood stock.

The classic Spanish custard dessert, Flan ($8), was delicious, and one tiny one just wasn't enough to share amongst four people!

It's hard to pass up deliciously fried Spanish churros, a deep fried sugar-dusted "doughnut" served with a spicy hot chocolate dipping sauce (yum!).

Overall, we had a fabulous time at Julian Serrano. I can see why this place is popular. It's fun to sample all the different types of tapas, and he does a solid job at it. It's a HUGE restaurant, but service managed to be pretty good.

On the Strip, Jaleo is the only other obvious choice I can think of for Spanish tapas. Although I've never tried the one in Las Vegas (I hope to, someday!) my experience in DC was excellent, and I would expect nothing less from the Las Vegas location.

You probably can't go wrong with either!

Julian Serrano
ARIA at City Center
3730 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV

No Mad (Daniel Humm)

  It's been an incredible couple years for Daniel Humm.

His flagship restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, finally earned its third Michelin star in the 2012 Michelin Guide, joining the exclusive ranks of only an handful of restaurants in New York (Le Bernardin, Per Se, Daniel, Brooklyn Fare, Jean Georges, and Masa).

He came out with his first cookbook, an eye-popping, absolutely stunning guide describing how to prepare many of the dishes from Eleven Madison Park (check out the gorgeous 4-course meal he cooked inBoston as part of his cookbook "tour" in 2011).

At his flagship restaurant, he revamped the entire menu, offering a more expensive, whimsical "tour" of New York City through twenty or so artfully presented courses.

Jen and Bryan at NoMad

And finally, he just opened up a second restaurant, just "North of Madison" (get it? No Mad?)

During a whirlwind stopover in New York on our way to Australia, we met up with another couple in the Flatiron District to try out Chef Humm's new, more "casual" restaurant.
The NoMad sits in the lobby of the NoMad Hotel. You walk through the bar before entering a huge, expansive dining area with ornate chandeliers, velvet chairs, and dark, plush carpet.

Though it was hard to decide what to order, our party of four opted to get four appetizers, the famous "Roasted Chicken for Two", a pasta entree, and one more meat entree.

Service was impeccable and the bread came right away. Served on a fun cutting board that include a special indented spot for the bread knife, this warm, soft loaf reminded us a lot of foccacia but topped with all sorts of goodies such as fennel seeds, potato "chips", and roasted onions. The bread was surprisingly soft and moist inside and had a lovely, crispy exterior.

Roasted Beets were pickled and were served with smoked creme fraiche and roasted "rye" (crunchy crumbs that added a nice textural component). We differed in opinions, but this was at least one guy's favorite appetizer.

 A perfectly poached "Onsen" Egg was served with Tuscan kale, crosnes, and chorizo. Though it was on the saltier side, it was just right, and I absolutely loved the blend of flavors and textures from the salty and smoky chorizo, the gooey yet creamy farm fresh egg, and the crispy bits thrown throughout.

Chef Humm did a fantastic job on the flavors of the simple Tagliatelle with King Crab, Meyer lemon, and Black Pepper. Though I could have wished for the pasta to be just a hair more al dente, the lemony tartness of the Meyer lemons perfectly offset the rich, buttery sweetness of the king crab. The pepper added much needed spice, and really tied together the dish nicely.

The Fois Gras Torchon with Pear, Red wine, and Licorice came with a whole pear poached in red wine. Those who love fois gras really enjoyed creay fois gras and the soft poached pear. A huge, thick slice of brioche accompanied the fois gras was a big hit. "I really like the bread!" said one person.

It was early November, which is right smack in the middle of white truffle season. No Mad had a huge, gorgeous white truffle (see how big it is??!). They brought it by, and we all took nice, deep breaths as we all smelled the crazy fragrant aromas of this lovely specimen.

Bryan decided to get shaved white Alba truffles on his homemade pasta, which was awesome.My absolute favorite entree was the Black Bass slow cooked with matsutake mushrooms and spinach. I was initially drawn to the matsutake mushrooms since I had just enjoyed this gorgeous and very seasonal mushroom in Japan. I was blown away by so much more than just the mushrooms in this preparation.

First of all, the fish was executed perfectly, well seasoned and buttery soft. The matsutake mushrooms were just a bit vinegared, adding a wonderfully bright and needed contrast to the light dish. I can't say much more except that I was thoroughly impressed.

The Roast Chicken for Two is one of the the young restaurant's signature dishes, and the waiter said he always recommends trying that if it's your first time at the restaurant.

Similarly priced to the famous "roast chicken for 2" at Craigie ($80), this one kicks it up many, many notches by adding a thin layer of fois gras, black truffle, and brioche bread crumb "stuffing" in between the crispy skin and the chicken.

Objectively speaking, the chicken at Craigie is more tender (he does this whole crazy prep with sous vide, using really expensive Misty Knolls chicken). However, Humm's version is much more creatively flavored, and is really, really incredible.

Unlike at Craigie, you don't get the carcass to take home here. However, they do pull apart the dark meat and sauté it for you in this cream sauce that was a bit rich for me, but totally loved by others at the table.

Desserts

"Milk and Honey" is famous, and for good reason. It was by far our favorite dessert. Three perfectly formed scoops of "milk" ice (essentially milk ice cream) are drizzled with honey and laid on top of a scattering of crushed goodness that tastes like a mix of toffee, crumbled cookies, and sugar. Absolutely fantastic.

"Coconut" consisted of a coconut cake, crushed toffee, nuts, and coconut flavored ice cream. Our friend said it reminded her of a fancy Mounds bar (I guess the elements are all there). I don't love coconut, so it was only OK for me, but it was reasonably well received. If you only plan on getting one dessert, most definitely pick the Milk and Honey.

Chemex, traditionally made coffee poured table-side was excellent.

Overall, Chef Humm has done a fantastic job on the food at his second restaurant. Though we liked some dishes more than others, I would say there was not a single "miss" on the menu. My personal favorites would be the Poached Egg, Tagliatelle with King Crab, Black Bass, and the Milk & Honey. The "Chicken for Two" comes a close second, and is definitely worth ordering if there are at least two people at your party. Our waiter was very amenable to our "family style" way of eating, and brought us share plates and even split the chicken into two plates for us.

Definitely make a reservation, as they fill up quickly. I booked a few days early, and could only choose between a 5:45PM or 10:30PM reservation. Oh, and don't be confused by the other restaurant in New York called "Nomad." Check the address and make sure you are booking at the right one!

Yume Wo Katare

Call me a chicken or call me lame.

Or maybe I'm just not a quite as devoted a ramen fan.

Sure, I'd been curious about Yume Wo Katare even before it opened. Who wouldn't be intrigued by the promise of authentic ramen from Japan, complete with thick, handmade noodles and a rich, flavorful broth?

But then there were the lines. The infamous lines that stretched down the block, especially on weekends. It wan't unusual to wait 2 hours for a bowl of noodles. Of course, from what I heard, the brave souls who waited in these long lines were rewarded with a phenomenal bowl of noodles. Those that were lucky bragged about "only" waiting 20-30 minutes. Those in the know advised going right at 5:00 pm (about an hour before they open).

"Usually they'll open the doors around 5:30 and start letting people in. This way, you only wait 30 minutes."

I live less than a 15 minute walk away from this place, yet I couldn't bring myself to go try it. The uncertainty of potentially having to wait in line for up to two hours most definitely deterred me, big time.


A few nights ago, Bryan informed me that he was going to be late coming back from work. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to try to catch this elusive place at a time when possibly, just possibly the line might be shorter.

We decided to take the chance. It was a reasonably "warm" night out (hey, if it's above freezing here in Boston, we think it's warm), and we were OK going to another backup place in Porter Square if necessary.

Surprisingly, at around 8:30PM, there was no line out the door. Instead, we walked inside, paid for our noodles at the counter, and stood along the wall of the restaurant . . . . waiting. Waiting and watching sixteen other hungry people slurp down their noodles.

Shockingly, within 5 minutes, 4 people finished their noodles and got up to leave.

We couldn't believe it.

We were finally in.

Yume Wo Katare opened in Porter Square (Cambridge) in October of 2012. Chef-owner Tsuyoshi Nishioka has five other ramen restaurants in Japan and decided he wanted to open one up in the US.

It took him awhile to find the perfect location. He tried out a bunch of places, including Hawaii and New York, before settling on Boston. He was searching for a place where there were lots of students - people who didn't have that much money but had huge dreams.

Tell me your Dreams. "Yume" means dreams in Japanese, and "Katare" is tell. 

The tiny restaurant is covered with colorful framed signs describing different people's dreams. You can pay $10 to display your dream for a month; $30 for 3 months; all the way up to $10,000 for 10 years (would that guarantee that he would stay open in that location for 10 years? - perhaps "until 2030" like the sign promises?).

Chef Nishioka is passionate about his ramen. He wakes up early each morning and spends two hours making the noodles by hand.

I asked, "muzukashii desu ka?" (isn't that difficult?)

He smiled and replied (in Japanese), "I have been doing this for ten years. I made ramen for ten years in Japan, so now it is not so difficult."

The pork bone "tonkotsu" broth (not to be confused with the breaded pork cutlet called "tonkatsu") is simmered gently for over 24 hours, never allowed to actually boil. What results is this thick, rich broth full of collagen, pork fat, and tons of flavor. Some liken it to a light gravy almost.

The restaurant specializes in one dish and one dish only: Jiro-style pork ramen. This style of ramen typically comes with thicker noodles (made from higher gluten bread flour), chashu pork and belly, and a thick, fatty pork bone broth. A pile of lightly blanched cabbage and fresh bean sprouts feebly attempts to balance out all that porky richness.

This unusual style of ramen (which some ramen purists refuse to acknowledge as ramen) started in Mita near Keio University at a place called Ramen Jiro. The gargantuan portions of noodles and pork became a hit with students who were looking for delicious, hearty food at a good value.

Especially popular with young college males, it soon became a lauded feat if one could polish off the entire bowl of noodles in its entirety - every single thick slice of fatty pork, the huge pile of dense noodles, the gobs of fresh garlic, and that ultra rich broth. It became a bragging right in and of itself.

Since then it has gained a cult following in Japan, spawning off over 30 other branches across Tokyo alone.
Bryan's bowl with extra vegetables and 5 slices of pork

At Yume Wo Katare, the choices are simple:

First, do you want 2 slices of pork ($12) or 5 slices of pork ($15)?

Second, right before serving you the noodles, the chef will ask you:

Ninniku iremasuka? (do you want garlic?)

I would highly recommend it, as the pungent, raw garlic really helps cut the rich fattiness of the pork belly and the broth. Some would even argue that it's not true Jiro style ramen without the garlic. It definitely offers the needed balance. Of course, be prepared to smell like garlic the rest of the night, because you get a lot!

Don't worry if you can't remember all this. There is a HUGE sign that explains exactly what the chef will ask you. At the end of the day, you just have to decide whether you want garlic or not.

Jen's bowl with 2 slices of pork

If you want to be authentic, you reply with "hai!" (pronounced "hi"). Of course, he understands a tiny bit of English. Bryan was so taken aback by the rapid Japanese that came out of Chef Nishioka's mouth that he just sort of looked confused and said, "I'm sorry, I don't speak . . ."

Chef Nishioka kindly repeated in English, "garlic. do you want garlic?"

You can also ask for extra vegetables, which Bryan did. It means you get a much bigger pile of the blanched cabbage and bean sprouts. Extra pork fat is the last option, but neither of us asked for it, since we already thought the soup had plenty of fat.

How does it taste?
It's is definitely different from any other ramen you can get in Boston.

The broth is deep, rich, intensely flavorful, and also quite fatty. It's very soul-warming on an icy cold day. I can just imagine how satisfying this bowl of soup would be for someone who has been standing out in the cold for two hours, starving.

The pork belly is lusciously melt-in-your-mouth soft and very flavorful. One of my pieces had less fat (perhaps it was pork shoulder?) and was just a bit tougher than the round slices of pork belly. I guess it depends on which pieces you get. The vegetables are fine - simply blanched, they are probably there more for texture than flavor. This dish is seriously all about the pork.

And the handmade noodles are great. Bryan especially liked that part.

"These are better than the noodles at Ippudo," he said.

Some may think Chef Nishioka is a ramen nazi of sorts. After all, there are many rules by which you must play if you want to eat here.

First of all, he only speaks Japanese. I almost felt like I was in Japan as I stepped into this little place - everything from the traditional "irasshaimase!" (welcome) that's yelled out right when you enter to the use of various Japanese phrases used throughout (like the garlic one).

Second, the place is cash only and they aren't shy about (gently) kicking you out of your seat if you're done. After all, there's almost always a huge line outside, and they try their best to move things along. We must have hit a lull, because by the time we left around 9PM, the line had started growing again.

Finally, everyone over the age of 12 must order a bowl of noodles - no sharing (even though the portion is huge!). They don't do take-out, and you can't take any leftovers home with you.

This rule was the hardest for me. On the one hand I felt terrible about throwing away so much of his labor-intensive handmade noodles and 24-hour broth. On the other hand, the idea of eating that entire bowl of pork belly, fat, and thick noodles just made me feel a bit sick. I was seriously stuffed even after eating just about half the bowl.

It looks like I didn't even make a dent, but this is what I had to leave behind.

Thankfully, Bryan did eat some of my noodles afterwards. I was seriously impressed with Bryan. Not only did he finish his own entire bowl (which was the bigger one with five pieces of pork), he made a sizable dent in my bowl of noodles.

At Yume Wo Katare, the chef will personally say "good job!" to you if you are able to finish your entire bowl.

Is it worth the hype?

Wow, that's a hard question.

The dish, as a whole, is very good with excellent execution on all fronts. The ramen broth is richly flavorful and the pork belly is luxuriously soft and tender. It's hard to get handmade noodles in Boston, so we really appreciate the care and dedication that Chef Nishioka puts into making them every morning. They have a decent "Q" to them, though I would still classify them as soft noodles.

This is the type of ramen that's hard to eat on a regular basis. It's just so rich and heavy, you're really kind of wiped out by the time you finish a meal here. Forget about trying to get some work done. Just go straight to bed with your pork-fat induced food coma.

I do love the concept of this place, and I liked being there. It transported me back to Japan, which made me very happy. In my own perfect world, I would be able to order a smaller portion size or take home leftovers. I wouldn't mind a wider variety of vegetables, and Bryan was sort of wishing for some hot sauce.

Of course, these are matters of preference, and it's more of a reflection of our personal opinions on Jiro-style ramen than on Chef Nishioka himself. Personally, I think Chef Nishioka is doing a fantastic job, something that is clearly, clearly evidenced by the popularity of this place.

Chef Nishioka will be going back to Japan for about a month (between April 7 and May 6th), during which time Yume Wo Katare will be closed. Update! He has postponed his trip. So you can still go get noodles!

If you want to get a taste of that ramen, I'd suggest trying to go in the next month or so when the colder weather is still a bit of a deterrent for some. Otherwise, if you try to come back after May, you may be faced with those scary 90-120 minute waits again.

I love the fact that more and more Japanese places are opening up around Porter.

Seriously, perhaps I'll have to consider buying a 10-year "dream" just so he won't leave the area anytime soon.

Yume Wo Katare
(Porter Square)
1923 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA


Sources: Ramen Tokyo Rameniac NYTimes CNN