Mecha Noodle, Fairfield

Best new restaurant in Connecticut? Mecha Noodle in Fairfield is not high-end, but their amazing dishes, reminiscent of Momofuku in NYC, are consistent and delicious.

We have been there twice - this time we had a selection of appetizers. Last time we tried their ramen - which was awesome.

Their pork buns are nearly as good as Momofuku - only the quality of the bun is a little better at the latter (I think its the bacon fat they put in there).

Ssam, mushroom dumplings, duck bao, charred octopus...all good.

I will be back soon - probably for the pho or the banh mi sandwich. But pretty much everything on the menu sounds delicious, and so far nothing has not lived up to the hype.

Sapporo, Midtown Manhattan

Tried Sapporo in Midtown during an excursion last week. It was totally packed for lunch, but we managed to squeeze in after a 20 minute wait. It was worth the trouble.

Amy had the Tan-Tan-Men Ramen, something they just don't have at Connecticut restaurants (yet). Meaty!

I had the Berkshire Pork Katsu curry. Amazing. Again, Japanese curry is hard to find even in New Haven, so it was great to have again. A perfect Manhattan lunch experience.

Pai Men Miyake

Pai Men Miyake in Portland, Maine, is one of the best ramen/yakitori shops I've been in.



The yakitori was great. My favorite was the beef tongue above, but the hen of the woods mushrooms (at bottom) was enchanting.



But what amazed me was the pork buns, which featured pork belly, a spicy pepper relish, and gochujang mayo. Soooo good that I would say that they were as good (Amy says better) than Momofuku's pork buns. And everyone knows what a fan I am of those.



And the ramen soup (below) was amazing, as well. If you are in Portland, this is the place to go. Right across from the Longfellow statue.