There are cold days and then there are really cold days and on those really cold days you probably want to stay at home, under the covers, and never get out of bed. But then you have to get out of bed and, more importantly, you have to eat and if you’re in Manhattan running errands, you may find it difficult to find the cold weather comfort food you crave. Sure you could snarf a burrito, you could scarf a sandwich, but will that really warm you up? No, it will not. But here are two N.Y.C. dishes that will.
The first is the one you see above, a bowl of ramen from Setagaya on 1st Ave. between 9th Street and St. Mark’s place.
The ramen I ordered at Setagaya–Shio Salt Ramen–really lived up to its name: it was quite, quite salty. But once I got over the saltiness (and I usually have a high tolerance for saltiness) I found the broth (from pork and chicken stocks) to be a very clean-tasting and satisfying winter salve. Outside, it was bitter bitter cold, but this ramen melted all that cold away. The noodles were chewy and filling and all the other garnishes made the bowl interesting and fun. Best of all, they served it fast and it was pretty cheap (less than $10.)
But Setagaya ramen dosn’t hold a candle to the ultimate cold weather comfort food in New York, and that’s the clam chowder at Pearl Oyster Bar:
I can’t imagine a more comforting, soothing, restorative bowl of warmth on a bitter cold day (except, maybe, a bowl of chicken soup at the 2nd Ave. Deli) than Pearl’s clam chowder.
It’s decadent: with bacon and cream, it’s not going to make your cardiologist happy. (And since I consumed this before my Wiintervention, I’m off the hook.) But boy did I enjoy it: its clam-flavor is authentic and real-tasting, there are little knobs of potato that make it hearty, and then you add the bag of Oysterette crackers they provide and you’ve almost got a whole meal.
But if you’re still hungry, you can do what I do and order the classic Pearl Caesar:
The Caesar won’t warm you up, but at this point you’re already warm from the chowder. And it’s a pretty killer Caesar: with lots of garlic and anchovy, you won’t be kissing anyone for weeks. But it tastes so good you won’t care.
(This Caesar has ruined me for all other Caesars; I recently had the Caesar salad at Bouchon Bakery–which they simply call “Romaine with Parmesan Dressing” and it was incredibly timid-tasting, by comparison. I like my Caesars bold and funky, thank you very much.)
Very few of us take advantage of our misery when we’re freezing cold, but if you live in New York, you have no excuse. Get thee to Setagaya, get thee to Pearl, and defrost your soul with just a few happy slurps.
The ramen looks amazing! I feel warmed up just looking at the screen.
Ever been to Nyonya in Chinatown? Their curry mee with yong tau fu is freaking amazing. So spicy it’ll keep you warm for the rest of the night.
I remember I had been craving ramen for so long, and I told myself “wait for the right day.” A day came where it was pouring out and I felt miserable, and it was Friday lunch hour after a long week of work…
I took this opportune moment to hit up the local ramen place near my job, Menchanko-Tei… TOTALLY hit the spot… perked me up… and just super soul satisfying…
I’m awaiting the next miserable day to get a tomato soup and grilled cheese from bouchon bakery :) I can’t wait!!!!
thank you for the reminder about Pearl Oyster Bar. it’s been a while since I’ve gone and you’re right, it is great cold weather food. I never tried their caesar but as I am always on the search for a perfect one, and find most to be too bland and mild for my taste, I’m excited to try it!
The ramen looks so good, especially with all the little goodies. I agree about the caesar salad. I love really bold caesar salads with lots of dressing and I’m always disappointed when they don’t live up to my expectations.
Oh I’m obsessed with Pearl! Always have stuck to the oysters and lobster roll though…and think of it as a summer place as a result I guess. I’m totally into ramen this time of year as well…Rai Rai Ken is my go-to though. I’m curious about this violently salty soup though, I must say.
There’s nothing like hot soup on a cold day. For me, hot and sour soup warms me up like no other. I even blogged about it:
http://www.bring-your-appetite.blogspot.com
Setagaya…the ramen is very okay, and VERY greasy. Try the gyorou-men, though. It’s unique to Setagaya and fairly tasty.
If you are in midtown, my favor local noodle bar is Menchanko-tei. The Hakata Ramen is full of slow roasted pork, pickled ginger and veggies, with large delicious noodles. Yummmmm.