Ramen Setagaya vs. Rai Rai Ken

Now here's a showdown...

Setagaya's Shio Ramen




(Jared puts spicy anything on everything)


VS.

RAI RAI KEN's Shio Ramen!


This is a curry ramen.


Only 14 stools.


Okay. So here's the results. Setagaya's ramen is lackluster. It is subtle, so if you like a delicate broth and thin chewy noodles, then maybe this is for you. The pork was tough and bland but the soft cooked egg was killer. It is nice to sit against the window and stare at the Village sidewalk scene.

Rai Rai Ken, besides being much more fun to say, I enjoyed their Ramen more. The broth is rich and deep and the noodles are meatier. Overall much better, I think. The curry ramen was very good as well and though it is cramped, it's cozy.

The winner? MOMOFUKU! HAHA (But these places are much cheaper)

Green Acres Is The Place

A couple of months ago, my place of employment took us on an optional field trip up-state to check out some grass-fed cows that we might source for the restaurant. We like to go up to the actual farms, check out the cows, the grass, the air, and the farmer to see if they mesh with our ethos.


Kohlrabis look like green upside-down Sputniks but they are actually German turnips.


"Please take me home with you Scarlett! I want to live in dirty concrete Bushwick, not this beautiful farm!"


COWS!


CHICKENS!


BURGERS!


Generally, a lot of farmers who raise grass-fed beef will consider themselves 'grass farmers' instead of 'beef farmers' because grass is the important link in the system. Grass farming, which is generally a sustainable practice because it relies on natural ecology of sun-grass-ruminant, requires a careful rotation of cows grazing and then letting the grass grow to replenish nutrients. One of the biggest challenges for these types of farmers is the yield of grass. Their farm must be large enough to produce enough grass (dried to make hay) to feed the cows when grass is not growing, for four months of the year, during winter. A tremendous amount of hay is needed for this, instead of relying on cereals like corn, wheat, and barley.


This is a weird fungus that Sean found in the woods.


GOAT! (This is at Sprout Creek. These goats make some mean cheese.)






Bye-Bye

Slummin' It

This is what I had for dinner.