Orgasmic Moments

I've noticed that there's probably as many Thai restaurants in NYC as Italian nowadays. But with Vietnamese, far fewer. My favorite in town is Thai Son, in Chinatown on Baxter St. near Canal (in this case, the designation "Thai" doesn't refer to a country, it's actually the name of a large mountain in South East Asia). I always order their signature dish, a big bowl of Pho Tai (beef noodle soup), what I call "a meal in a bowl, adding a handful of fresh sprouts and basil on top with a squeeze of lime-- incredible!), an order of the best spring rolls I've ever had, and an order of their superb frog legs, fried in butter, French-style. I top off the feast with a wonderful glass of their excellent iced coffee, done in the old-fashioned French way, a marvelous way to compliment the other savory dishes. If you have a Viet joint that you enjoy, care to share?

My "Holy Grail" in NYC for the past couple of years is discovering the best joints for that venerable Japanese staple, ramen noodles. I've found three that top my current list, Ippudo in the East Village and Menchenko-Tai and Saburi in Midtown, in that order. Ippudo is rather pricey, but worth it. The place is always packed, there's an hour wait at dinnertime. I found the broth to be spectacular, and the side dishes equally so, some of them unavailable anywhere else in town. Three "must haves" on their menu would be the mild Japanese peppers, simply sauteed in olive oil and sea salt, their super-fresh, whole Japanese pickles lightly seasoned with sesame oil and spices, and a pork bun that totally blows away any sort of "chashu" type bun in Chinatown... it is makes my "Orgasmic Moments" list with flying colors. I found Menchenko-Tai's "Assari" ramen a solid contender for second, with a unique selection of "Japanese comfort foods" offered, as well. I also found a quite respectable bowl at Saburi, along with other dishes that were both delicious and "different." They describe their food as "Chinese-style Japanese," which has a special designation in Japanese that I can never quite remember. I recommend these places wholeheartedly, and would enjoy hearing your comments on each. But I'm always on the hunt for the "ultimate." Any other recommendations that you'd care to share?