vip in the city

Super Taste-y noodles — again

Met J at the spa after work tonight. Over the past several years, it remains one of the few things we will still do together, just the two of us. It’s probably what I like most about the outings.

I emerged from the facial shiny-faced and damp-haired, but refreshed. J left a pair of mooncakes in my bag for Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, but had to race out to meet C in Rockefeller Center, so I was on my own for the rest of the evening. SYB’s tentative rendezvous in Grand Central had fallen through, so he was still at his office in SoHo. Would I want to meet up for dinner?

Although I was not feeling particularly presentable, I agreed. We decided to hit our current favorite noodle shop in Chinatown.

Here, the Manhattan Bridge arch at Bowery and Canal, which SYB noted, is a pretty entrance to an ugly bridge. For the past several years, the bridge has been undergoing major rehabilitation, in preparation for its December 31, 2009 centennial celebration. The Manhattan Bridge was the third and last of the suspension bridges constructed across the East River (after the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges.)

“Suspension Bridge Number 3” (as it was named in the original plans) was designed and built by Polish bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski, who also served as the chief engineer for the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (1926), which spans over the Delaware River between Camden and Philadelphia.

Back in the humble surrounds of Super Taste. Are they really, as the Village Voice’s Robert Sietsema declared, “maybe the best noodles of your life“? I don’t know, but they’re pretty damn good.

I didn’t get a shot of these sublime noodles the last time we were here, swimming in their disposable-quality white plastic bowls, under the just-too-bright flourescent lights. The restaurant still hasn’t replaced any of the English language signs; the wall-mounted red and yellow menu is still exclusively in Chinese, with the lone exception of the words “Hot & Spicy,” accompanied by a graphic of a chile pepper… instantly recognizable by anyone who has ever picked up a Chinese takeout menu. The symbol distinguishes Item #2, formerly known as “Hand-pull Noodle w. Beef in Hot & Spicy Soup.”

There are 7 Comments ... Super Taste-y noodles — again

Qsoz
October 12, 2006

I love the lights, so bright, so shiny, so full of promise.

Qsoz
October 12, 2006

A Baroque arch modeled after Porte St. Denis, a gateway to Paris, frames the Manhattan entrance to the bridge. 🙂

H20Buffalo
October 12, 2006

My goodness! those noodles, I salivate thinking about them. I crave them now. I could eat them at any time. Even for breakfast. How I wish they would deliver 40+ blocks away. Is there a midtown alternative?
I am sooo freaking envious of all of your food outing endeavors.

vipnyc
October 12, 2006

I like the ramen at Menchanko-Tei in Midtown — have you tried? There are two locations: one on West 55th and one on East 45th Street, not too far from you. Not quite the same — and at two to three times the price, somewhat less of a bargain — but in the rarified environs of Grand Central, not a bad alternative. The ambience, at least, is a vast improvement over ST.

vipnyc
October 12, 2006

Thanks, Qsoz, for your help in getting that shiny shot.

H20 Buffalo
October 12, 2006

VIP, thanks! I go to a place for balls, rice balls on 45th off of 3rd avenue but I am unaware of this other place you referenced. I’ll certainly try it.

vipnyc
October 12, 2006

Rice balls? What are these rice balls of which you speak? Octopus balls, I know (and recommend)…

Go for it ...