Starfer

Thanks for the tip, Louise.

Anybody have recommendations on good Andouille sausage available around DC/suburban MD?

Just took a look at the menu.  Anybody know what "mother in law" is?

Ren's and Daikaya source their ramen from the same company, Nishiyama Seimen Company, Sapporo, Japan.

Just received an e-mail from Ren's Ramen. They're reopening in Wheaton on Wednesday, June 1.

New location: 11403 Amherst Ave., Wheaton, MD 20902

Business hours:

Mon - Sat 11:30am - 3:00pm ( Lunch) 3:00pm - 10:00pm ( Dinner)

Sun 11:30am - 3:00pm ( Lunch) 3:00pm - 9:30pm ( Dinner)

Closed every second and third Tuesday of the month.

The wife and I stopped by for dinner last night. Split an Insalata Mista -- good but nothing special. Ordered two pizzas: a Marco and an Americana. Both had a nice char on the their flavorful crusts and were topped with high quality ingredients, especially the tomato sauce. Service was great but that was possibly due to the folks seated at the two-top next to us -- Tom Sietsema and Mark Furstenberg. All in all, a nice meal, especially with the pies at half price. We'll be back.

Okay, okay, that works. What's a little pricey?

About $10 for a basic bowl of ramen. With optional add-ons--extra pork, egg, corn, butter, etc,--you're looking at $15+ for a bowl.

I'm missing my ramen. NYC has lots and lots of great ramen joints, from Momofuku Noodle Bar, to Setagaya, to Ippudo, to Menchanko, to Rai Rai Ken...well, you get the picture.

Excellent varieties of soup, high quality noodles, and nice toppings like good roast pork. What are the best places in DC where my Japanese noodle fix might be satisfied?

The ONLY decent place in D.C. and environs for a steaming, hot bowl of goodness is Ren's Ramen inside Daruma Market in Bethesda. It's a bit pricey, though. One thing -- stay away from the roasted pork. It's a little on the tough side. Instead, opt for the stewed fatty pork.

The wait for good ramen in D.C. and environs has finally ended: Ren's Ramen has opened inside of Daruma Japanese Market in Bethesda, serving up steaming hot bowls of Hokkaido style goodness. Ren's has taken over Daruma's seating area and, it looks like, part of its kitchen.

The wife, Japanese, had the miso ramen, which she declared very good. I tried the pork shio ramen, including extra pork, which had a very good, rich broth. The pork was a little disappointing, though -- not too tender. They also have vegetable shio ramen and shoyu ramen, as well as gyoza. The noodles are fresh -- frozen or refrigerated, not sure which -- and imported from Hokkaido.

Prices are on the high side -- $10.00 for a bowl of miso or shio ramen ain't exactly cheap. Plus, my extra pork set me back another $3.50. Don't plan to order that again. Egg and corn are extra. But the ramen here, while not quite as good as some places in NYC and NJ, beats the hell out of the slop served at other places around D.C., including Temari Cafe in Rockville. My wife and I will surely be regulars.

Is there any place in town that serves a credible, reasonably authentic ramen? I've had it in NYC (which has long had the critical mass of expat salarymen needed to sustain such a thing), but found only failure in the DC area. Tachibana in Arlington doesn't cut it. Neither does Temari Café in Rockville. Bueller? Bueller?

My wife -- Japanese -- and I have been searching for the past three years with no success. The closest decent ramen is in Edgewater, NJ, at Santouka Ramen, in the Mitsuwa Market Place food court.

Daruma's ramen blows, as does Temari's.

Bump. Has anyone done a drive-by lately of their 4856 Cordell Ave location?

I walked by the location about a week ago. Still no where close to opening.

Anybody know when the Bethesda location will open?

Thank god B&J never opened a location out in the boonies of the Dulles Tech corridor (and if there is one nearby, don't tell me where!).

A B&Js opened in Reston Town Center a little over a year ago.

Chesapeake Bay Seafood House.

Opinions, please, from the peanut gallery on Old Hickory Grille in Burtonsville. Any standouts? What should I avoid?

Thanks.

Stick with Kotobuki or Hinata. STAY AWAY from H Mart!

This topic makes me hungry for a big, steaming bowl of ramen. I think a road trip to Northern Jersey is needed! Santoka, NJ ramen is as good as your average ramen-ya in Japan.

The wife--Japanese--and I have tried Temari Cafe and are unimpressed with their ramen--very bland broth and tough pork with no flavor. The only decent ramen we've sampled in the Eastern U.S. is Santoka Ramen in the food court of the Mitsuwa Japanese grocery store in Edgewater, NJ. Santoka rocks.

Temari's gyoza is downright awful.

Thanks for the great information, folks.

Anybody know where to obtain demi-glace sauce in the D.C. environs other than at Wegman's?

Thanks.