Udon West May Just Be a Glorified Teriyaki Boy
Let me just admit something off the bat… unlike like many bloggers who consider their opinion worthwhile because they have access to software that transmits their words onto the interwebs, I will admit that there are some things I don’t have a ton of experience with (so maybe my opinion should come with a grain of salt). And one of those things is Japanese udon soup. Even though there are many cheap versions all over Midtown (a lot of delis now carry it), it has never really made it into my repertoire of lunches. (Sauteed udon is a different story!) If I want soup, I usually go with ramen… and when it comes to ramen, two of my three favorite places (Menchanko Tei & Men Kui Tei) were kind of bashed by Rameniac. So either he’s wrong, or I don’t know shit about ramen either.
So, with that in mind- I headed over to Udon West, the third outpost of the East Village chain which replaced Teriyaki Boy on 46th btw. Lex+3rd a month ago.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:50 am, January 15th, 2009 under 46th btw. 3+Lex, Japanese, Soups, Udon West.
I haven’t had Indian food for awhile, so I headed over to the East side of Midtown to a place I’ve walked by many times but never eaten at. Despite the sign, which mentions Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh (and the fact that the food is halal), Joy Curry & Tandoor is a normal steam table Indian food place, similar to Minar or Maharaja. The place is always packed, and frequented by a lot of Indian workers from the area, a clear sign that it must be good.
One of the things I can’t stand is the person who eats lunch at the same place every single day. Everybody has a go-to, “I don’t have time to venture far”, or “I’m feeling lazy today” lunch spot around the corner from their office- but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the co-worker that eats at the same exact place, every single day- and usually the same dish. That deli, or fast food place, where they get the same salad, or the same combo every single day. And you try to convince them “Dude… there’s this place you’ve got to check out, that’s so much better.” And they say, “Sure, let’s go tomorrow.” And then tomorrow rolls around, and it’s “Naw, i’m just going to go to that same deli I go to every single day, and eat the same sandwich I’ve been eating for 200 days straight.” Where’s the fun in that.
There’s alot of people in my office that fall into that trap, but the one that stands out to me is this guy named Stanley T. I pay attention to what everybody eats in my office (big surprise… I clearly have a problem), and it didn’t take me long to realize that every time I saw Stanley T. eating lunch at his desk, it was the same exact thing, from the same exact place. But here’s the crazy thing- I didn’t look down on him for it. I actually thought it was awesome. Even started joking around with him about it. Why? Because his every day lunch, was the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl from Teriyaki Boy. And then it dawned on me. I’m prejudiced against delis and fast food chains. Get a salad from Variety Cafe every single day, and I’m going to think you’re lunch challenged. Eat at Teriyaki Boy every single day, and you are my new hero.