Noodles!

Things that can now happen in Cleveland because Noodlecat is open.

1) I may finally have to learn to use a different parking garage when I go to that area. I am so ashamed I use a parking garage at all, but there it is. I may have to diversify my shame. This is basically just to say I will come to downtown way more often.

2) I no longer have to walk into any of the fancy places on E. 4th to get a drink in ridiculous grungy concert clothes. I can just go to the noodle shop in ridiculous grungy concert clothes. I really can't stand HOB, guys. Let's revisit that again some time. But now when people ask where I want to meet up before a show, I will have an opinion other than "meh" and "no, not the fucking way too expensive bowling alley again".

3) At some point I have faith there will spring up competing noodle houses and maybe, just maybe, one of them will be 24 hours? Or maybe...hint hint hint...Noodlecat could stay open really late? Because I swear to god, a 24 hour noodleshop would be AMAZING and I would probably move downtown for that.



4) I may actually order a vegetarian option at a restaurant willingly over one with meat. I am still thinking about that mushroom broth. The smell of it. Even the color of it was beautiful. Like, I would drink that for breakfast every day and probably live forever.

5) I have faith there is very good chance that someday the place will get an accidental shipment that includes a magical dragon's egg, and someone's kid will find it and hatch a baby dragon, and then this whole pg rated conflict between good and evil will occur in the city and usually there's fireworks in those movies at some point, so I'm looking forward to that.

6) You know what else would be nifty? A well choreographed yakuza battle on Euclid. I'd be okay with that too. Like, a dancing one. Accompanied by a parade of kittens in costume?



7) I will finally stop being annoyed at people raving about restaurants that all have versions of the same dishes. Because they will start raving about this one, and then I will totally be like "yeah, no, that's right." (I have been waiting so long for something like this to open here. I was like, c'mon food scene, catch the fuck up, please please please. So I'm extremely biased here. Also, does that sound snobby? I feel like it does, and man, you should have heard my snob factor the other night about Neutral Milk Hotel. )

8) Every good second date ever will probably be here.



9) I may also try to make sure there is at least one breakup that happens there too. It seems like a good casual breakup place. I mean, that's a compliment. Those are hard places to find. I only know like one other.

10) I will finally figure out a good way to get broth stains out of a dress. I hope.

I Love Rice Noodles.

Awesome Pork Noodle Stir Fry:

Ingredients:
- a large amount of rice noodles, as many as you think you need.
- broccoli, chopped smallish
- thin slices of pork, as many as you need ( we used a whole pork tenderloin)
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- a few chopped chilis, or I used one large jalapeno
- 2 minced cloves of garlic
- sesame oil and chili oil

First, soak the rice noodles for approx 10 minutes in cold water, then drain and dry.

Combine the fish, oyster, sugar, and soy sauce in a bowl and mix. I ended up doubling the sauce actually to cover the amt of pork I used.

Heat the sesame oil and chili oil in a wok. Sear the slices of pork until done.

Add the minced garlic and minced chilis. Let them get brown and fragrant.

Add the eggs, break the yolks and stir to break up.

Once the eggs are sufficiently cooked, add the noodles and stir.

In about ten minutes, add the broccoli. Cover and let the steam build up to cook the broccoli.

Once the broccoli is somewhat soft, add the sauce and let the whole concoction get heated.

This stuff was really good, though pretty salty. Which is good for drunk fucks like us, but you can always keep the sauce thin and that will reduce the saltiness. And then when the oceans dry up, and roving gangs start harvesting people for their salt content, you'll have a chance of survival.