05/21/18
At Kemuri Tastsu-ya, the pairing of Texas barbecue and Japanese noodles certainly sounds intriguing in a bizarre one-step-too-far, potentially offensive to the traditionalists kind of way, the way big men shooting threes and zone defense may be to old school hoop heads. I'm happy to report that this dish is a success. I only fairly recently discovered how delicious and soul-awakening ramen and dipping broth can be, so I was excited to try this particular offering. The noodles and perfectly cooked ajitama egg were familiar sights and flavors, but the broth had a fresh look, an appealing golden brown color. The first slurp of broth reveals a thick, salty-sweet mustardy barbecue flavor, with the familiar umami of a traditional dipping broth quickly following through. The pieces of cubed brisket were tender, added just the right amount of beefy, smoky flavor to the broth. Green onion and smoked jalapeno rounded out the broth. The noodles played their role without emphasis, serving as a great vehicle to deliver the barbecue broth. This was a very tasty and unique dish, with a comforting stickiness and the pleasant sensory overload of eating a dish with so many competing and complementary influences.