So after getting a Valentine's Day card from home (Aww, my parents do love me), I decided to take the physical representation of their affection - a $20 bill - and treat myself to a late Valentine's lunch.
The original plan was to go to Rib Crib. While at work, however, I got an email blast to OSU students inviting them to comment on proposed redevelopment around the Stillwater Community Center. Not familiar with the location, I took to Google Maps to look it up, which is when I noticed something.
So, I decide I'll go check that out instead. While I like World Noodle Company, it can be a bit pricey.
When I arrived, I didn't expect to find a full, Japanese-style ramen shop. In the middle of cattle country no less.
Main Street Noodles sits in the heart of Stillwater's downtown Main Street district, just up the sidewalk from more regional staples such as a western outfitter's, a chocolatier, and more than a few bars. They've been in place for three years, according to the staff, and if the crowd was any indicator in the tiny shop, they'll be around a lot longer.
Stepping inside, it felt like the ramen houses I'd visit on lunch break in Seattle or Bellevue. After taking my own seat, I looked over a reasonable and lightweight menu that offered varieties of ramen, pho and curry, along with a modest selection of nigiri and rolled sushi, at reasonable prices.
For about $8.50 I got a bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen about the size of a dinner plate. Tonkotsu is the broth style, a heavy, creamy broth made by boiling pork bones, pretty fatty and flavorful. The other style is shoyu, a lighter broth derived from soy sauce. Either way, as someone who has only had the cheap Maruchan packets since August, this stuff was legit.
From the thinly sliced pork belly, to the fish cake, the bok choy and the bamboo sprouts, there wasn't any regional flair here. It was straight up tonkotsu. While the broth was a little watery for my taste, it looked right, it smelled right, and it tasted right. In the netherlands between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 2,000 miles from the Pacific Northwest, I can't ask for more.
Main Street Noodle also does sushi, and when I saw Unagi on the menu, I had to try it too. Though it was $5 for two pieces, that's about what I'd expect to pay.
Now, in Oklahoma, if I wanted sushi I'd usually go to Fuji's in Edmond. I had always thought the size of the cuts was fair there, until today. The cut of eel on each piece was 2-3 times the size of Fuji's, for about the same price. Like the ramen, the price was right, the taste was right, it wasn't groundbreaking or life changing, it was just ... Right.
Sometimes, when you're far from home and sick of campus food, just right is all you need.