Goro ramen okc tv#

I can’t remember the last time I ate cauliflower on purpose – in my mental dossier it’s listed as the less appealing cousin to the already dire broccoli – so it should carry some weight when I say that this dish is genuinely, perhaps even startlingly, good tender without being soggy and tangy with just a faint hint of crunch from the bonito flakes. On the other hand, chef Jeff Chanchaleune’s favorite thing on the menu is the cauliflower – citing its carefully planned balance of textures and tastes, he says, “It took me a while to get it where I wanted it, but I’m really proud of it now.” And considering that the preponderance of people aren’t likely to go looking for cauliflower laced with an anchovy sauce, its popularity is a testament to his skill. The nikuman, or buns, are a particular pleasure – the chicken version’s bun is epically soft, the chicken perfectly tender under its crunchy panko coating and the gochujang spicier than it might seem at first blush. The menu isn’t large, and a lot of its variety comes in appetizers ranging from sizzling wings to a Brussels sprouts salad with beets, peppers and mint. They don’t take reservations, but you can check in and wander the Plaza District a bit they’ll text you when your table is ready. I counted about 50 seats in a mixture of tall tables, booths around the perimeter and stools at the bar – that’s where I’d recommend you sit if you get the chance, so you can watch the cooks at work, although you may have to rely on luck given how busy Goro has been since its opening. The effect is barely spoiled at all by having Queens of the Stone Age coming over the sound system rather than a shamisen.

Goro ramen okc tv#

(And the ceiling’s a bit low, which is a nice if possibly unintentional echo of Japan.) Like most bars in Oklahoma, there’s a big TV on the back wall … although it was probably the only bar in Oklahoma showing Yasujiro Ozu’s masterpiece Tokyo Story. It’s sparsely furnished but stylish, with a crisp modern feel thanks to the visible pipes on the ceiling, stained concrete floor and geometric patterns on the wall. I quite literally wouldn’t fit in Tokyo, but it turns out I could be right at home in Goro.Ī recent addition to the eastern periphery of the Plaza District, Goro Ramen is an izakaya, an informal Japanese pub.

It’s just that … well, the average height of Japanese males is about 5’7” and the country’s crowded, dense urban centers aren’t designed with a lot of extra head room for people who are 6’6”.

As interesting as it sounded, I never went to visit – not because it’s a long trip (it is) or I didn’t want to see Japan (I kinda did) or even because I didn’t have a passport (I didn’t, but I could have gotten one). Once upon a time, after she finished college but before my niece was born, my sister spent a few years teaching English as a secondary language in Japan (Chiba, right outside Tokyo).