By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor
I am ashamed to admit that I have never gone to a Ramen restaurant before starting this new adventure. With some great suggestions and confirmation from a few friends I went to check out Naruto Ramen at 7503 Youree Drive, No. 500, Shreveport.
I picked Naruto’s in particular, when one of my friends, who was stationed in Japan, said it was the most authentic of all the places in town. I’ve never been to Japan, so I couldn’t say one way or another, but the endorsement was good enough for me.
I was told that it was a requirement for me to try the Chasu bun, which comes with either chicken or pork. I know now why I was told that, as I will say to everyone the same thing. The bun is of a making I cannot place, but it was so good, I can see myself coming to order two as my whole meal. It was that good.
The menu has a lot of pages, but it’s not as large as it appears, as there are not a lot of items on each page. My eye took me to the rice dishes, as they all looked and sounded so good, but that will be for another visit. I hadn’t had real Ramen, and I wasn’t going to miss my first chance.
I chose R13 Tonkatsu Shrimp Ramen. It packed so much flavor in the broth and noodles, with perfectly prepared shrimp and the egg that somehow ties it all together. I’ve watched many food shows and keep hearing about the broth having so much flavor in many similar dishes. Now I know what they mean by it. It also will give you that warm feeling inside on a cold day.
I was able to sample my daughter’s D5 Oyakodon rice dish. It turns out I would not have gone wrong had I gone for that dish. The portions are pretty big as there is plenty left for a couple of lunches.
While I did not try any of the salads, I did see one being delivered. It was the grilled steak salad, and it looked so good. I hoped they made a mistake and dropped it at my table — not that I had room to eat it, but it was calling my name. Another reason to return.
Please continue to send in your favorites so we can try them out and continue the search for good food.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net
