What I ordered: Pork Ramen or ramen with the pork option.

The first time I came to Momofuku and ordered ramen was bout 2 years ago. It was good so I was honestly excited when I ordered this. The ramen of old was tasty. It was a bit on the salty side, but still good. The pork was braised and then grilled. And the portions were good.

The ramen I got this time was crap. The noodles were too thick by a factor of 2. Did quality control fail when they expanded or did the head chef eat to much and get fat fingers? Maybe they were trying to be unique, but it didn't sit well with me. They really gimped me on the pork too. I got 1 slice of roast pork. It wasn't even good roast pork. The broth was OK and the other toppings were OK. I was satiated at the end of my meal, but by no means satisfied. A mediocre dish by any standard; especially disappointing considering this came from a noodle bar.

Conclusion: I might buy it.

This cost: $12
This is worth: $8
This dish is 50% overpriced

What I ordered: Shitake buns.

Unlike the chicken buns, these didn't come with very much filling. Still, it was just shitake mushrooms, hoisin sauce and misc greeneries in a standard steamed bun. It kinda looks like a baby chalpua, but much less tasty, much more expensive and much less likely to give you diarrhea.

Conclusion: I would not buy it.

What I ordered: Chicken buns.

I can sum this dish up in 5 words: Peking Duck for white people. Its overcooked pan-seared chicken, hoisin sauce and misc greeneries in a standard steamed bun. To be fair, they give a lot of chicken. To be on point, the chicken wasn't good.

Not creative, not tasty, and not cheap. Next.

Conclusion: I would not buy it.

What I ordered: Fried veal sweetbread.

Doesn't that sound delicious? Sweetbread. Its a very deceptive food. When I first heard it, I imagined an exotic corn dog where veal is used instead of a hotdog and a fried, sweetened bread is used instead of fried corn bread batter.

Oh how wrong I was. Sweetbread is actually usually the thymus glands of some poor four-legged farm creature. I say usually because there is disagreement in the culinary world on whether or not the pancreas can be considered as sweetbread. Either way, you're munching on an internal organ.

As far as internal organs go, sweetbread isn't bad. The come out looking like popcorn shrimp or popcorn chicken. Its crispy and golden brown on the outside and very tender on the inside. The flavor and texture is something like a very fatty chicken nugget. Yeah, it tastes like chicken. The dish was unusually heavy and I found myself struggling to finish it at the end despite how little of it there was. The sweet and spicy sauce that it came with helped to cut through the fatty taste, but only so much.

If you're into eating internal organs like heart, kidney, gizzard, stomache, uterus, penis and testicles (can the last 2 really be considered internal if they're dangling out?), then sweetbread is right up your alley. I wouldn't order this again if I were just by myself; its just too heavy. I'd bring friends. Friends that don't know what sweetbread is. That way they can help me finish this dish and I can watch their reactions when I tell them that they just ate a gland.

Conclusion: I would buy it.

I think that I liked Back Forty more than my girlfriend. I love their cocktail menu and enjoyed the farm like food and atmosphere coupled with the fair prices. Check out the pictures and descriptions.

Loisaida Sling ($10) - Cachaca, ginger beer and chipotle pepper. An awesome drink, lots of spice and depth.

Spring Fling Punch ($10) - Rhum Agricole,citrus and rhubarb. Just eh, nothing interesting really going on with this one.

Pork jowl nuggets with jalapeno jam ($4) - Really good but what else would you expect from deep fried pig parts?

Chilled sweet pea soup with bacon and creme fraiche ($7) - A perfect summer dish in which the sweetness and light character of the peas is cut beautifully by the bacon and richness of the creme fraiche.

Whole grilled catskill trout with cilantro salsa verde ( $18) Trout is fast becoming my favorite fish. I love the gaminess of it, especially when grilled whole. Here it was cooked perfectly and the salsa verde cut through it's oily nature rather nicely.

House made pork sausage with white bean, olive puree and toasted hazelnuts ($15) - Don't think we loved this one, it is what it is.....Which is pork rather bland pork sausage.

Roasted artichokes ($6) - Nothing special

Drunken potato melt with fingerlings, spring onions, fontina and appenzeller cheese ($8) - As delicious and sinful as this dish was is as bad as the combination of cheeses made this smell. I loved this but wouldn't order it again as it made our table smell like soiled subway car.

Fresh doughnuts with rhubarb glaze ($7) - Hot doughnuts with a seasonal glaze. What's not to love?

Back Forty - 190 Avenue B (at 12th sreet) NY, NY, 10009, 212-388-1990

PDT - 113 St Mark's Place (Between 1st and Avenue A) NY, NY, 10009, 212-614-0386

"The absence of much advance notice or information might seem a little strange and perverse but the record was made so quickly that I didn't even tell myself about it for a couple weeks," Elvis Costello told Billboard back on April 22, 2008 as he marked the vinyl release date of his newest album Momofuku.

According to the Billboard interview, the songs on Momofuku were inspired by the work Elvis did on Jenny Lewis’ upcoming solo record.

Costello works with the Imposters on Momofuku and the tone is fresh and exciting while still maintaining the base of their sound. By adding the harmonies of Jenny Lewis, who stepped over to help Costello, Momofuku is full and unreserved. Packed with elegant melodies and lots of toe-tapping goodness, this may well be one of the best records of the year.

With the album title serving as a tribute to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the Cup Noodle, Costello and the Imposters wanted the tone of “just add water” to infuse the record and create an raw sound. The speed of the recording and the untreated character of the players work wonders, as each tune unfolds naturally, rapidly and vigorously.

That vigour is the driving force of Momofuku. The wonder of the record is how it works with such ease to create such depth. Made in six days in Los Angeles, it is truly a work of Ramen-esque proportions.

Costello comes across as tranquil and pleased, even when he’s storming through convincing near-polemics like “American Gangster Time” and “Stella Hurt,” both of which serve as charming visions into the sort of “putdown rock” that he can do so well.

Originally set for a release purely on vinyl, Momofuku eventually saw its CD release at the beginning of May. By the time it hit compact disc, the record and Costello’s cheekiness had garnered the recording a great deal of attention. While the CD is a more than satisfactory way to listen to this record, I can only imagine how much more the music would come alive through the cracks of vinyl.

Costello’s moving glimpse inward on “My Three Sons” goes to show how much the man has changed through time and with fatherhood. At 53, he sounds worn but far from worn out as he runs the gamut of emotions and stands as strong as ever in front of the Imposters.

“Turpentine” has an addictive melody and its almost uncontrollable joy threatens to pop out of the speakers and instigate some sort of jubilant riot in the living room. Costello certainly has softened the edges a little bit and, as such, he comes across as more intuitive and less self-conscious.

And so it is that Costello’s finest work in quite some time is an invigorating revelation of what happens when a group of amazingly talented musicians gather in a room and “just add water.” Momofuku is inventive, sharp, lively, and potent. It is a gorgeous piece of work that deserves repeated spins, preferably on a favourite record player. But hey, we take what we can get!

9/10

I honestly can't justify an investment like an air conditioner for an apartment I'm going to live in for 2.5 more months. If I buy one, it's not like I can put it in storage until I move in February - seriously, it would be a storage unit with an air conditioner, maybe some of my summer clothes, and quite possibly my new best friend, Mr. Box Fan.

To distract myself from the heat, I've been trying to keep busy in air conditioned places. And if I'm at the apartment, I sit in front of my fan in a swimsuit (seriously.) On Saturday, I spent most of the day in front of the fan, using my dove bronzing lotion and painting my fingernails while catching up on all the MTV I've missed during the week (AMERICAS BEST DANCE CREW AUDITIONS, YES PLEASE!) then went out for dinner with Stef and a coworker. We got Tapas (SO GOOD) and saw Sex and the City (SO LONG). It was fun, but I wouldn't force any non-fan to sit through over 2 hours of outfit montages and carrie-isms. I certainly enjoyed it, but I have an annual SATC marathon where I watch every episode in order. You may call me a loser, but I see it as dedication.

Yesterday was fabulous, in the most fabulous sense of the word. Brunch was fabulous. The Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum was fabulous. Rob was fabulous (hah.) and dinner with Matt and Stef and Rob was delicious - seriously go to Momofuku. the pork will change your life. fo reals.

I am just so unmotivated to do anything now. Somebody give me a new blog to read... hopefully one that updates every 45 seconds plz. k thanks.

I recently visited my good ol ginger buddy CB who has been living in the Rotten Apple for a few months. The duration of my stay included a number of meat heavy meals, including a disappointing visit to much talked about Wildwood that I'm quite sure, wreaked havoc on CB's porcelain pedestal. Our final meal however, absolutely destroyed any possibilities of us averting colon cancer. A New York trip wouldn't be complete without a sit down at one of chef du jour David Chang's establishments. We opted for Ssam Bar since we did Noodle Bar last visit and if you don't know, they serve this $200 slow roasted pork shoulder that could feed a family of 12.

Usually you have to pre-reserve this before your visit, but thanks to our buddy Tyler, he charmed the kitchen staff into hooking us up with a "baby Bo Ssam". According to the chef, this was a quarter of the full size. The wait staff said its more like a third of the full size. In any case, it was a lot of fucking prok.

Pork Head Croquettes and Lamb Belly

4lbs of Pork Shoulder and L.I. Oyseters to boot.

You very rarely catch white people doing this. Species totally out of its element.

Pretty much sums up our meal.

Sometimes, when certain artists who represent a counter-culture age, their act gets a bit tired. For example, watching Madonna roll around on stage while singing "Like A Virgin" at age 50 is a bit bizarre. Elvis has had a habit of writing songs that definitely have meaning and give you his opinion. Luckily, the 54-year old version of Elvis doesn't sound bitter, even when he complains. Instead, he seems regretful instead of angry, most notably with the final track "Go Away". When Elvis asks "Why don't you go away? Why don't you come back baby?", it's pretty apparent that he is wise enough to see the errors in his ways. Well, at least he can see the error in the person that he is singing about.

Elvis has always been great at tongue and cheek, smart-ass humor (probably why I gravitate to him) and he puts off a real lounge singer vibe with "Harry Worth". It's a bossanova number and the electric piano sound makes you want to smoke and have a martini. "Stella Hurt" is just about as rockin' as a tune Elvis has ever written. I'm not sure who Stella is in the song but Elvis definitely is sticking up for her. "Drum & Bone" could have been a B-side for "The Delivery Man" with it's pedal steel and southern blues rhythm.

There are a few downers towards the end of the album. "My Three Sons" is a tribute to Elvis' kids but, unfortunately, it's a bit boring. My least favorite song, "American Gangster Time", is a great rock song but I really can't handle the lyrics. I can tolerate some protest songs but when it really knocks the United States a bit too much, I tune right out, especially when the person knocking it isn't even an American. It's kind of like it being okay for you to pick on your little brother/sister, but when somebody else does it, watch out.

Overall, it's a great album from Elvis and his best since "When I Was Cruel". I really love "The Delivery Man" but there are too many duds on that album. This is Elvis at his best, wry humor and rock. Elvis has successfully become an artist that everyone has heard of but yet, his music is not owned or listened to by the majority of those same people. He has found a way to stay right on the precipice of mega-stardom and effectively pull the emergency brake on himself. This is an album that the casual Elvis Costello fan would like. For those hardcore Elvis fans, go listen to "North".

Elvis Costello has been all over the map the past few years. He’s released a disc of quiet tunes called North, a soulful/New Orleans-flavored disc, The River in Reverse, with Allen Toussaint (which is excellent by the way), an orchestral disc, an opera, and an Americana disc titled The Delivery Man. On his new disc, Momofuku, we can finally say…Welcome back to rock and roll, Elvis Costello!

The 12 tunes rock in the same vein as his classic Armed Forces did in the late 1970s. “American Gangster Time,” “No Hiding Place,” and “Turpentine” bring back the patented keyboard and drum sound Elvis had with producer Nick Lowe. He tackles love like only he can on the soulful “Flutter and Wow” and the joys of fatherhood on “My Three Sons.” “Stella Hurt” sounds like the theme for a female espionage thriller, and he co-wrote two songs with two legendary Nashville women;  “Song for Rose” with Rosanne Cash and “Pardon Me Madam, My Name is Eve” with the Coal Miner’s Daughter, Loretta Lynn.

I’ve been a Costello fan for years, so I pretty much buy anything he puts out, even if I only listen to it a few times. I have a feeling I’ll be listening to Momofuku more than a few times because this is clearly his best CD in years.

MP3: American Gangster Time

Elvis Costello Official Website

http://www.myspace.com/elviscostello

Escute "Momofuku", o novo disco de Elvis Costello. O álbum conta com as seguintes faixas:

No Hiding Place
American Gangster Time
Turpentine
Harry Worth
Drum and Bone
Flutter and Wow
Stella Hurt
Mr. Feathers
My Three Sons
Song With Rose
Pardon Me Madam, My Name Is Eve
Go Away

Mischievous, too, is the pastry chef Christina Tosi’s apple pie. It’s sculptured into individual-size rectangles and deep-fried, as if it came straight from McDonald’s, only McDonald’s wouldn’t accessorize it with sour cream ice cream and a swish of sweet, salty toasted miso.

You’ll love it, provided you ever get access to it. The unpredictability of accomplishing that — I entered into groveling, Ko-dependent arrangements with tireless friends and readers — has soured some would-be patrons, but Ko can’t be faulted for generating a demand in excess of the supply. And Mr. Chang to his credit doesn’t seem to be holding any seats in reserve for V.I.P.’s.

Read rest here.

What do you think of it?

"Well, obviously the title is a tribute to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the Cup Noodle. Like so many things in this world of wonders, all we had to do to make this record was add water."

I'm on my second listen to the album right now. The first was via Rhapsody at work, through PC speakers. The current listen is at home, streaming from Lost Highway Records and coming out through semi-real speakers. On the basis of those listens, and some earlier listens to other versions of Momofuku tracks, I'm pleased.

I'm not sure how long the album will stream from the record label's site. I thank Stereogum for telling me about the stream. By the way, it was at another post at the same site that I saw the wonderful quote from the wonderfully quotable Lou Reed: I can't wear the sunglasses now because I'd fall over a cable.

No Age - Nouns (Sub-Pop)
7L & Esoteric - Esoteric Vs. Japan: Pterodactyl Takes Tokyo (Fly Casual)
Animal Collective - Water Curses EP (Paradise)
Armin van Buuren - Imagine (Ultra)
Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Cannot Feel (Limited Edition 2 CD Import)
Elvis Costello - Momofuku (Lost Highway)
Firewater - The Golden Hour (Bloodshot)
Four Tet - Ringer (Domino)
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement (Domino)
The Long Blondes - Couples (Rough Trade)
Lykke Li - Little Bit EP (Control Group)
The Morning Benders - Talking Through Tin Cans (High Wire)
The Parlor Mob - And You Were A Crow (Roadrunner)
Pattern Is Movement - All Together (ADA)
Ron Browz - The Wonder Years (Trust Family)
Russian Circles - Station (Suicide Squeeze)

Zumindest der Song "Mr. Feathers" kann schon mal als toll bezeichnet werden. In Fazit am 5.5.08 um 23:05 Uhr auf Deutschlandradio Kultur soll "Momofuku" angeblich fast in Gänze zu hören sein.

A lot of people like to say that objective morality is a fallacy; that we live in a world without good or evil, but only innumerable moral gradations complicated endlessly by circumstance and intention.

Sounds rational. Plausible, even. But all that goes out the window when you end up listening to new albums by Elvis Costello and Clay Aiken in the same week.

The CD comes out on May 6, but Understatement is already out: legally, as well as through the channels you might be thinking about. It's on Rhapsody early. While the CD format isn't dead yet, it is steadily becoming less important. For further evidence, consider another album already out before its CD release...

My post about the new Elvis Costello album, Momofuku, is proving a lot more popular than I expected. This suggests to me that Elvis' approach of recording the album stealthily, then getting it out in a format most people can't use (vinyl) before it comes out in any digital form, has aroused curiosity.

Here's a different kind of understatement from Elvis Costello: his version of "My Funny Valentine." The version is older than either of the Shadow Puppets. The song is even older than Elvis.

[audio http://and.watson.googlepages.com/14MyFunnyValentine-.mp3]

I accept the fact that their initial reaction might focus on my perceived strange behavior and obsession with Momofuku. They will soon understand if they make the trip. I envision a little smile and a nod of the head to acknowledge that I had my reasons for insisting they seek out the noodle bar and all of its delights.

I first ate at Momofuku in January of 2007. I had been researching Ramen places in New York City. It turned out to be not only the best ramen of the trip, but the best food and highlight of the trip.

Chang describes Momofuku as the anti-restaurant (see video for more). It was a very small space. At the back bar there were probably a dozen stools, all with a front row seat overlooking the "kitchen" -- not more than 3 feet by 8 feet with 4-5 people creating each dish while continually bumping elbows. They also washed dishes in the space as well. It was worth the trip just to watch the kitchen at work.

The Momofuku combo ramen was delicious (noodles and broth, Berkshire pork belly and shoulder, poached egg, greens, fish cake and scallions). The egg was close to perfect. It is a bath-cooked egg, or onsen tamago, as it's called in Japan. This is an egg poached in a water bath for a long time at low temperature (about 140 degrees). The white was so tender and the yolk supersoft, adding an extra layer of creaminess and richness to the ramen.

Chang's ramen is made with a Tonkotsu broth. It is obvious why he chose this type of ramen borth as ton means pig and kotsu means bone (he certainly isn't going to make his broth from miso). He smashes pig bones, throws them into a pot of water with seasonings like kombu (kelp), iriko, bonito flakes, onion and dried mushrooms -- and then he cooks it, and cooks it and cooks it.

The noodles might have been the only component in need of a little attention, they seemed to lack a bit of bounce, but the pork...oh my, the pork.

Pork seems to be the centerpiece of many of David Chang's dishes -- that one ingredient that really shines and also lends itself to bringing out the best in all of the other ingredients to make the final dish something very memorable. Only one item on the menu either did not have pork or was not cooked in pork fat, leaving vegetarians with a single option.

We also had the brussel sprouts with pork and kimchi. I used to love to make brussel sprouts -- and I thought I made them pretty well. I have tried to recreate Momofuku's take on brussel sprouts, but my attempts always seem to fall short and I don't make brussel sprouts as often as I used to.

David Chang's pork buns are now famous. His take on shrimp and grits was very impressive. Everything that came out of the kitchen was so beautifully prepared. The food was quite simple but prepared with great skill and care. It was really some of the most comforting food I have ever had. Today, it seems as though everyone has heard of David Chang. Momofuku has moved to a larger space and he has opened another restaurant. Some people have told me that success has taken its toll.

David Asimov of the NYT, The Pour had a less than ideal food experience at one of David Chang's establishments. You can read the article on David's blog (which is definitely worth reading on a regular basis). I have heard from others that Momofuku isn't what it was. He certainly could be a victim of his own success. Growing demand, expansion in size and number of restaurants, etc. may have come with a cost. But I dream of returning to Momofuku in the near future.

The New Yorker's take is spot on in my opinion, "Momofuku bills itself as a noodle bar, which seems a bit like calling Le Bernardin a crab shack." I also read on another food blog that Momofuku may currently be the best value of any restaurant in New York in its ratio of culinary creativity to cost. I can't speak for all of the restaurants in New York, but I got as much pleasure per dollar for my meal at Momofuku as any other restaurant I have visited.

Regardless of what happens on my next visit, my first visit will always be on my short list of best food experiences and is something I will never forget -- and it doesn't even a have a wine list or a single wine by the glass.

Great video tour of Momofuku with commentary by David Chang.

Momofuku
171 First ave | btwn 10th & 11th
New York, New York 10003

Momofuku won't be out on CD until May 6 (US). I hope that it'll be available as an MP3 download, and for streaming from music subscription services, on the same date. Those who have the vinyl also have a code to download Momofuku.

I'm surprised that there don't seem to be many reviews on the web yet. But there is a very good review by Allan Raible at ABC news blogs. It's good in the sense that it captures the sheer vinyl specialness of the release.

Until yesterday, I hadn’t bought any new vinyl in probably 20 years... I’d forgotten how glorious records truly are. Sure, they are big and clunky, but as I first gazed at the immense “Momofuku” in all its purple-y goodness, I was awe-struck...

[Glowing review of side one]

Now it is time to take a breather and turn the record over. People used to have to do this all the time.

Talking of glowing, the review is also good in the sense that it's highly favorable. "It’s a clear five star example of a legend adding to his stack of classics."

I said goodbye to my turntable years ago, so I'll have to wait for May 6. Or maybe May 1, when downloaded MP3s will start to appear. I'm surprised that I haven't stumbled across MP3s created from the vinyl yet. I'm also surprised that I haven't seen more comments on the release sequence: analog first, then digital, with CD not even being the first digital release.

By the way, May 6 is also the release date for The Last Shadow Puppets' album. If there is an heir to Elvis Costello, it may turn out to be Alex Turner. But that's a big if, so early in the career of someone who wasn't even born when Elvis advised us to Get Happy.

Who isn’t looking for a bigger, better noodle?
At a tender, hairless age, I learned an important food lesson:

“Ramen,” my father said in our Ohio kitchen, teeth-tearing open a rectangular wrapper packed with noodles and “oriental” flavor, “can be delicious. You just have to doctor it up.”

To the salty broth and squiggly noodles he added sesame oil, scallions, garlic, onions and mushrooms, then he swirled in a raw egg. It was Far East ambrosia, a soup as hearty and exotic as it was economical. I slurped my bowl clean and then begged for seconds like a dog whining for another fatty scrap.

With a glee 1960s kids reserved for green-bean casserole, I awaited my father’s beguiling, ever-mutating ramen blends containing piquant preserved vegetables, bright-green bok choy, shiitake ’shrooms or even zested ginger. Packaged ramen was Dad’s blank canvas, filled with wild culinary brushstrokes.

So imagine my shock one dark, hungry night in my college dorm when, water roiling in my hot pot and pork-flavored ramen in hand, I was walloped with these words:

“I can’t believe you would eat that,” said my then-girlfriend, a militant vegan who fashioned her blonde hair into mini horns. “You’re so trashy.”

Trashy? Sure, I occasionally urinated into Gatorade bottles and drank malt liquors like bitter, ginseng-infused Phat Boy, but such idiocy was age 19 in a nutshell. That eve, I recall, the ramen’s MSG was no balm for my wounded pride. Naturally, that relationship’s longevity barely matched a fruit fly’s lifespan, but my packaged-noodle adoration has endured. Now it’s being rewarded, as ramen shops pop up in the East Village like pimples on a teen. The ’hood’s ditching its punk rock past for a pork-broth future.

Like a good little fatty, I’ve hit hallway-size Rai Rai Ken (214 E. 10th St. betw. First & Second Aves., 212-477-7030) and overloaded on simple miso ramen ($7.40). It’s pleasantly porcine, with tender noodles and a sprinkling of crispy garlic. I bought into the hype and bit into Momofuku ramen ($14) at “it” cook David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 First Ave. at 10th St., 212-777-7773). My thoughts? Meh. Berkshire pork slices were soft as an overripe banana and fresh snow peas a pleasure, but my belly despised the gummy noodles. For $14, those freakin’ noodles better rock my socks off.

The best chance to lose my hosiery came with March’s arrival of Hakata Ippudo (65 Fourth Ave. betw. 9th & 10th Sts., 212-388-0088). It’s a Land of the Rising Sun ramen chain famous for its milky, filthy rich broth made from long-boiled swine bones. This Ippudo, America’s first, brought bushels of Japanese media, Tokyo expats and gotta-have-it-first gourmands—instantaneously, dinner waits stretched to two hours. Screw that. To beat crowds, I donned pants and headed to Ippudo for an early weekday lunch.

“Kunichiwa,” the grinning hostess greeted. She stood beside a wall display of colorful ramen bowls, then she escorted me to the modern dining room. It’s a white-and-wood riot of communal tables, square booths, one-armed chairs, mirrors and untranslated Japanese characters. Stylish? Insidious? I’ve long been wary of Japanese script since unknowingly wearing a Japanese T-shirt that translated to “I’m a stupid American.”

I arranged my gringo bum at a wooden counter, where I endured a particularly well-mannered version of hell: Cooks, servers, hostesses—even bus boys, dagnabit—lobbed kunichiwa my way like auditory grenades. I wished I were deaf. Dumb? That’d be my neighboring, map-toting Japanese tourists. Why crisscross the globe to chomp home cooking? It’s not like I head overseas and get a hard-on for a Big Mac. Here at Ippudo, I came for spicy karaka-men ($12). It arrived in steaming tureen as big as a loaf of sourdough bread, along with a long ladle larger than my mouth. Was orthodontic torture a hot, new Japanese kink?

No, this utensil provided pleasure. When I spooned up the silky, tanned-leather liquid, I knew why the tourists desired this ramen so deeply: It was the essence of pig, a milky broth so animalistic that one whiff could cause a Jew to break kosher, while the house-made noodles were al dente enough for a toothless grandma to happily gum.

I joined the clean-bowl club in minutes, lost in a grinning, groaning, stomach-growing reverie that forced me to unbutton my pants in public yet again.

Elvis Costello's latest effort, Momofuku, is out on vinyl today. It will be released on CD May 6. Here is the track listing:

No Hiding Place/American Gangster Time/Turpentine/Harry Worth/Drum and Bone/Flutter and Wow/Stella Hurt/Mr. Feathers/My Three Sons/Song with Rose/Pardon Me Madam, My Name is Eve/Go Away.

You can preview the new release at amazon.com and the find out more information about the CD and upcoming summer tour with The Police at Costello's official website.

Elvis Costello Official Website