Donde Dinner? - 424 Amsterdam Ave

Donde Dinner? aims to make your next dining experience an adventure. So every Friday we pick a restaurant and post its address for you. The catch is, that's all the information you get. No name, no type of cuisine, and no Googling. Before we post this week's address, here's last week's:

25 Clinton Street = Ivan Ramen

In typical Donde Dinner? fashion, price, quality, and accessibility have all been taken into account. You won't be waiting at the bar for two hours with $16 cocktails and you never have to worry about a dress code. Just hop on the train, or your feet, or your bike, and head to:

424 Amsterdam Ave (map)

Ivan Orkin Eyes 25 Clinton Street for Ramen Spot

On the other side of that Taurus, and behind the tree, is the storefront of 25 Clinton Street. It's the former address of Ed's Lobster Bar Annex and the possible future home of Ivan Orkin's first stateside ramen spot. Orkin, a Long Island native, moved to Japan with his wife in 2003. He opened Ivan Ramen in Tokyo in 2007 and, in 2010, Ivan Ramen Plus. At both ramen counters, Orkin strays from tradition and serves his own take on the dish. Homemade noodles (some whole-grain) and adding the protein to his ramen hot are among the signatures Orkin brought to Tokyo. His efforts won high praise from a top ramen blogger in the city and both Ramen and Plus have remain packed ever since.

Orkin recently moved back to the states and started giving New Yorkers a sneak peak, showing up here and there to serve his ramen. Should Ivan Ramen (Japanese food) open at 25 Clinton Street, it'll be a block north of wd-50 (other worldly) and Pig & Khao (Filipino), and two blocks north of Yunnan Kitchen (Chinese), turning the stretch of Clinton Street between East Houston and Delancey into a legit version of Epcot Center's World Showcase, minus the frozen food and humidity.

The decision to open at 25 Clinton is pending a meeting with the Community Board next month in which Orkin will hopefully attain a liquor license. If he does, it's all things go and the 60-seat space will open in the spring. [DinersJournal]

Ivan Orkin Is Noodles About Noodles

After studying Japanese at the University of Colorado, Ivan Orkin delved into food stuffs at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.  He stayed in his native New York and worked at Mesa Grill and Lutece before moving to Japan.  In 2007, he opened Ivan Ramen in Tokyo with a careful menu offering "ramen standards" like Shio and Shoyu.  "I figured if I could get people in Tokyo to love my ramen, than that's a pretty significant statement of success."

Ivan Ramen Plus is Orkin's second project that he opened also in Tokyo in 2010.  At Plus, with three years of credibility to his name, Orkin is able to experiment with new flavors and ideas.  Both restaurants are guided by his "Slow Food Fast" motto; searching out quality ingredients and buying locally whenever possible.

Orkin will be opening a ramen restaurant in New York City by the end of this year.  To honor his future re-arrival, he was invited as a guest chef to serve his ramen renditions at Momofuku's Noodle Bar this past Tuesday, July 17th.  The sidewalk outside of Noodle Bar on 1st Ave was full of anxious slurper's long before the doors opened to the one night ramenthon.  Here's a rundown from Momofuku's blog of the three ramen dishes Orkin served Tuesday:

ivan ramen classic shio ramen – chicken and dashi double soup, blend of japanese sea salts, thin rye noodles, pork belly, 6 minute egg, hosaki menma

ago dashi hiyashi shio ramen – chilled flying fish dashi, lemon, blend of japanese sea salts, slow roasted tomato, warm chicken breast

tonkotsu, pork fat, bacon and triple garlic mazemen – pork neck, chicken feet and roasted vegetable soup, pork fat, bacon, fresh, pickled and roasted garlic, thick whole wheat noodle