A Taste of Lawrence: Ramen Bowls

 Ramen Bowls is my new favorite restaurant in Lawrence. I've been there twice in the past month and I want to return as soon as possible.

Chicken and Kimchi Tacos

Located on 10th Street in between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Ramen Bowls is in a two-story building with tight space. Downstairs is the kitchen and two small tables that can be scooched together to make a six-top. Upstairs are more tables and a small waitress station, and it's really more of a loft than an upstairs because there is a railing and it opens up and you can see downstairs. If you get there when it's busy, you may have a waiting period but it's worth it. We waited for 30 minutes the first time we went because we had four people, but we just went across to the Replay Lounge and had a drink. The host texts you when your table is ready so it was convenient, too.

The menu consists of traditional ramen bowls, modern ramen bowls, fried rice and dumplings.

For an appetizer we ordered the Chicken and Kimchi Tacos, soft, flour tacos stuffed with braised chicken, kimchi, micro greens and bread and butter pickles. The sweetness of the pickles and the spiciness of the red pepper aioli and the tanginess of the kimchi go together perfectly. The micro greens were a nice texture. I could just order these tacos as lunch someday, but I had to save room for my noodle soup, as this was just an appetizer.

For my entree I ordered the Goddess Bowl, which could be a vegan dish but instead of tofu I asked

Goddess Bowl

for chicken. I'm just not a fan of tofu. It's something about the texture, and sometimes it doesn't have much flavor. Other than the tofu, or the chicken in my case, there is half an avocado, somen noodles, mushroom miso broth, spinach, Napa cabbage, scallions, local micro-greens and roasted red pepper aioli. When the bowl comes out, the cabbage and other veggies are are just kinda piled on top of the noodles and broth so everything is nice and fresh. The broth is always piping hot so the cabbage wilts down and the scallions soften up quickly. The red pepper aioli has a little spice to it so it gives the noodles a nice kick.

My favorite dish is basically a bowl of fried rice. The Hawaiian fried rice is amazing and I wish I could make it myself so I could just make it for dinner every night of the week. It may sound weird at first, but once you try it you will jump on board with me and never look back. It's called the Hawaiian fried rice because it has pineapple, fried Spam, peas and carrots in it. The Spam is salty and seared crisp and the pineapple is sweet. The rice is fried just right and it's perfectly fluffy so you can scoop up nice sized bites onto your chopsticks.

Hawaiian Fried Rice

If you're not one for Spam, which I realize there are some of you out there, there are various types of fried rice on the menu and you don't have to get the Hawaiian variety. I'm sure those fried rices are tasty, too, I just haven't tried them because I always want the Hawaiian rice.

I can't wait to get back to this place. I just wish there was a location available in Topeka so I didn't have to drive all the way to Lawrence. Still, it's worth the drive and the possible wait time for a table.

Shana Cake

A new bakery opened in Topeka last month but it's not your typical bakery. Shana Cake features allergy-free baked goods. That means that all of the products contain absolutely no gluten, wheat, soy, dairy, corn, nuts, tree nuts, GMOs, artificial flavorings or colors or preservatives. Some of the items can be made without egg, too.

I stopped in to try some of their cupcakes because I've only heard good things and of course I wanted to see for myself. I've tried the vanilla vanilla cupcake at a bridal fair a few weeks ago and was impressed that it was free of all those allergens that usually make baked goods moist, fluffy and sweet, and it was still moist, fluffy and sweet. Because Shana Cake sells mini cupcakes, I didn't feel guilty getting six different flavors, a mini loaf cake and a loaf of white sandwich bread, (OK maybe just a little).

The mini loaf cake tasted like orange and cranberry or something fruity. The cupcakes are moist and sweet, and I would never have been able to tell they were allergen free if nobody told me. The frosting is sweet, too, with a nice texture that doesn't sit on your tongue forever like some shortening-based frostings. The apple cinnamon one was my favorite. And again, no dairy. That's the most impressive thing to me.

The cupcake that surprised me the most was the Lemonade Stand cupcake. I don't like lemon, usually

White sandwich bread

but this cupcake had just enough lemon flavor that it wasn't overpowering and I could stand it. Sometimes, lemon flavored foods can be too tart for me, but this was sweet with a slight lemon tang. I actually didn't hate it. But, it's still lemon so I probably won't order it again. For you lemon fans, though, you should definitely give it a try, whether you have an allergy or not.

I tried the white sandwich bread, too. I sliced me a piece off and slathered it with butter -- I don't have an allergy, so I figured, why not? -- and bit into my gluten and wheat free bread. I was impressed. I didn't notice anything about my bread except for that it was tasty and reminded me of when my mom made bread machine bread. I think it could use some salt, or maybe some salted butter, but for a ham sandwich it would be perfect. I plan to slice it up and try it with a sandwich tomorrow or the next day.

Hoagie buns and dinner rolls are also for sale at Shana Cake but I didn't try those. I started small but I guarantee I will be back for more. I'd recommend trying these products even if you don't have an allergy because they're good. If you work with someone who has an allergy, or your children's classmates have an allergy, these are perfect to take to work or school so everyone can enjoy them. And, they're pretty tasty, too.

Capital City Food Truck Festival -- Day 2

I returned for Day 2 and wasn't disappointed.

First, Visit Topeka fixed some of the initial problems by moving the food trucks apart and spacing

Pulled pork, Mr. Nice Guy's

everything out a bit more. There were also better markers indicating where the lines should go and end, so there was less confusion today. There were just as many people, though.

Topeka definitely turned out for this event, and organizers were not expecting the turnout. I heard over 4,000 people attended on Friday alone, and even more are coming out today, (Saturday). Some food trucks were running out of food, but that happens with food trucks. They only have a limited amount of space, so that happens.

Philly Cheesesteak, Mr. Nice Guy's

When Ryan and I first got there today, we jumped into Mr. Nice Guy's line, which didn't seem too long. We only waited about 30 minutes to order and a few more for our food which was acceptable. We got a pulled pork sandwich and a Philly cheesesteak. The pork sandwich was good, but nothing special. I think they roast the meat as opposed to smoking it, which is fine with me, it was still tender, juicy and good. My favorite barbecue sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's was available for smothering so that was a plus.

The Philly cheesesteak is what I'd write home about, though. I've heard people talk about how Mr. Nice Guy's, located in Oakland, has the best cheesesteak in town, and now I know they weren't lying. I don't even like green peppers but I could eat this sandwich without complaint. I tried a couple bites of Ryan's and couldn't get over the fact that the green peppers didn't bother me. The meat is tender, steaming hot and the melted cheese sauce makes it that much better. I would order it again, never mind the pulled pork.

Chocolate avocado smoothie,
photo courtesy of Bailey Mushok

Next, we tried the Purple Carrot Co-Op, where you can find vegan cuisine. Their line wasn't long but they always seemed to have one. We had to try one of their avocado chocolate smoothies because we kept hearing good things from other people. The smoothie was  definitely different, but still good. It was bright green with chunks of dark chocolate floating around in it. At first I wasn't sure about it, but after a few swigs I quickly realized I really liked it. I The chocolate chunks melted in your mouth and blended well with the strong avocado flavor and I thought the two flavors worked together.

As we were waiting for our shake, X-Marks the Spot showed up so I jumped in line to wait for them to open. We waited for about an hour because they were being inspected, (Blue Moose had the same thing before they could open), but then only waited about 10 minutes for our food to be cooked. I got a grilled chicken wrap and Ryan got the Wrigley Dog, which seemed like a Chicago dog just with a different name. It was a little different, but pretty much a Chicago dog.

I appreciated the chicken wrap because it featured salad greens instead of iceberg lettuce, which most

Grilled chicken wrap, X-Marks the Spot

places use. The chicken was juicy and hot, the mustard didn't overwhelm me and I liked the tomato bacon jam. It was sweet and smokey thanks to the bacon. The tortilla didn't rip and everything stayed together until the very end. I would order this wrap again, but I may try the veggie wrap next time.

X-Marks the Spot was not serving their pickle fries, (my favorite) but with good reason. The pickles were messing up the fryer and causing longer wait times I'm sure, because when you batter and fry things, much of the batter separates off and leaves little floating pieces of overcooked batter which sticks to other fried items, wreaking havoc on your fryer. I don't blame them for taking the pickles off the menu. Hopefully that is only for the festival and the pickle fries will be back on their regular, daily menu. I didn't ask.

The Wrigley Dog, X-Marks the Spot

The Wrigley Dog looked pretty amazing, probably about like an authentic Chicago dog. The only thing that stood out to me as way different was the bun. It seemed like they weren't as soft and yeasty as the buns I remember in Chicago, they were a little more dense, but that's not to say it was bad. It's not from Chicago, so of course it will be a little different.

Overall, I feel like the Capital City Food Truck Festival was a hit. New events always have kinks to be worked out, and as long as the event coordinators are open to suggestions, things will be better next year. Even this year I thought was a great turnout, good, tasty food and Topekans showed up to support the event.

Kim's Vietnamese

Asian food is one of my all-time favorites. Sometimes, though, I can get a little tired of the same thing, and most Asian restaurants in Topeka offer a variety of the same dishes.  In 2010, Kim's Vietnamese opened on 10th Street and at the time I worked for the Washburn Review so, I wrote a review.  I gave it a good review because it was different, fresh and tasty.

Now, the restaurant has moved to 29th and Kansas but the food is still exceptional.

When I first decided to check it out, I thought it was interesting because it boasted Vietnamese food as opposed to Chinese or Japanese, which we see all over the place in T-town. Vietnamese was new for the area. I was intrigued. (It opened in November 2010.)

Scrumptious pork dumplings

The menu features noodle soups, stir-fries and spring rolls. The noodle soups were new to me so the first time I went that's what I tried. The soups come with different noodles and if you ask the waitstaff to help you decipher which noodle is which they are more than willing to help you out. I think they want to educate people so they know what they're ordering, like what they're offering and possibly they will order it again.  The noodles come in a hot broth -- choice of what kind of broth -- with vegetables and herbs. Check out my previous review (linked above) to find out more about the noodle soup.

If you don't want to mess with all that, Kim's also has stir-fries and other dishes you may be more comfortable with. Recently, I tried the chicken lo mein stir fry, crab Rangoon and pork dumplings.

The new location reminds me a lot of the their original location with tons of windows and lots of plants and foliage. I don't remember seeing any booths, but the tables were comfortable enough. Each table is loaded with silverware, napkins, sauces and anything you may need to eat your meal.

The pork dumplings were inspiring. Inspiring in a way that I wish I could make them myself they were so good. Fried dumplings filled with meat and spices I couldn't even begin to describe. Hot, fresh , crispy and juicy I would order them again and again. They were served with a sweet and sour sauce but they didn't really even need any sauce.

The stir fry was good, with a flavor that was a little different than what I'm used to. I love that. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was different but I could definitely tell they used soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and some kind of sweetener, maybe honey. The noodles weren't greasy and they were just saucy enough. The vegetables were cooked thoroughly and so was the chicken. There were carrots, broccoli, onions and cabbage.

My only complaint is I think it would be better if the dish had dark meat chicken. It had white meat and I feel in dishes like stir frys, the white meat chicken gets really dry. Just a personal opinion, I know a lot of people who prefer white meat. But to me, fat is flavor and dark meat always has more fat. I understand if you're watching your waistline, so get this dish, it's got white meat. (haha). But seriously, it was still a good entree I would order again sometime.

I also tried the crab Rangoon, mostly because I just love crab Rangoon. I was glad I gave it a chance. Crispy, fresh and creamy on the inside. Plus, there were chunks of crab that you could actually see inside, unlike how most of the time you're not even sure it's there. Yum.

Crab Rangoon

Our waitress brought us a plate of cold grapes to conclude our meal. She said they don't always give grapes but she was able to get some on sale. It was a nice ending to a fine meal.

I plan to return to Kim's Vietnamese and soon.  Their menu isn't typical of what can be found in Topeka so if you're looking for something different but not overwhelmingly so, check this place out. Like I said before, the staff is willing to help you choose something you will like, just ask questions.

Noodles and Company is Vegan friendly

Here it is, the newest restaurant in Topeka.

Tonight I got the chance to check out Noodles & Company for their soft opening.

Before even going I checked out their menu online to plan what I was going to order. Just some background -- my doctor has told me to stop eating all dairy because my gall bladder is giving me some problems. It may be that I'm lactose intolerant but we aren't sure. I've also decided to cut down on how much meat I eat since many dishes I eat have both meat and dairy in them.

What I liked about Noodles is they have plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. Click this link for a list of options.

Anyway, I ordered the Pasta Fresca with no cheese -- it comes with a choice of feta or parmesan. I also added some tofu, just to try it out and I was glad I did. I would recommend it even if you've tried tofu before and hated it because that happened to me, but I decided to go for it.

Pasta Fresca from Noodles & Co.

At first I thought they may have put meat in my noodles but it was just their firm tofu, which had a rich, meat-like texture and flavor that I enjoyed. It caught me off guard! It was grilled and firm but not chewy, it reminded me of lean pork. The sauce was made with balsamic vinegar, white wine and olive oil. It comes with spinach, tomatoes and onions and a hint of roasted garlic, all tossed together with penne pasta noodles. I enjoyed my dish but I do wish there were more vegetables because I was left with a bunch of noodles and no vegetables when I was finished. I may have eaten more if there were more toppings, but I am not a fan of just eating noodles and sauce.

I liked that the tomatoes weren't cooked to a pulp. Sometimes when I eat pasta dishes with tomatoes they like to cook them until they are mushy and not good anymore. Here, they were pretty uncooked so I liked that. The spinach, on the other hand, I wish would have been cooked a little more so it would have wilted a bit into the pasta. Instead, they were fresh spinach leaves in a cooked dish, which seemed a little awkward to me. I still enjoyed the flavor, I love spinach, it just seemed weird to me.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience. The place was packed and the line was long, but the staff did a good job accommodating their guests. The manager was guiding the long lines, including the drink like, which got a little long while they were filling the ice. He walked around and began filling up everyone's glasses with ice so the line would run a little faster, which worked. I thought he handled the situation well.

Noodles & Company opens tomorrow, March 17th, which is also St. Patrick's day. Hopefully Topeka will show up and continue to support this new addition to Top City. I enjoyed my visit, did you? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Thanks for reading Tasting Topeka. If you have any restaurants that you would like me to review, please comment below. Thanks and happy tasting.