Seared Artichokes, Fried Oysters, and the Future of Restaurant Menus?
A dish that challenged my perspective on jarred products and a unique menu experience.…
Earlier this week, I had a craving for ramen and blockbuster science fiction. So naturally, I headed to Ivan Ramen before catching a screening of Dune II. It was an epic follow-up to the shortcomings of Dune I that felt like required viewing in the theater.
I hadn’t visited Ivan Ramen in years, but I remembered thoroughly enjoying my meal. As I entered the restaurant on an early Thursday evening, I felt a bit apprehensive about the experience awaiting me. The lights were a tad too bright, the restaurant a bit too empty, and the music a bit too quiet. Nonetheless, the rich aroma of broth permeated the space, causing my stomach to rumble with anticipation.
Feeling like we were still in the early post-Covid era, we scanned the menu on our phones. Immediately, a short film introducing Ivan and the restaurant popped up. It quickly recounted Ivan’s history in Japan, his return to America, and the inception of the restaurant.
As we clicked through, the menu opened in an interactive style. Tapping on menu items revealed that over 50% of the dishes had accompanying videos detailing their origin and preparation. We ended up ordering the house salad, fried eggplant, and two different types of ramen.
The food was delightful. The dressing for the salad was a nostalgic yet delicious carrot-ginger blend. The eggplant boasted a perfectly fried exterior and a lusciously creamy interior. And the ramen was deeply flavorful, each with a different style of noodle, both perfectly chewy.
Leaving the restaurant, I couldn’t stop thinking about the menu experience. Did I love it? Did I hate it? It felt reminiscent of scrolling through Instagram or TikTok. The added context and testimonials for the items made it hard for me to resist wanting to try them all. Is this the future of casual dining, takeout, and delivery ordering? Or is this a menu platform that will fade as fast as the latest TikTok trend?
Ramen and other more casual format restaurants seem primed for a menu style like this, and I can’t help but imagine that the Gen Z audience would love the format. I’m still trying to understand how I feel about the experience and am curious if I will encounter this menu format in other restaurants.
Seared Baby Artichokes, Fried Oysters, Piquillo Peppers
As someone who has publicly advocated for jarred products, what I'm about to say feels internally controversial.
I've been pondering the question: are fresh artichokes truly superior to jarred ones? For the longest time, I staunchly believed that high-quality jarred artichoke hearts were just as good as fresh ones. However, I realize now that I may have been asking the wrong question. Instead of debating their quality, I should have been asking myself whether it's worth the effort to cook fresh artichokes versus using high-quality jarred ones.
What I've discovered is that the answer depends on the recipe.
Recently, I purchased some fresh baby artichokes with the intention of trying the classic Jewish-Roman fried artichokes recipe. But as I walked home, my concept shifted and a new idea sparked in my mind. I saw it as a perfect opportunity to compare the quality of fresh versus jarred artichoke hearts.
I peeled and quartered the artichokes before tossing them in a lemony olive oil mixture to prevent oxidation. After a few minutes of marinating, I seared them in a pan with garlic, shallots, and piquillo peppers. Upon tasting, it became abundantly clear that, texturally, the freshly seared artichokes were superior to the jarred ones.
That being said, was it worth using fresh artichokes in this instance? Absolutely. In this recipe, where artichokes are a main textural component, the crispy and subtly firm bite of the fresh choke feels essential to the dish. However, in dishes where texture plays a more subdued role, my preference for jarred artichokes remains strong.