Restaurant Review: Ichiddo Ramen Restaurant, Saint Paul. *****

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My goal in reviewing places/things/books/movies is to say nice things. Lots of mediocre/crappy stuff passes by me every day and you never hear about it. But Ichiddo Ramen was fantastic, and that garners a review on this blog. Ichiddo St Paul is located at 712 University Ave W, Suite 103, St Paul, MN 55104. Open 7 days a week, from 10 am – 10 pm (Mon-Sat), and 10 am – 9 pm (Sun).

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I walk almost everywhere I go these days. Part of the “I’d like to see 60” program I’m on. One of my favorite routes includes a stroll down University Avenue in Saint Paul. University was on the comeback about 10 years ago, then it plunged into darkness when the nanny staters pushed light rail into our lives. Now, after a few years of the trains mashing cars and killing pedestrians on a regular basis, the business community is blossoming again. University has more new places than it has for a decade, and while some of them are – well, not up for a review – there are a bunch that look interesting. As the months go by, I’m going to try and hit more of them.

Ichiddo Ramen almost missed out on my scrutiny, as I usually walk on the other side of the street – That’s where the delightful Trung Nam Bakery is located. But on the day I discovered them, I was headed to a bakery called Sugarush. No need for a long review there: great donuts. Thankfully, they are just a few doors down from Ichiddo.

I peered in through the window and was impressed with the interior. Clean. Neat. Beautiful. The kind of eatery you’d find in an upscale suburb, not University Avenue in Saint Paul. My wife loves this kind of stuff, so I decided that it would be a “Secret Date Night” destination for Friday night.



Friday rolled around, and so did we.

I know nothing about Ramen except that it kept me alive when the chow-hall stunk in Monterey. That’s not true. I also know that I love the spicy ones, and have two cases of them in the basement because they never go bad. They also are the bomb for soaking a peanut-butter sandwich on cold winter days when I’m really hungry. Little did I suspect that there is actual cuisine involving those noodles until that evening.

As noted above, the interior is beautiful. We were greeted immediately, and within 10 minutes we had the menus, a drink, and an order in for appetizers. The staff was good – very good. I was delighted by the level of attention they gave to all the guests. Nobody wound up in the dreaded “I thought that was your table” zone from what I observed.

The appetizers were really well done. Sauces, chilis, and presentation were spot-on. Flavors top-notch. We had the clamari, tokoyaki, and chicken wings. Delicate heat on the chili sauce with a sweet base. The wings were way better than any I’ve had in the last 12 months. Tokoyaki? One of those things that is best not done in bulk, because a large platter of them would be consumed in complete disregard for the caloric devastation they would cause.

For the main course, I went deep-end. I had the pork belly ramen (Niku Soba Ramen). I’ve eaten my share of pork belly over the years, including hand-done specimens from a master meat fanatic I know. This topped them all. I added extra noodles, tofu, and eggs to the mix. The eggs were a surprise. They’re marinated/pickled. Not a bad flavor, but not what I was expecting. I’m spoiled, as a midwesterner, with an abundance of fresh eggs. Runny Yolks would be my pseudonym if …. never mind. I loved it. A lot. As in, “I may never eat anything else” kind of worship.

My wife had something else. Danged if I know what it was, but she really liked it as well. (Beef Donburi) (Hey, nobody is paying me to do this, you get this half-witted stuff for the price of admission.) She is a bit more picky than your beloved two-legged garbage disposal, and her praise means something. She loved hers as well.

Total cost for this meal was about $63.00 with tip.

I will definitely go back. They have made that easy, as there is a parking lot just to the west of the building – a rarity on University Avenue.

It made for a great secret date. Thanks, Ichiddo Ramen, for a great experience.

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Assault on Saint Agnes is available here. Just click this link!

When you finish reading any book (especially mine) please review it at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.goodreads.com. Your review increases the chances of someone looking for a new book greatly. Authors appreciate your review, even if it is just “I thought this was a good read and will give it to my dog to chew. I especially liked the ending, because it made me feel better when he killed all of the main characters. (no spoilers, please)” Those few words (more than 20, fewer than 1,000 is ideal), and a 1-5 rating, make or break how the search engines find us. Thanks in advance.

Maybe We’re The Problem.

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My circle includes tax collectors, prostitutes, and apostles. Some have been possessed by demons, some by the Holy Spirit. I count myself as a Christian, sometimes even a good one. But this weekend I started to think about just how good I am on a daily basis. The answer wasn’t what I’d hoped to find.

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The fact is, I was one of the imbeciles in church this morning marveling at all the “twice-a-year” Christians who showed up for their semi-annual visit. One witticism probably was justified, and it applies to all venues: if you used over 50% of the amount of material for your purse that you used for your dress, it’s probably too short. Other than that, I am rather ashamed tonight.

So what if they only come once a year? Maybe that’s the best they can manage, and it’s certainly better than spending the morning in an opium den (or the modern equivalent). Perhaps they are trying to restart their faith, and this is day one. Perhaps, just a chance, that they’re afraid of being judged by sanctimonious twits like me.

My judgement means nothing. His does. And He went to the cross for all of us. I’d best shut up.

Reading the news tonight, I read a long piece on President Trump’s Easter message. Again, I thought of all the smarmy members of my not-so-wonderful-club who mocked the man because he talked about a Bible verse and instead of saying “Second Corinthians” he said “Two Corinthians.” Strangely, I didn’t mock him, largely because if I don’t get it wrong about the Bible, it’s probably because I skipped that part. Yes, I’ve read the New Testament. Kind of a fan, some great writing. But if you want to quiz me on the Old Testament, I’m going to fail. I get the gist, read most of it, but there are parts that put me out like a bolt to the forehead in a slaughterhouse.

Reading Trump’s message made me realize that imperfect faith is still faith. People, like me, who haven’t ready every syllable, and who can’t quote passages at will, may not have the numbers right when you count the dots, but we (Trump included) get the gist. Isn’t that the point?

Probably as inarticulate a defense of a religious position as you’ll find, but it’s how I feel tonight. I’m a baby Christian by many measures. I’m going to try and quit judging those who try, because so many never even give it a nod.

Sorry, God: I’m a sinner and I’m going to work on it. You already paid the price 2,000 years ago and I’m not blind to that amazing gift.

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Assault on Saint Agnes is available here. Just click this link!

When you finish reading any book (especially mine) please review it at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.goodreads.com. Your review increases the chances of someone looking for a new book greatly. Authors appreciate your review, even if it is just “I thought this was a good read and will give it to my dog to chew. I especially liked the ending, because it made me feel better when he killed all of the main characters. (no spoilers, please)” Those few words (more than 20, fewer than 1,000 is ideal), and a 1-5 rating, make or break how the search engines find us. Thanks in advance.

Fly The Friendly…Never Mind. Instead: Drag Your Butt Offa My Plane.

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Overbooking is a way of life in the hotel and airline industries. Statistically, it’s about 100% sure that not everyone who has a reservation will show up. Empty rooms and empty seats mean potential revenue lost. Do that often enough and people will be doing Google searches for Braniff & (insert name here) airlines.

Consequently, and you’ve experienced this if you fly very often, the airlines overbook flights all the time. Most of the time, it means that the standby passengers get to go to Cleveland like they want, and nobody is the wiser. Occasionally it means that the gate crew asks for volunteers to skip the flight in return for a voucher for another flight (often just a few hours later), meals, hotels if it’s overnight, and a big smile. I’ve contemplated the offers on occasion, but have never been asked to do so/taken up on my offer to do it for a higher fee. (Hint: if you hold out a while, the price goes way up. I usually am very quiet until we approach the $500 bonus round. Never been taken up on it, but someday…)

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I’m usually reluctant to leap into the fray before all the facts are in on an incident. Today, however, I will combine two of my pet peeves and do a blog.

Pet peeve #1 is the sophisticated manipulation of customers the airlines carry out to maximize their profits. I’m good with it right up until the point where my purchased ticket is no longer good because they have to shuffle crew. I have a couple friends who are crew. Great folks. But if the airline isn’t able to jump-seat them, they shouldn’t be kicking paying cargo off to make it happen. And, yes, I have been impacted by this in the past. I was a finalist in a competition a few years back and chose to fly in for the awards that morning, instead of the night before, for the evening banquet. The airline didn’t have a crew for my airplane – because they were bringing them in for the flight from Chicago. So I sat in airports, and missed my pre-paid shuttle in the bonus round, for 5 hours. I found out on Facebook who won the competition while I was still 20 miles from the banquet hall.

The second hot-button issue is the increasing proclivity of law enforcement agencies to act as corporate goons, or as para-military forces. If you can tell me how that poor man on the United flight broke any LAW, I’ll apologize to the airline and the police involved. Yes, they have a right to tell you to get off their plane. But it’s a good thing for them to have cause. Poor logistics scheduling is not a valid reason to drag a customer from their seat and off the plane.

“But Joe, you defend this kind of thing all the time!” I defend righteous police action. I defend righteous corporate action. IN this case, from what has been released so far, the airline failed to observe the market economics I mentioned above. I don’t know what value they put on getting their crew to Louisville, but it couldn’t possibly be the amount that this bad publicity will cost them. Given the number of flights that they could have moved the passengers to, I’m guessing that they would have spent no more than $1500 per passenger to move those 4 crew. Quite the bargain, as I’m now on the “no way I’m flying United” list, and I’ve taken the time to write a blog about it.

Perhaps the doctor was a jerk. I have seen no indication of that, but it’s possible. He may have had to go for some other reason. But United has feet of clay if that’s the case, and they have lost the publicity round.

The police. Point 2 – there has to come a point where Law Enforcement simply says, “No. That’s not a crime. You need to resolve it civilly.” The cops then back away and force the airline to spend money to fix the problem, instead of putting the cops into the role of corporate thugs. Sounds harsh even to my ears to say it, but sometimes we get into the habit of using the militarized police forces in a way the Founding Fathers would have found to be the equivalent of British Redcoats – a permanent standing force.

My brothers and sisters in blue will understand, if they’ve read this blog before, that I’m in their corner. I am not in the corner of cops who use excessive force, or who blindly follow orders. Lawful orders. They have to be lawful. There was no terrorist threat here. United could have put those people on a competitor’s bird and got them to the destination. They could have rented a van and driven them to Louisville. I checked. I’ll double the price, just to be safe: $800. Throw in another $500 to pay someone to drive there and back, and a meal (it’s only 5 hours driving time) and you’re still under $1,500.00 to move those four crew to where they need to be.

So, for the sake of under $1500, United has garnered a ton of bad publicity, the airport police look awful (and will undoubtedly be investigated and sued) and the good doctor is traumatized.

United, I have just one question: Was it worth it?
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Assault on Saint Agnes is available here. Just click this link!

When you finish reading any book (especially mine) please review it at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.goodreads.com. Your review increases the chances of someone looking for a new book greatly. Authors appreciate your review, even if it is just “I thought this was a good read and will give it to my dog to chew. I especially liked the ending, because it made me feel better when he killed all of the main characters. (no spoilers, please)” Those few words (more than 20, fewer than 1,000 is ideal), and a 1-5 rating, make or break how the search engines find us. Thanks in advance.

The Oath Never Expires.

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One of the things that most veterans agree on, is that the oath of office/enlistment never expires. I remember mine, and it didn’t have any clause that said, “And this commitment expires five years from today unless you re-enlist.”

That’s why we “pop-tall” when the flag goes by, stop in our tracks and salute when the Star Spangled Banner is played, or doff our caps and bow our heads when Taps rolls over the countryside on Memorial day.

Please follow me on Twitter, and “Like” the Facebook author page. Don’t forget to subscribe (the box is on the right side of the page) to be eligible for free e-books and other benefits! Oh yeah – grab a copy of Assault on Saint Agnes if you’re of a mind.

For me, personally, it also means that when I’m asked to lend a hand with military projects I don’t even blink. I just ask what the deadline is, and how they need it served up. Some of them will be quietly remembered by people involved, but few will be trumpeted. My good friend George knows of one project I did years ago that meant a lot to him and his Marines. So glad I was there for them when I was too old/deaf/fat to go myself.

Sometimes that means that a Santa visit is needed to a family when their military member is deployed. Sometimes it’s a unit party. Sometimes it’s a hospital visit with Toys-For-Tots. Whatever it is, I’m in for the duration.

Recently, a friend of mine in the Wisconsin National Guard asked me to help out with a project commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the WING entering into service in World War I. As a history buff, that tickled me to no end. I think there are additional project pieces to come over the next few months, but the first one is in public view as of today. It’s a video about the Declaration of War, and the role of the WING in the surge of troops.

I portray Woodrow Wilson‘s voice in the video. Now, you probably wonder what a guy from Minnesota is doing voicing a President from Virginia. Not a problem. I studied up by listening to some recordings of his voice I found on the web. Turns out he had no discernible accent, and instead spoke in a soothing, professorial voice. Very calming.

So, here’s the video. I’m rather proud of the work. And I must compliment the WING on bringing this history to our attention.

And, most importantly, thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Gary Thompson, for asking me to contribute my time. It was an honor. More information at their website, www.dawnoftheredarrow.com.

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Assault on Saint Agnes is available here. Just click this link!

When you finish reading any book (especially mine) please review it at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.goodreads.com. Your review increases the chances of someone looking for a new book greatly. Authors appreciate your review, even if it is just “I thought this was a good read and will give it to my dog to chew. I especially liked the ending, because it made me feel better when he killed all of the main characters. (no spoilers, please)” Those few words (more than 20, fewer than 1,000 is ideal), and a 1-5 rating, make or break how the search engines find us. Thanks in advance.

Man, That Ad Really Stunk.

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I don’t watch a lot of broadcast television these days. Time just doesn’t allow that luxury. (More on that soon…) But when I do catch the local ad inserts in the cable news shows, I’m torn between laughter and pity. This also applies to radio.

Let’s start with radio. If you are doing a spot on radio, the local station might talk you into doing your own spot as a play to your vanity. Restrain yourself. It will stink. You will sound stilted and stupid unless you’re a professional voice over talent.

The station might offer you the services of their own vocal talent. Again, run from that offer unless it’s a known quantity. Many spots are cut by Jeffy and Tameesha, the station part-time engineers. Both of them really want to be on radio and have taken great care to offer to do every ad possible for $50 each. They need the money, the station bills your company $200, and reminds you that not only do you have a “professional” doing the work, but you saved $300 over what a voice over artist would charge through an agency.

There is a reason Tameesha and Jeffy aren’t on the air. They are rotten. They don’t care about the product. They care about doing 20 spots a month so that they can pay for their e-cigarettes and super-cool Mini Cooper. It’s not their fault, but there’s a reason they work so cheap.

So, what should you do? I’m totally prejudiced, but I think you should hire a professional. You see, we are gifted liars. We lie on your behalf and sound convincing. We can actually read copy and make it sound natural. If we do it right, you will never even know it was on a script. Moreover, for an additional few hundred bucks, you have a commercial that won’t make people gag.

Please follow me on Twitter, and “Like” the Facebook author page. Don’t forget to subscribe (the box is on the right side of the page) to be eligible for free e-books and other benefits! Oh yeah – grab a copy of Assault on Saint Agnes if you’re of a mind.

Television. This one is going to be short. It applies largely to car dealers. I don’t care if you and your kids are zany. I don’t care if you have a giant iguana as your mascot. I do care about where you are located and what your service hours are. I would like to see interior shots of your maintenance bays and showroom. I would like to see your consumer ratings on a crawler at the bottom of the screen. I do not want to see you sitting in a director’s chair talking to the giant iguana about your new hot tub.

Which brings me to the final ad that drives me nuts: the hot tub place. I know a lot of it is manufacturer stock footage you use to show what the hot tub does. I even admire the models you use. As a guy, it’s always a pleasure to see fetching females, especially ones my age, in bikinis. Yes, sexist. But I don’t care about their husbands and grandchildren frolicking nearby. However, that is not why I would buy your product. I want to, again, know about your delivery program, maintenance crew, consumer reviews, and a good map of where you are located. The silver-haired woman in the bikini is nice, but I’ve got a wife and last I looked she’s not letting me go shopping for a new mate. Nor do I want to do that. But a hot tub is always a possibility.

Put your website on the commercial. Put your product on the commercial. Lose Jeffy, the giant iguana, and the bikini clad AARP member. I might just listen and check out your product.

Oh, and remember: I am available to do all of the above next time you shoot a commercial. I don’t look that good in a bikini, but if the check cashes I’d certainly consider the offer. Contact my agents.

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Assault on Saint Agnes is available here. Just click this link!

When you finish reading any book (especially mine) please review it at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.goodreads.com. Your review increases the chances of someone looking for a new book greatly. Authors appreciate your review, even if it is just “I thought this was a good read and will give it to my dog to chew. I especially liked the ending, because it made me feel better when he killed all of the main characters. (no spoilers, please)” Those few words (more than 20, fewer than 1,000 is ideal), and a 1-5 rating, make or break how the search engines find us. Thanks in advance.