On a clear winter night, the sparkle of downtown Everett is mesmerizing.
I’d forgotten just how pretty it was until last weekend when I was showing the area to my Colorado friend Gracie, a globe-trotting foodie on a trip to Seattle for her tech job.
On a stroll along Everett Marina, we almost succumbed to the delicious aroma wafting from the seaside restaurants packed with happy diners. Instead, we headed to Hewitt Avenue to a new ramen place that Herald city editor Robert Frank had gushed about. And he’s not one to gush.
J Ramen &Sushi is diagonal across Hewitt from the building with the 20-foot-tall muffler man on top.
“Why is there a giant man on that roof?” Gracie asked. I told her I’d explain over dinner.
The muffler man has some colorful company on this little stretch of Hewitt. J Ramen &Sushi sits next to Anchor Pub and a few doors down from Ole Soul Creole, started by Chef Rocky after Gordon Ramsay “fired” him from Prohibition Gastropub on national TV.
J Ramen &Sushi was previously Bobby’s Hawaiian, which moved to Lynnwood.
The exterior is now brown with black trim and sports a red sign. Very chic.
The inside is cozy yet stylish, with two main dining areas. Wooden benches line the walls with tables spaced nicely apart. They can easily be moved together for large groups.
“Darling,” is how Gracie summed it up.
“The simple furniture and decorations made me feel as if I was back in some little restaurant in Tokyo,” she said. “But more spacious.”
A sushi chef was busy behind the main counter, where diners could watch.
My husband, Max, steered us to a table near a flat screen TV with college basketball. He didn’t mind that the sound was off.
The volume instead was a soothing din of chatter from diners. It was fairly busy with customers and carry-out orders for a place that opened only two months ago.
A few tables down was a family with two young kids. The toddler stood on the chair, digging a spoon into a big bowl of noodles, and the baby cooed in his infant seat on the wooden bench. The parents appeared to be having a stress-free dinner.
The man at the next table slurped his noodles. “It’s a compliment to the chef,” Gracie said.
The attentive server brought a chilled bottle of water for our table and big cups of hot tea.
We started with chicken karage ($5.50), bite-sized fried chunks that were hot and tender, served on seasoned mixed greens. The chicken was tasty, but we all agreed the salad garnish was tops.
When the place is named Ramen &Sushi, it’s a no-brainer what to order.
I had the spicy ramen ($8.50) and Godzilla sushi roll ($10.50).
The noodles were soft and the pork slices swimming in it were crisp. It was so good and I was so busy slurping that I barely made a dent in the sushi.
Max ordered vegetable ramen ($7.50) and was more excited about finding a bevy of Brussels sprouts in it than he was the game. Usually, sports trumps food. He also raved about his salmon skin roll ($5.50) and my Godzilla roll.
It passed the foodie test for Gracie, who had miso tonkotsu ramen ($8.50) and spicy tuna roll ($6.50).
“The ramen was very rich and savory, with wonderful pieces of seared pork belly pieces, egg and shaved green onion,” she said.
I never did get a chance to tell her about the man on the building.
Next time…
Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
J Ramen &Sushi
1011 Hewitt Ave., Everett; 425-388-0228; www.facebook.com/JRamenandSushi1011.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.
Vegetarian: some options, with broth available soon.
Alcohol: beer, wine and sake.
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