Steve Yeo

WEEKEND .WAV Shit Robot - Space Race

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 19:59:00 -0400

WEEKEND .WAV

Shit Robot - Space Race

Hide-Chan Ramen review

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:47:24 -0400

Photo courtesy of Midtown Lunch

A few days ago I got a serious craving for some Japanese ramen. Working in Midtown East has its advantages and access to ramen places is among them. I work close enough to Menchanko-Tei that it should be my go-to spot but it’s always seemed too… polished, too… professional. I wanted a ramen joint more rough around the edges. A quick look through Midtown Lunch and I found Hide-Chan Ramen which the site claimed to have the best ramen in New York City! I’m 6 blocks away! I had to try it immediately.

Photo courtesy of Foodie Call

This is where I sat
Photo courtesy of Immaculate Infatuation

Besides the 30 minute wait for a seat, things worked out well. (If you need a quick spot to grab some lunch this is not it - come here with at least an hour to spend) I wanted to sit at the bar. I feel as though sitting at the bar helps you to have the most authentic experience possible.

Once I was seated a server came pretty quickly. I ordered the Hakata Tonkatsu Ramen with extra noodles (which came for free). I also liked that you can adjust how firm or soft your noodles will be. I detest soft noodles. The sign said Medium is Al Dente so I went with what I know but next time I’ll order Firm. It took about 10 minutes for my ramen to arrive which went by quickly as you sit, people watch and soak in the atmosphere.

Photo courtesy of Azriha Eats World

Photo courtesy of Midtown Lunch

I was pleasantly surprised when my bowl came packed. I was expecting smaller portions but this place really knows how to feed people. That’s good because I like eating. Then I tasted the broth and wow.

Just WOW. Jaw-dropping, amazingly flavorful, rich and fatty broth, WOW. I couldn’t have enough. It was absolutely delicious. The noodles themselves were thinner than I had hoped but the texture was spot on with just a bit of snap. Mouthfuls of broth, noodles and pork slices ended up in my mouth and I finished every last drop. If it was socially acceptable for me to pick up my bowl and just start slurping I would have done that too.

Once I finished my bowl and my coke, the bar stewardess dropped off my check and I was off. Even though I had to wait 30 minutes to sit down, I made it back to work within my 1-hour lunch break.

Fantastic lunch. Would definitely eat there again.

Hide-Chan Ramen
248 E 52nd St
(between 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10022

Son Ja Jang restaurant review

Tue, 29 May 2012 09:59:00 -0400

Although my wife and I flip-flop on how much we like living in Palisades Park, NJ there’s one thing we can always agree on. This town is a mecca for Korean food. K-Town in Manhattan gets all the attention with their neon signs and compact setting but if you’re looking for the best Korean food you can get your hands on, you need to cross the GWB.

Living in Palisades Park would be a waste if I didn’t write about a few of the unique and excellent restaurants here and Son Ja Jang is firmly amongst them.

Everyone loves a hidden gem. A secret place. That hole in the wall restaurant that nobody knows about except them which makes AMAZING food. Son Ja Jang is in that category.

Don’t come here if you want ambiance. Don’t come here if you want dignified eating. Come here for the most slurpiest, lip smacking, black sauce all over your mouth ja jang myun experience. Come here for the noodles.

This is the entrance. Nothing fancy. Barely a sign on the door.

The restaurant itself holds maybe 20-25 people. If you look around you’ll notice there are no windows. I took the above photo somewhere around 9:10 at night, so dinner time was over and things were winding down. Out of view on the right were 2 guys talking loud as hell. I think one guy had his socks off. On the left, also out of view, was a family eating. I don’t know how to describe restaurants like these. They’re just real.

My wife was at home waiting for me so the plan was to take it to go. In the pictures above the green bowl is mine but the quality of the noodles and black sauce is easy to see. The taste and texture of the noodles are unlike anything I have tried in recent memory.

I also ordered a platter of fried dumplings which turned out well. They’re not spectacular but they’re excellent side dishes.

I made a point to grab their menu and scan it for anyone else that might be interested. I recommend the #1 (Ja Jang Myun) and the Tang Soo Yook with sauce on the side. The Tang Soo Yook is not listed on the menu above but I can assure you it exists. It’s a bit pricey so I didn’t get it this time around but it’s a wonderful dish if you’re sharing it with 3 or more people.

Thanks for reading and happy eating!

Son Ja Jang
232 Broad Ave
Palisades Park, NJ 07650
(201) 944-7777
http://www.sonjajang.com

WEEKEND .WAV Sticky Fingers - Freaking Out

Mon, 28 May 2012 09:49:55 -0400

WEEKEND .WAV

Sticky Fingers - Freaking Out

WEEKEND .WAV Of Monsters and Men - Slow and Steady (Live from...

Sun, 27 May 2012 09:52:52 -0400

WEEKEND .WAV

Of Monsters and Men - Slow and Steady (Live from Music Hall of Williamsburg)

A wonderful song and great for Sunday morning. It’s amazing that this is a live performance. It sounds just like (or better) than a studio take.

WEEKEND .WAV Kindness - House It’s been raining all week...

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:01:00 -0400

WEEKEND .WAV

Kindness - House

It’s been raining all week here in NYC. A very fitting song for the grey haze.

I Can't Wait Until I'm 60

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:30:00 -0400

Courtesy of Caldwell Tanner

Stumbled across this on Reddit and was completely blown away....

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:02:00 -0400

Stumbled across this on Reddit and was completely blown away. Just a wonderful photograph that speaks volumes in its simplicity and silence. It reminded me a lot of National Geographic’s Afghan Girl photo.

I did not take this photo but I wish I did. Amazing.

Photo taken in Palisades Park, NJ on May 20, 2012 with a Samsung...

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:38:00 -0400

Photo taken in Palisades Park, NJ on May 20, 2012 with a Samsung Captivate smartphone. Enhanced using picmonkey.com.

The weather over the weekend was about as gorgeous as it could get. All of the windows in our home were open and the sun was beaming in. Lucky, my English Bulldog, loves sitting in the sun warming herself up which she rarely gets to do anymore since we moved. She was running around the house and acting up a bit so I told her to return to the kitchen. English Bulldogs are notorious for the stubbornness and Lucky is no exception. She looked me straight in the eye, measured me up and dashed off to the balcony. Somehow dogs can always tell how serious their humans are.

While she was being quiet and getting some warmth, I took this shot with my phone.

In New Jersey, Memorial for ‘Comfort Women’ Deepens Old Animosity

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:06:00 -0400

In New Jersey, Memorial for ‘Comfort Women’ Deepens Old Animosity:

“Two delegations of Japanese officials visited Palisades Park, N.J., this month with a request that took local administrators by surprise: The Japanese wanted a small monument removed from a public park.”

Please click here to continue reading the full article on the NY Times website.

As a Korean-American and a resident of Palisades Park, I feel that Mayor Rotundo has done his constituents proud by refusing to take the memorial down. Although I feel as though there are a lot of improvements there could be made to the municipality, for the mayor to stand up to a suite of Japanese diplomats on 2 separate occasions shows determination and an understanding of who he represents.

Thank you Mayor Rotundo.

FACEBOOK FEVER Photos taken this morning in Times Square...

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:37:43 -0400

FACEBOOK FEVER

Photos taken this morning in Times Square directly outside of the central NASDAQ building. All the major news outlets are there now covering Facebook’s first day of public trading.

In the picture above you can see all the different cameras just waiting to report. You can also see a Facebook poster displayed on the inside of the NASDAQ building.

Governor Christie and Mayor Booker: Don’t Worry,...

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:47:00 -0400

Governor Christie and Mayor Booker: Don’t Worry, We’ve Got This

Very funny video by NJ Governor Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker. The acting is horrible but they are politicians, not actors. It’s always nice to see “serious people” such as government leaders poking a bit of fun at themselves. Cory Booker definitely stole the show. LOL.

“Don’t Worry, I Got This”

Photo taken in Spring Lake, NJ on May 12, 2012. The weather was...

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:53:00 -0400

Photo taken in Spring Lake, NJ on May 12, 2012.

The weather was really pleasant on the 12th, so although it was unplanned and a bit spontaneous, we decided to hit the beach. Upon our arrival after driving 1.5 hours, the beach wasn’t really packed but it had just the right amount of people. The sand was perfect but the water was way too cold, however that did not stop some brave kids from jumping in. The ocean air, a cool strong breeze and the salt water lapping at our feet made for a great day.

In the photo above you can see my toddler’s footprints if you look carefully enough.

To see a high resolution picture of the above shot click here.

Police officers in Fort Lee, NJ, are now giving pedestrians...

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:21:00 -0400

Police officers in Fort Lee, NJ, are now giving pedestrians distracted by texting tickets.

Not sure how I feel about this. The tickets themselves have no penalty, as in it’s really just for shock value, but summonsing people is a bit far I think.

WEEKEND WAV Saint Etienne - Ive Got Your Music (Golden Filter...

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:01:57 -0400

WEEKEND WAV

Saint Etienne - Ive Got Your Music (Golden Filter Remix)

WEEKEND WAV There’s Something About Us Under The Sheets...

Sun, 13 May 2012 12:01:10 -0400

WEEKEND WAV

There’s Something About Us Under The Sheets (Ellie Goulding vs Daft Punk) by The Knocks

One of my favorite tracks of all time, let alone a mashup of two incredible songs. Weekends are made for music, so enjoy.

WEEKEND WAV Foxes - White Coats The track starts off a bit slow...

Sat, 12 May 2012 20:02:19 -0400

WEEKEND WAV

Foxes - White Coats

The track starts off a bit slow so jump to 1:02 for the “good part” but it’s a beautiful song.

WEEKEND WAV TalkFine - Can’t Wait To Say No A wonderfully...

Sat, 12 May 2012 09:50:26 -0400

WEEKEND WAV

TalkFine - Can’t Wait To Say No

A wonderfully relaxing track.

Picture taken in Palisades Park, NJ on May 9, 2012. As I was...

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:43:00 -0400

Picture taken in Palisades Park, NJ on May 9, 2012.

As I was taking my dog out for her morning walk, I walked past these flowers which still had dew on them from last night. It looked especially striking since it was still overcast but the sun was trying to break through. As I went back home, I stood in front of my DSLR for a while debating whether I should go through the trouble of snapping a few shots of these flowers. In the end I’m glad I did.

To see a high resolution picture of the above shot click here.

Samsung listens

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:02:14 -0400

To be fair since my phone crashed on the 5th it’s been good but the point is it shouldn’t crash at all after coming back from Samsung.

https://twitter.com/#!/steveniyeo/status/199368597259300864