COMING SOON... RAMEN!

Ivan Orkin had been eyeing 25 Clinton Street as the home for his first stateside ramen counter since the end of last year. He was approved a liquor license in January and now the Lower East Side ramen den has a sign up that reads, "Coming Soon... Ramen!"

The Long Island native moved to Tokyo with his wife in 2003, a time he's refered to as, "The beginning of the ramen boom." While living there, he opened two ramen spots, Ivan Ramen and Ivan Ramen Plus. At both locales, his shio ramen (one soup made from two broths) and homemade noodles (uncommon at the time in Tokyo ramen restaurants) were welcomed by the ramen community. Orkin's use of about 60/40 bread flour to udon flour to make the noodles introduced a new texture and unique bite to the array of ramen options - one that will soon be just a subway ride away.