C’mon. The name alone got me thru the front door! If you’re bold enough to name your restaurant DOPE, then I’m trusting you to deliver the goods; well, in this case, the noodles. Trust me friends, if you dig rice and noodle bowls, this place is a super fly retreat from the cold days of winter. Totally! And it’s all 90’s all the time in this noodle house. 90’s movie posters and CD covers serve as decor while quotes from 90’s stars such as Vanilla Ice and Christina Aguilera line the menu board. Oh, and that stellar 90’s playlist had me dancing and singing (sorry to those sitting beside me) through the entire meal. Couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop! I was gettin jiggy with it.
While Dope Noodle and Dumpling Shop, located on Court Street, is only open for lunch right now, the simple, straightforward menu is Asian comfort food at its best. My husband gets all the credit for finding this one. We spent a few days of our Christmas vacation doing what we love most, playing tourists in this city we love so much! For our meal, we started with the pan seared pork dumplings with a killer roasted garlic sriracha aioli and cilantro. Boo Ya!
Our main course consisted of two noodle bowls: Hella Spicy Miso Ramen and The Grammy’s Laksa. I got a little nervous about the Hella Spicy so I asked for it to be a little less than “hella spicy” but I should have ordered it as the chef intended it to be. I ended up adding some extra spicy anyway. This subtly rich and earthy miso broth is topped with an incredible BBQ pork, half-boiled egg, and green onion. It was the bomb. I slurped every single drop out of that bowl. My husband favored The Grammy’s Laksa with its savory curry broth and lemon grass- reminiscent of a good Thai Curry dish, but with the coziness of chicken noodle soup.
My verdict? Dope Noodle and Dumpling Shop is a must stop for lunch. It’s a fresh little space with a super fly menu. Next time, I’m totally ordering the Oops! I Drink Again Brisket. In the words of Britney Spears (I can’t believe I just typed that), “hit me baby one more time!”
GO THERE (Dope!)! TRY THAT (Hella Spicy Miso Ramen, Pan Seared Pork Dumplings)!
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