Cole and Aaron met as interns at their first "real job" out of college. They eventually became roommates in Austin for two years, and are close to this day. When Aaron and Kellis were married in 2014, it was the first time I'd attended a wedding for Cole's friends. We had a wonderful time celebrating this beautiful couple in North Carolina, and I'm happy to count them as my own friends today.
When Cole mentioned that Aaron would be coming up to Boston for a Friday work meeting, I was excited. Cole even said he would ask if Kellis would come up too. Needless to say, I was in full support (and even more excited)! Since I don't work on Fridays, I probed to see if I could join as well. Aaron and Kellis arrived in Boston Thursday afternoon, and Cole and I drove in after I got out of work. Still in my scrubs, we made a quick stop to our hotel so I could change, and took the hotel shuttle to Harvard Square. Once there, we made our way to Santouka for the Reeders first Ramen experience!
Actually, Cole and I have had "ramen" before (my cousins and I call it Pancita). My cousins and I grew up on the orange (chicken) and red (beef) packages. As college kids (and drunk twenty-somethings), many of us survived on it (Cole and I still keep a few packages in our pantry for emergencies). But we all know that it isn't truly ramen.
Cole's friend Justin told us about how intensive making real ramen is, compared to the three-minute packaged kind. Actual ramen is a full-day process... and well worth the time and effort. Cole and I have talked about having ramen for quite some time now, but there aren't any places near us that have it. When Cole mentioned that Aaron and Kellis would be coming up this way, I immediately thought about grabbing ramen together in the area.
So, I did a little research, and found the highest-rated ramen in the Cambridge area: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. After initially being told it would be a 45-minute wait, Cole received the "we have your seat" text within eight minutes. Since we'd just sat down with Aaron and Kellis for a drink at Grafton Street, Cole ran next door and was told that we would be next for ramen whenever we finished our drinks.
After about a half hour of catching up, the four of us made our way to Santouka. We perused the menu, and I decided on Tonkotsu Cha-shu Shio Ramen (signature ramen with braised pork belly). Cole went with Tonkotsu Cha-shu Shouyu Ramen (more savory ramen with braised pork cheek). Before our meals arrived, we enjoyed Takoyaki (fried octopus), gyoza, and edamame. It was all so good!
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