Ramen News

Dallas sushi restaurant makes deal with New York's famed 'ramen junkie'

You won't have to go to New York.

Photo courtesy of Ivan's

The coronavirus is mostly a beating, except when it brings us ramen: Flagship Restaurant Group, which owns Blue Sushi Sake Grill, has launched a partnership that will give Dallas-Fort Worth diners a taste of ramen that's internationally known.

Flagship has partnered with famed ramen master Ivan Orkin, star of Chef's Table and owner of New York's cult-fave Ivan Ramen, to create a program whereby locations of Blue Sushi Sake Grill will prepare Orkin's ramen, fried chicken, steamed pork buns, and more, and make them available for takeout and delivery.

The program has already launched in Nebraska, where Flagship is based. Other Blue Sushi Sake Grill locations will come on board with takeaway/delivery in the next few weeks, including:

Blue Sushi Sake Grill in Fort Worth will begin offering Ivan Ramen for takeaway/delivery starting February 18.
Blue Sushi SakeGrill in Dallas will begin offering Ivan Ramen for takeaway/delivery at the end of March.

Diners will be able to place a takeout or delivery order on IvanRamen.com. A majority of Ivan Ramen's menu will be available, including:

Signature ramens such as the Tonkotsu, Spicy Red Chile, Vegan Shoyu, and Tokyo Shio
Appetizers like Japanese Fried Chicken with toasted garlic caramel, togarashi, and shiso ranch
Steamed Pork Buns with soy-plum glaze and picked daikon
Spicy Kyuri Pickles with spiced rice vinegar and dill

They also crafted a selection of sakes and Japanese lagers that pair well with the menu items, as part of the elevated delivery and takeout experience.

Nick Hogan, CEO and Co-Founder of Flagship Restaurant Group, says in a statement this reflects a longtime goal to work with Orkin.

"My Flagship Restaurant Group partners and I have always wanted to find a way to work with Ivan Orkin and his New York City team, but the timing was never right on either side," Hogan says. "Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and after a lot of creative ideation between both brands, an organic partnership came together that just worked."

Orkin says it's an honor to partner with Flagship and make Ivan Ramen so readily available.

"The pandemic has made it really difficult for many people to leave their cities and travel to markets like New York City or Tokyo, where they can get an authentic taste of ramen culture," Orkin says. "I’m thrilled that I can give people an authentic experience that’s on par with what they’d have at my Clinton Street location, in the comfort of their homes in locations like Lincoln, Nebraska or Dallas, Texas."

openings

Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's an ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.