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Photo by Isi Albanese
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Exit 4 Food Hall has many of the on-trend eats at its 11 counters a foodie could want, e.g., wood-fired pizza, sliders, grain bowls, sushi burritos, fish tacos, nitro coffee. As of late October, owner/chef Isi Albanese added yet another: a noodle bar.
“I’m constantly going to the city for inspiration and recently was at Ivan Ramen and was impressed,” he says.
While Ivan Ramen specializes in ramen noodle bowls, Albanese’s concept is a build-your-own bowl with a choice of seven noodles (ramen among them), 10 vegetables, three broths, and eight proteins. Red Thai curry, jalapenos, cherry peppers, spicy oil, and Sriracha can be added for heat.
“It’s our busiest station. We do 70 to 80 bowls a day.”
The broth is perhaps the most outstanding element: clear and intensely flavored. According to Albanese, the typical ramen stock is a bit fattier and oilier than his broth. “We slow-simmer our beef broth for about 7 to 8 hours, using [among other flavorings] star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, and even sliced pineapple to give it a special essence.”
Cups ($4) and quarts ($8) of the broths are for sale as well, as some drink it in the morning as a replacement for coffee, believing it is more nourishing and sustaining and supports a healthy immune system. “It supposedly wards off sickness,” Albanese says.
And regardless of which noodle you choose in your bowl, slurping them — which in Asian cultures is considered complimentary to the chef — is allowed at Exit 4.
Exit 4 Food Hall
153 Main Street, Mount Kisco
914.241.1200
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