Oh, fellow red line / T riders, don’t even get me started on the T. I’m trying to be patient, but there’s something almost every week that enrages me during the commute. I actually really like being in the office, but the T makes me glad it’s only 3 days a week.
I haven’t hit Genes in a while and thought they had closed that outpost over the pandemic. Thanks for letting me know it’s still there! I had that also happen once in my commute home with noodles when the Red Line has seen better days, and I learned better to eat in for those noodles. I’d go for a “filler up on the cilantro” option too.
I can’t imagine being disappointed by a chili-cumin mixture.
And that hot condiment, which Gene told me was the sediment from making chili oil, is extraordinarily delicious. I once got the basic noodles without them raw garlic and used a bunch of that instead. I have no idea why that’s not a regular menu item.
Let’s enlarge that imagination, shall we? If the same blend is sprinkled on everything, I suggest that it’s possible to imagine disappointment.
There’s a larger point I was trying to make – spicing as integral to a dish vs spicing as afterthought. On the lamb skewers the blend is sprinkled on before they are grilled and it blends harmoniously with the overall taste, especially sizzling as it does with the hot fat from the lamb. (An interesting twist on sizzling spices in oil.)
On the noodles all it offered was a gritty, uncooked texture and taste.
I agree on the deliciousness, and I agree it ought to be offered more prominently. In the immortal words of @tomatotomato above, the force of garlic in #4 is strong – and even for me, acclaimed vampire-fighter although I am, sometimes a bit too strong. That chili paste would offer welcome moderation.
