By Jeanni Ritchie
National Noodle Month is celebrated throughout March, dedicating the entire month to honoring the versatile, beloved comfort food in its many forms, from Italian pasta to Asian ramen.
To celebrate, we had a Noodle Night!
Setting a table of international foods, we had Chinese noodles from East Asia Buffet, pho noodles from Pho U, udon noodles with Mongolian sauce and udon noodles with Genghis Khan sauce from Genghis Mongolian Grill, angel noodles with curry and baba and angel noodles with teriyaki—also from Genghis, hibachi noodles from Osaka Ramen, and Olive Garden’s newest pasta—Bucatini Marinara. Cenla restaurants helped represent Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mongolian, and Italian cuisine.
To round out my noodle table, I also made the “international” meal of college students everywhere—store-bought ramen noodles—and some gluten-free chickpea pasta Alfredo.
That chickpea pasta got several positive comments with the word “surprisingly” mixed in. Guests definitely hadn’t had high hopes for noodles minus their gluten!
Because we were comparing such different dishes, we didn’t judge them as we traditionally do. Instead, guests tasted what they wanted and left comments.
Olive Garden’s bucatini pasta was a surprise hit. The thick hollow noodles had a great taste. I was surprised to discover bucatini dates back to the 16th century. The recent grand opening of Alexandria’s Olive Garden was my first time hearing of it.
The angel noodle dishes from Genghis Mongolian Grill also won high praise. One guest—who ranked her top 3 anyway—listed the teriyaki angel noodles as her favorite of the whole table. The pho noodles were her second.
Osaka Ramen’s hibachi noodles were also a favorite of a few of the guests. I’d picked up a few of their crab rangoons as well, the first appetizer to disappear.
With bellies full of pasta, we moved into the den for Family Game Night. We will celebrate THAT holiday in September!
