Ichicoro Ane
4 out of 5 stars
Station House, 260 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg. Ramen: $12-$18; small plates: $3-$18; dessert: $10; beer, wine & sake: $4-$13; cocktails: $10. 727-300-0281; ichicoroane.com.
Ichicoro Ane is another reminder of the revolving door that is the restaurant business. The former Cafe Alma space that became Station House’s signature restaurant is now the Pinellas outpost of the superb Ichicoro Ramen thriving in Seminole Heights. However, you no longer enter along the familiar ramp in downtown St. Pete.
Instead, there are two industrial-gray doors down a few stairs off First Avenue South. It’s an odd entrance that had us wondering if we were in the right place. But once you cross through that barrier, the interior — though somewhat disorienting — is transporting. The large room is cordoned off by minimalist dividers made of horizontal blonde wood slats. Straight in front of you is a welcoming desk, to the left is the ramen shop, and you can get a glimpse of the dining room as light shines between the ladder-like wood. There’s a teasing, flirty quality, as if you’re a voyeur looking into a private world. Its inspired simplicity perfectly places you in an Asian frame of mind.
While the website says Ichicoro Ane is still in the soft-opening phase, all I can say is that every drink and dish we have delivers big flavors.
First are the imaginative cocktails, priced reasonably at $10. Black Mage 黒魔道師 is a wonder. Activated charcoal amaro with IPA — plus sweet pineapple turbinado raw sugar and some lime juice for an acidic grace note — makes your taste buds go, “Wow.” It’s an excellent combination that has my table abuzz; even a taster who usually opts for sweet and sassy is impressed. The tiny clothespin, which holds up the leafy garnish, is a detail reflecting the care taken in what’s to come.
Genji Glove 源氏の小手 is a refreshing white rum concoction with draft matcha, nutty orgeat syrup, orange cordial, and a spritz of lime juice with Angostura bitters and a bit of mint. It’s less assertive than the Black Mage, but equally harmonious. The cocktail list is only composed of eight drinks, but each is atypical and inventive.
Spirits geeks will also have a field day with the menu, which features nine fascinating circular matrices plotting the flavors and lengths of finishes of your favorite distilled drinks. Shochu (sort of Japanese vodka) is on hand, as well as multiple whiskey variations, rum and agave. With enough study, you too could have a virtual Ph. D. in the components on that slippery slope to AA. Luckily, there are six types of wonderful ramen and delicious small plates — along with the Day Drinking Brunch Party from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, starting Jan. 20 — to help you stay on the path to a responsible blood-alcohol level.
Chashyu bao 焼豚 is a duo of light-as-air, puffy steamed buns filled with lush pork belly, hoisin sauce and oshinko (Japanese pickle) for balancing acidity. These are great to share and come in variations of chicken or smoked beef.
Choosing from six kinds of skewers, we opt to sample a veggie option similar to Mexican street corn. とうもろこし is two skewered, three-inch charred cobs slathered in yummy miso butter, lime and ichimi (red chili pepper). The heat is handled with care and doesn’t overwhelm the sweet corn flavor. It’s a bit hard to split the cob — we tried — so you’ll have to order extra, or cut the kernels off to pass.
There are seven niku (meat) options, including yakiniku 焼き肉. While this grilled wagyu beef is the most expensive plate at $18, it’s not the knee-buckling A5 wagyu that’s as soft as butter. It is a scrumptious teriyaki-glazed hunk of beef, though, served with a small bowl of absolutely seductive sake-shiso butter that you won’t soon forget. The butter’s such a great complement to the umami-filled wagyu that you need to concentrate, lest you forget your name. I just want a bucket of the sauce to keep at home.
Tuna poke ポケ is notable, too. The large red chunks of sushi-grade fish are fresh and glistening with a glaze of gochujang (fermented red chili paste) that’s used very judiciously. There’s cucumber, sesame and a sprinkling of green scallions to round out the flavors. But make no mistake, the quality of the fish is the star, and the big shrimp chips are the perfect, lightly crisp accompaniment for each bite.
Both the tempura-fried tofu karaage 揚げ出し in tentsuyu sauce (sweetened dashi, mirin and soy) with grated daikon and the crispy chicken karaage 唐揚げ with splendid spicy mayo, fried garlic and scallion offer memorable flavors and texture.
Sake no misozuke 鮭 味噌漬け — showcasing broiled salmon filet — is carefully seasoned with shoga (ginger) and furikake (seaweed and sesame). It sits in a viscous miso butterscotch, which isn’t too sweet, and a lime wedge provides a hit of fresh acidity. It’s good, if not as arresting as our other picks.
The lone dessert of halo-halo with optional rum かき氷 is an acquired taste. It’s a tall parfait of guava, coconut and chunks of black sesame fudge, layered with ube (OO-bae) purple yam ice cream. The sweet selection doesn’t have the pounded neon-green gelatinous rice of my first halo-halo, but it’s still a stretch for some Western palates. I’m a complete omnivore, so I dig right in as the rest of the table remains skeptical.
No matter — because like its Tampa sibling, Ichicoro Ane is a gem of Japanese culinary magic.
CL Food Critic Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system, or email him at [email protected].
