Hing Kee: Not Your Average Ramen Noodles

While we are both big fans of the many delicacies that ballparks, stadiums and arenas have to offer, sometimes it's good to mix it up a little.  So, a couple of weekends ago we decided to get some lunch in Chinatown before heading to the Sox game.  We briefly discussed trying a new place, but quickly settled on Hing Kee, because it's hard to pass up a big bowl of soup with their homemade, hand-pulled noodles and a free floor show.  Chef Chang Ming Liu stands at a table in the front of the restaurant and makes the noodles while diners watch.  Best of all, he does it with the detached air of someone whose mastered this skill to the point where his hands just go through the motions while his brain is writing the next great American novel or unraveling the mysteries of black holes. As a side note, since this guy spends his days reducing enormous hunks of dough into miles of delicate noodles with nothing but his bare hands, his arms and upper body resemble Popeye's after he's had his can of spinach (tattoos included).  So, with visions of ramen noodles dancing in our heads (and hopes for a Sox win), we headed south on the Red Line.