At Jacksonville Magazine we’re all about supporting local. But we don’t just write about what’s going on at neighborhood establishments, we patronize them, too.
While stopping into our favorite bars and restaurants has gotten a little more difficult these days, that isn’t stopping us from getting our fill of everything from craft cocktails to freshly baked loaves of bread. Here, we’ll highlight some of the takeout we’re getting, and we encourage you to tag us on social media with your own takeout goodies.
Last week, digital editor Emily Bailey headed to Crane Ramen.
Dinner has become more important than ever every night, signaling an end to my workday and the beginning of a time to relax with my husband, but especially so when it comes to Friday night. I want to end the work week with something to really look forward to.
This week I’d thought we’d do takeout since not doing the dishes sounded like a treat. My husband, Zach, is a great, adventurous cook, so when we dine out we’re always looking for something he can’t make at home—or that isn’t easy to make at home. I also wanted something that would pair well with a cocktail or wine—I mean, it was Friday after all. We decided on ramen, which we have made at home but is always so much work, particularly the hunt for the perfect ingredients. To go with it we picked up a bottle of sake. I’d been craving sake for a few weeks, so maybe the ramen was just an excuse to break out the tiny cups.
We chose Crane Ramen and opted for our go-to orders. I love the Shio because of the crab. I’m a sucker for anything seafood forward. The soft chunks of crab are offset with a fatty hunk of pork belly. The broth is on the lighter side, but I always add a generous amount of chili oil to give it a kick.
Zach went with the spicy pork shoyu paitan. The broth gets spicier and spicer as you eat it, so we chilled our sake to counteract the warm and spicy broth. The bowl is bursting with pork—both shredded pork and a fatty bit of belly—and accompanied by a soy marinated egg, which he thinks has more depth of flavor than the typical six-minute egg.
After we finished our bowls we reminisced about some of the homemade ice creams we’ve had for dessert at Crane (we didn’t even think to ask if they had any available). I still daydream about a basil flavor they once served.
