Sapporo

Rock-and-roll radio often entertains the short-order cooks over lunch at this Japanese eatery; dinnertime, though less bustling, is hardly sedate. Whatever the hour, I tend to lean toward the tantan-men (ramen "in sesame paste hot soup"; $8.05, here with $1 worth of extra noodles). From a deep, 10-inch-wide bowl, a mound of greens, plus a little scallion and ground pork, emerge high and dry from the center; the black pepper swimming beneath soon gives rise to a pleasant burn at the back of the throat.

On other occasions, I've sampled the mabo ramen ($7.30) with minced pork and bean curd; on the thin side, even with an extra $2 worth of noodles. The vegetable ramen with soy sauce ($7) is fine, if tame.

Sapporo
152 West 49th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.)
212-869-8972