The ambience might leave something to be desired -- who looks good under super-bright fluorescent glare, after all? But there's something bewitching about the diminutive deli area at the United Noodles supermarket (2015 E. 24th St., Mpls., 612-721-6677).
Maybe it's the sight of Peking duck-in-progress, with whole birds shellacked in red and hanging above trays of hard-boiled eggs soaking in tea. Or it could be the mounds of fried rice flecked with red, yellow and green, nestled beside the plain version that looks so white and sparkling it's as if each grain has been individually buffed.
For me, though, here's the main draw: the Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Priced at about $6, and about half the size as the big-as-your-head Vietnamese soup bowls, the quick lunchtime fix is comfort food, Asian style.
The nearly udon-width noodles are slightly flat, and long enough to cause formidable slurping (remember, it's a compliment to the cook), perfectly balancing the cool, bland noodle taste with the salty beef broth. Cilantro, green onion and bok choy are thrown in for color and flavor, but it's the beef that stands out the most. So tender that the chunks fall apart under careful chopstick handling, the beef possesses a delicate, earthy spice that's downright addictive. When the wind is threatening to slice through my jacket and all I want is salty beef noodle goodness, I know which dish I'll be picking.
It's just one of nine specialty dishes whipped up by the supermarket's deli chefs. The preserved mustard and pork noodle ($5.95) boasts the same mix of cilantro, green onions, flat noodles and bok choy, but instead of a salty, beefy tang, its broth is more nuanced. The small bits of pork combine well with bamboo shoots, and its ever-so-slight mustard addition is more of a fleeting taste than an overpowering flavor.
Then there's the lunch special, a combination of three diner-selected items for $5.25, with choices like pork and beef stew, green beans with beef or curried chicken with potatoes. Particularly intriguing is the bitter melon dish, which balances out the well-named vegetable (a member of the squash family) with sweetened beef slices and pineapple.
United Noodle's range of dishes also include Korean grilled beef short ribs, Thai curry, beef teriyaki rice and katsudon (pork chop, egg and rice), making the deli a kind of broad survey of Asian specialties. Bonus: Diners can go grocery shopping just after lunch, to try to whip up their own Asian creations.
Even with its grocery store lighting, there's something about the setting at United that's refreshing. Fourteen tables cluster together in the middle of the store, like an oasis in the midst of candy-colored packages. Banners line the aisles beyond the seating area, listing funky food categories like "fermented bean curd" and "luncheon meat."
Leaning in for some slurping of my own, I can't help but think it's all so friendly, cheap and delicious. In other words, it's glorious.
The churn
The innovative Wisconsin brewers known as Furthermore are pairing their beer with Wisconsin cheese for a special pairing-flights evening at the Aster Cafe (7-10 p.m. Tue 12/07). $20 buys three pairings, such as Three Feet Deep (a peat-smoked dry Irish stout) plus Hook's paradise blue cheese. Call 612-379-3138 for reservations.
- The Heavy Table team writes about food and drink in the Upper Midwest five days a week, twice a day, at www.heavytable.com
