#redlightramen

Red Light Ramen - Milwaukee, WI

Overall: A-

Red Light Ramen is a pretty good representation of the changing Milwaukee restaurant scene. Originally opened as a pop up restaurant inside of the highly lauded Ardent, Red Light Ramen was only open from 11 pm until 1 am on Friday and Saturday nights. After sustained and extreme popularity, Chef Justin Carlisle permanently established Red Light in the next storefront over. 

The food on Red Light Ramen’s menu is broken down into three key parts - seafood tins, “snacks”, and noodle bowls. This is complemented by a beverage menu focused on sake but also including the boozy slushies that Ardent is known for. 

Snack Pack -  Whipped Spam, Spicy Mayo, Cucumber, Nori

Almost certainly the most talked about menu item after the ramen is the snack pack. Whipped spam?!?!? As strange as this sounds, it works perfectly, like a sort of pour man’s liver mousse. The saltiness of the spam balanced perfectly against the light tartness of the pickle and the savory sauces (spicy mayo and a sort of Asian barbecue). This is my personal favorite snack offering.

Sunchoke -  Preserved Greens, Fermented Mustard, Black Meyer Lemon

A subtle mix of flavors and diverse textures. Honestly, this was not memorable enough to remember tasting notes today, roughly six months after eating it.

Rice Bowl -  Bonito, Trout Roe, Scallions

The most basic snack ordered at this visit, the only one I could somewhat easily recreate at home. A simple bowl of rice topped with bonito flakes, trout roe, and scallion, most of the flavor comes from a very subtle balance of bonito and scallion. 

Chawan Mushi -  Crab, Aerated Egg

Probably the most refined of the snack offerings, lumps of crab are floated amongst a bowl of aerated egg. The texture of the egg is very extremely light and silky and compliments the crab well. While this was enjoyable, I had this weird sensation that it was melting which was somewhat distracting from its enjoyment. It was also just $1 less than a bowl of ramen which makes it hard to justify.

Tonkotsu -  Pork, Scallion, Mushroom, Bamboo Shoots, Nori, Fish Cake, Egg, Greens

This is what the whole restaurant is about. As the only ramen offered during Red Light’s pop up days, the tonkotsu put Red Light on the map. Rich to a fault, this is the ultimate comfort food. The toppings span the gambit from crunchy to chewy to soft to pork that is melt in your mouth. The broth is thick and insanely rich and clings to the chewy noodles. I’ve ordered tokotsu ramen at Red Light Ramen a handful of times, and above is the only picture I’ve managed to take as every other occasion I’ve been so excited to dive in with my chopsticks that the only record is in my memory. My only criticism of the tonkotsu is that the broth is so rich that I sometimes feel a little bit sick after. I’ve found that by having them broth by 50% with the mushroom miso broth, it goes down easier. 

Mushroom Miso -  Enoki Mushroom, Miso, Scallion, Bamboo Shoots, Nori, Egg, Greens

The mushroom miso definitely plays second fiddle to the tonkotsu, and in my opinion that’s a reputation it deserves. Don’t get me wrong - it’s abosolutely delicious and would probably be the best offering at almost any other ramen shop. However, I look at ramen as a comfort food and this felt more like the healthier vegetarian option. The mix of different mushrooms and vegetables alongside the miso broth felt more monochromatic than the tonkotsu. To be fair, almost all of the non-instant ramen I’ve had has had a pork broth base, so it’s distinctly possibly that I just don’t have the proper context in which to judge this.