Phoodie’s Collin Flatt is on a mission to find all of Philadelphia’s ramen spots. He starts with the high-end, a bowl of Shoyu Ramen at Morimoto.

Ramen Rummaging With A Noodle Nerd, Vol. 1: Morimoto’s Shoyu Ramen [Phoodie]

Morimoto has rolled out a new lunch menu including Duck Curry Udon, Pork Belly Ramen, Kobe Beef sandwich and more.

Check it out after the jump.

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Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto has launched a seven course winter Truffle Omakase dinner.

The menu blends sushi, meats and dessert with truffles for $150 per person. A beverage pairing is available for an additional $75 per person.

Check out the full menu after the jump.

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Morimoto has added an upscale cheesesteak to its menu in honor of the Phillies being in the World Series. It’s made with wagyu beef and topped with sweet soy sauteed onions, enoki mushrooms and grilled scallions on an Amoroso roll. The sandwich is served with house made made tonkatsu sauce (Japanese ketchup), pommes frites and a seasonal salad for $35.

Also added to the menu is Cracker Jack ice cream for a chilly $10.

Morimoto [Official Site]

Stephen Starr places two restaurants on Restaurants & Institutions 2009 top 100 grossing independent restaurants list. New York’s Buddakan is number 7 and Morimoto NY ranks 53rd. The Jersey shore places The Lobster House and Carmine’s on the list as well. No Philadelphia restaurant cracked the list. [R&I]

Alma de Cuba’s Douglas Rodriguez will compete on the Food Network’s Top Chef Masters a spinoff of the hugely popular Top Chef. This version will have actual chefs compete and prize money will be donated to charity.

Wegman’s has been named top supermarket in the US according to Consumer Reports. [Philadelphia Business Journal]

Morimoto was ranked in Playboy’s recent list of America’s 10 Best Sushi Spots. [Playboy] via MenuPages

If you were hanging on the edge of your seat wondering what would happen to Angiebrown and Samantha Johnson of Soul on The Chopping Block, worry not, the un-aired episodes are now on Hulu. [MenuPages]

“That’s why I’m turning Japanese.” And this week there’s plenty of help. Tonight, Japan’s Hitachino Nest will be featured at Jose Pistola’s. There will be some rarely seen Hitachino beers on draft as well as brewer, Mikio Kiuchi. [Meal Ticket]

Thursday night, Morimoto is hosting a Beer dinner with a specially designed 5-course dinner with pairings from Rogue Ales, including several from the Morimoto Signature Series. Dinner is $75 per person.

Check out the full menu after the jump and maybe you’ll be turning Japanese too.

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How about Morimoto’s Signature Hour. Available Sunday through Friday in the upstairs lounge you can enjoy specially priced food and beverages.

Don’t ever feel bad for Stephen Starr, he has two of the highest-grossing independent restaurants in America: Buddakan and Morimoto (the New York branches, of course) at numbers 12 and 84 respectively. Buddakan pulled in $20 million in ‘07 while Morimoto trailed at $11.7 mil. Think about that the next time you’re sucking down an overpriced SRO cocktail. No Philly restaurants on the list at all. [Restaurants & Institutions Mag]

The Delightful Dan Gross notes that Obama has not yet tried a cheesesteak. We think this is because he’s taking our advice and believing in the Audacity of Roast Pork. [PhillyGossip]

Why aren’t food writers dealing with rising food prices? Are we in denial? Do we not care? At Foobooz, we talk about them all the time and even provide some handy guides for dealing with the problem without having to revert to cooking. [Slate]

Grub Street, New York magazine’s food blog, has the exclusive story on Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s big, big, BIG legal troubles with his business partner – the one that isn’t Stephen Starr.

Do we feel bad for Morimoto-san? Um, no. Not in the least.

Exclusive: Court Rules Morimoto Shafted Business Partner [Grub Street]

The Fieldhouse opened last night at the old Independence Brew Pub. The sports bar is run by the same people as Mission Grill and the Public House. [Food & Drinq]

Michael Klein has some more information on two new spots (Peppercorns, Ugly American) that have opened in the Pennsport neighborhood of South Philly. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is scouting locations in Miami for his third restaurant. [Page Six, New York Post]

Patrick Mullin who has made the Drafting Room a suburban beer mecca over the last 9 plus years is leaving for Sierra Nevada. He won’t even be able to attend the Drafting Room’s debut of Baltic Thunder (Victory’s remake of Heavyweight’s Perkuno’s Hammer) set for January 5th. [Liquid Diet Online]