Oden? Found. Noodles? Yes, and More on the Way.

I am now crazy about oden, a dish that consists of various stewed root vegetables like daikon radish and taro, hard boiled eggs, tofu, and fish cakes, served in a broth of dashi or miso. There are two places where I have found oden in NYC, Geido on Flatbush Ave in Prospect Heights and Umi no Ie on E 3rd Street in the East Village.  Because it's traditionally a winter dish, these restaurants might only serve it during the winter months.  Geido also serves up okonomiyaki, a savory pancake topped with bonito flakes. Last night my friend Kelly and I ate there and while I swooned over my oden, she raved about her bowl of udon. Hailing from the west coast, where good soup noodles can be found in abundance, before Geido she had been disappointed with what New York has had to offer in the way of udon.  Does New York have a noodle deficit? We are patiently waiting for the new ramen bar on 4th Ave and Degraw to open.