Totto Ramen opened in the summer of 2010, right in the heat of what we'll call "The Great Ramen Awakening." First we had Momofuku, then we had Ippudo, then came Totto Ramen followed by about 20 other places, and now I'm pretty sure you can get tonkotsu lattes at Starbucks.

Our initial review at the time had us singing the praises of Totto's arrival in Midtown West. Now we're here to update you with important news: It's still really f*cking good.

If you aren't yet familiar, Totto's style of ramen lies somewhere in between the porky excessiveness of Ippudo and the basic, hangover curing magic of more traditional spots like Rai Rai Ken. It's a chicken-based broth as opposed to pork, and the noodles are thin. It all feels pretty authentic, and it's always satisfying - especially if you can hit it for lunch.

But before you round up a crew from the office for some slurping, be aware that this location of Totto is packed pretty much all of the time. Waits for two are usually at least 45 minutes, and tables of three and four probably should not be attempted during any normal meal hours. There is, however, frequent availability for a single stool at the bar, so [perfect_for slug =“dining-solo”]Dining Solo[/perfect_for] will definitely give you an advantage in this situation. Find a book that you can pretend to be reading, and maybe someone will think you're interesting.