Brooklyn Ramen brings the broth 

When Michael Goode was handing out tickets at MCC as a parking enforcement officer, he never would have imagined that within a few years he would be standing behind a counter making ramen for the masses. A chance visit by his mother to a ramen shop in New York City was the beginning of the path that led Goode to open Brooklyn Ramen Rochester (215 Alexander Street).

Goode's mother is from Japan and was wowed with the ramen she had at one of Brooklyn Ramen's shops in New York City. She came home and announced to her son that he had to go down there and try it himself — two weeks later he did just that. Goode and his mother met with the owners of the ramen consulting company, which is based in Long Island City. The owners have a combined 50 years of experience making ramen and decided to take Goode under their wing and teach him how to make ramen their way.

The training process took eight months. "I was commuting back and forth to New York City every week doing like 18-hour days learning how to make the broth, how to put together the ramen," Goode says.

It was a trial by fire, but soon Goode was making and serving ramen in a small shop near Times Square, where a typical lunch rush brought in more than 200 people.

"What they did for me was something amazing," Goode says, adding that they "let me in on their style of making bone broth, making ramen, sharing that passion." The result of his training are the four ramen options available at Rochester's Brooklyn Ramen.

The menu is small, and includes just six items. Four of those are ramen; the other two are dishes created by his mother. The gyoza (Japanese dumplings, 5 for $5) are filled with pork, ginger, scallion, sesame oil, Napa cabbage, and garlic. The beef curry ($8) includes beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic and is served over rice.

The ramen comes in four varieties, including the the Vegan Miso Ramen ($10), which mixes vegetarian miso broth, soy cream, wavy noodles, scallion, sweet corn, wood ear mushroom, bamboo shoot, and sea weed. Also notable is the The Spicy Miso Tonkotsu ($12), which combines a creamy pork bone broth, miso paste, wavy noodles, pork, scallion, sweet corn, Ichimi spice, and sesame oil.

"I come in everyday and have a lot of fun doing it and people come in and enjoy it — it's pretty humbling," Goode says.

Brooklyn Ramen is located at 215 Alexander Street, and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 434-5551. Find them on Facebook at Brooklyn Ramen Rochester.

The Gate House (274 North Goodman Street) in Village Gate is now serving brunch on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mimosas and Bloody Marys will be offered along with menu items like a Chicken and Waffles Panini, Huevos Rancheros, and Asiago Grits. Visit thegatehousecafe.com/brunch/ for the full menu.

Speaking of mimosas, Joey's (561 East Main Street; 325-9223) will celebrate National Blueberry Pancake Day (there really is a day for everything) on Sunday, January 28. Joey's will provide the pancakes, mimosas, and a build-your-own Bloody Mary Bar.

January's Beer Pairing Dinner at Genesee Brew House (25 Cataract Street; 263-9200, geneseebeer.com/brewhouse) will take place on Tuesday, January 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are $45 and include a four course food and beer pairing. Selections from the menu include fried calamari with roasted red peppers, banana peppers, basil lemon cream sauce and Sriracha aioli and ostrich steak served with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.

540WMain Learning Academy (540 West Main Street; 420-8439, 540westmain.org) will offer a Foods of the World: Nigeria & Somalia class on Monday, January 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. Chef Calvin Eaton will take participants on a virtual food tour of Nigeria and Somalia and provide samples of the most popular foods that are used for celebrations and religious observances. The class is $25 per person and advanced registration is required. Tickets are available at eventbee.com.

Tin Roof Bar & Grill (1155 South Plymouth Avenue) is now open.

Crazy Bowl Café (352 North Goodman Street) is now open in Village Gate.

Mina Tapas Lounge (3400 Monroe Avenue) is now open in Pittsford Colony Plaza.

The Soup Spoon (1378 Mt. Hope Avenue) has closed.

Monroe Kabob (201 Monroe Avenue) has closed.

Chow Hound is a food and restaurant news column. Do you have a tip? Send it to [email protected].