"What happens when a master of pho wants to open a ramen restaurant to rival the best in the world? He gets help. Qui Tran, of Vietnamese institution Mai Lee, and executive chef-partner Marie-Anne Velasco hired Shigetoshi Nakamura, one of the world’s four “ramen gods,” as a consultant and worked with the legendary Sun Noodle to develop their noodle recipe. After years of R&D, Nudo opened its doors in Creve Coeur in 2017 with a menu of seven different ramen styles, along with a small sampling of pho. Start with the Classic Nudo, a traditional tonkotsu ramen; the broth is clabbered and rich, the color of the inside of a cloud, while the noodles retain their firm center. The diverse menu also includes a selection of cold Asian salads, fresh spring rolls, and the city’s most delicious crab rangoon, and there are four different banh mis that are great for dunking into Nudo’s broths — as long as you don’t mind stinkeye from fussbudget foodies." - Holly Fann, Joel Crespo