Proving that eating ramen doesn't have to mean you're 1) poor, 2) a freshman in college, 3) a freshman in college who in fact has tons of money because your father owns a chain of strategically placed parking lots, but you just drank a lot of Natty and your actually-poor roommate has Maruchan lying around: Machiya, a swank Midtown eatery creating bowls of upticked noodly deliciousness amongst illuminated murals and a big, rustic wood bar.

A pork-based broth provides the soupy underpinnings for the Hokkaido (king crab, mussels, shrimp, scallops, garlic oil) and the Gyoza topped w/ lightly seared pork dumplings, while two types of sesame chicken or fish broth-based "Special Ramen" are interestingly served over crushed ice & topped w/ chashu-braised pork, poached eggs, and steamed chicken that's liable to start using fowl language any second now.

Non-ramen eats include buns stuffed w/ spicy rock shrimp or steamed lobster, plus miso-braised short ribs, kim chee pork belly, and a tuna "pizza" covered in a wasabi paste, also a delicacy enjoyed by Japanese kindergarteners.

For booze, you're looking at upwards of 30 by-the-glass vinos, 10+ brews (Tucher, Palm Amber, Dogfish 90min), and a massive cocktail lineup including the Lavender Breeze (sake, tequila, lavender water, pineapple, agave), and the rum and coconut heavy-Pineapple Express, which that roommate of yours has clearly never seen (Remember? He's poor.).