Simple Pleasure
By B.A. Nilsson

You may think that dining out at least once a week requires a careful schedule of such visits. I wish that were so. In my case, it's more of a panic attack. 'We've gotta eat!' I cry as we're hurtling along the Thruway-or, in this case, Central Avenue, which put us near the front door of Saso's Noodle House. Trouble was, it was 15 minutes before closing on a Friday night, which can be a dreadful time to show up. The kitchen is scrubbed down and the last couple of orders are going out; the staff is mentally easing out the door. And then a deuce shows up.

"Try them anyway," said my wife, Susan, whose pregnancy-inflated hunger is an unstoppable force. I had rehearsed a speech that would have let them off the hook for not leaping to seat us, but we walked in on a busy room with dinner in full swing. And the hostess (and co-owner), Kathy Saso, was quite happy to seat us.

Once a pizza parlor, the space first took on a Japanese identity as Mino's in 1994. Last May, Yasuo Saso took over, and he now supervises all of the cooking while holding down the sushi bar. He came to this country 20 years ago to work at Hiro's, Albany's oldest Japanese restaurant, but decided, at his new place, to concentrate on noodles rather than the hibachi service Hiro's offers.

Noodle dishes, as it turns out, are as varied as they are tasty, and they're impressively inexpensive. It turns out that noodles (and their cousin, pasta) are of Asiatic origin: legend has it that Marco Polo introduced them to Italy. As with pasta, noodles are best when they're still al dente, a toughness that breaks down as they sit in hot broth. So you're supposed to eat them quickly, which is why they've long been the favored meal of Japanese workers, who aren't supposed to spend too much time at the meal table. To enjoy the flavors of the noodles and broth, you need to add some air intake while you're eating. Therefore, you're expected to slurp. Go ahead. Not slurping noisily suggests either that you're not enjoying the meal or that you're British.

Buckwheat noodles, called soba, are a specialty of Northern Japan, traditionally the last thing you eat on New Year's Eve. Udon, a thick, white noodle, is more popular in Osaka and the south of Japan. An egg noodle called ramen is also the basis of several of Saso's entrees; that noodle originated in China.

"My mouth is set for miso soup,' said Susan, who then managed to put together an order that didn't include it (it comes with rice bowl dishes and a variety of dinner specials) - Could she get a bowl of it anyway! Of course.

She started with an appetizer of agedashi tofu, a simple dish of deep-fried tofu that arrived at the table in four large cubes of a beautiful light gold, each one decorated differently. Scallions, of course, were part of it-it was a favorite accompaniment throughout the meal-but Saso's version is also set off with ginger shavings and a ginger dipping sauce.

To Susan's consternation, she was expected to use chopsticks. Not that she's really clumsy with them, but I think she had some idea of getting at her food more quickly. In any event, she was too intimidated to ask for a fork, and I aggravated her annoyance by showing off my own chopstick- wielding prowess.

My starter was a sushi special of salmon and avocado, a nice color combination rolled into maki-that is, surrounded by vinegared rice and a wrapping of toasted nori seaweed. Traditional sides of pickled ginger (gari) and green horseradish (sabi) were also on the tray. An incredible bargain at under $5.

Japanese food is most successful when it remains simple. Miso-shiru is simple. Miso is a fermented bean paste, used in Japan like butter, available in many different flavors. The soup is easy to make yet reveals a wonderful flavor and is incredibly nutritious-making it also a favorite breakfast. A smattering of seaweed, tofu and scallions floated in the decorative bowl.

Also nutritious was the barley tea served with dinner. I complemented it with a beer.

Both of us turned to noodles for entrees. For Susan: shrimp and tempura ramen, in which batter-dipped-and-fried shrimp and vegetables were mixed with the noodles and broth. Among the many components she found bean sprouts, peas, corn, sweet potato, zucchini, beans and mushrooms. Unbeatable at $7.75.

Spicy yakisoba, my choice, isn't all that spicy, although an accompanying pepper shaker lets you turn up the beat. Again, it's a medley of vegetables with your choice of seafood or chicken (I opted for the latter), sautéed to a crisp, lustrous finish.

We were a little surprised to get a check for over $50, but it turned out to belong to the table beside us. And we got a complimentary serving of green tea ice cream to atone for the hardly life-threatening mix-up. I don't want to start trouble here, but Susan's advice to pregnant women is to seek out this restaurant immediately for a refreshing, satisfying, healthy and gastronomically (and gastrically) peaceful meal.

Dinner for two, with tax and tip and a bottle of beer, was $38.