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In 2000, Smith and Yonemura founded Tanpopo Noodle Shop on St. Paul’s Selby Avenue; however, after outgrowing their Selby location, Tanpopo relocated to a unused warehouse on Prince Street in the city’s historic Lowertown, with the goal of helping the people of Minnesota experience the rich and illustrious food of land of the rising sun.

“People tend to think of Japanese food as too exotic and way too expensive,” says Yonemura. “We want to prove them wrong by offering a healthy meal that tastes great and everyone can afford.”

Tanpopo’s menu, as one would assume in a noodle shop, is centered around noodles. Soba noodles, made of buckwheat flour, are brown and thin č often the noodles found in Japanese soups, while udon noodles are large and white, and often served cold. For the most part, the styles of noodle are interchangeable, and Tanpopo prides itself in their preparation of these in every dish each noodle is featured in.

However, not all of the items on Tanpopo’s menu are based solely on noodles. Teishoku, which translates to “set meal,” is the equivalent of an entrÄe, featuring rice, miso soup, salad, and, depending on your selection, pork, fish, or tofu. All teishoku are priced at $9 and make for among the heartiest of meals.

The secret to Tanpopo’s unique and genuine Japanese-tasting food lies, according to Yonemura, in the ingredients. “We use locally grown, organic produce in our preparation,” he said. “We support local and independent merchants by choosing to purchase from them rather than distributors, and in season, buy from the [St. Paul] Farmers Market.”

The market, in the heart of Lowertown, is one block west and one block north of the restaurant, which makes the location accessible to businesspeople, as well as people facilitating a special trip through the city without all of the inner downtown congestion.

“I feel that our prices make us appealing to everyone,” says Yonemura. “We do get a lot of college kids, people studying Japan, but our customer base is all across the board.”

Hamline’s own Danielle Takahashi, a CLA senior and a server at Tanpopo, is one of many people from the Twin Cities area enthused about the work that has been and is being done by Smith and Yonemura.

“I would really like to get the word out,” says Takahashi of the restaurant. “It is excellent food, and everyone is treated like family.”

The family atmosphere described by Takahashi is precisely what one will find at Tanpopo. The dining room, with seating for between 50-100 people is an impeccable size for conversation; it features, a very Zen gardenąlike dÄcor, and the large, rectangular-dugout table for larger parties would make Ikea designers eat their hearts out.

A meal, with drinks, will cost no more than $15 a person, but be sure to tip generously, because the staff will do everything they can to keep you coming back. And although no restaurant should define one’s cultural opinion, Tanpopo Noodle Shop, if nothing else, makes for one of the most uniquely tasty and distinctly friendly dining experiences that one can find in our little town.