Staten Island Restaurant Tour, Part XXXI: Hitto Ramen (Castleton Corners)

Mmmm, cold summer ramen.

Castleton Corners, formerly known as Centerville, is arranged around two major thoroughfares, Victory Boulevard and Manor Road. The Castleton in Castleton Corners refers to Cassiltowne, the Irish estate of New York colonial governor Thomas Dongan. The Corners part refers to this mundane intersection.

It hides its historical light under a bushel.

This slice of Victory Boulevard, whose potholes make it one of the punishing bus rides in the city, has several restaurants. It doesn’t rival the fully developed dining district of New Dorp Lane, which terminates in a lovely beach, but people around here have their fair share of comfort food. I’ve noted a few piquant places, including How Greek It Is, as I’ve ridden the bus to neighborhoods farther west.

Briefly inspected before the ramen.

Nearby Rosario Family Cigars has what used to be called a “cigar-store Indian” in front. This has dated politically, to put it mildly, and nothing triggers my fight-or-flight instinct like the stink of tobacco. But the sign is evocative, with its embedded cigar and what I assume to be Mr. Rosario communing with the tobacco plants.

I don’t mind seeing it as long as I don’t have to smell it.

It was nice to know that the 1 Relaxing Spa is right next door. Its largely female clientele rates it highly in online reviews.

Another neighborhood amenity.

Perhaps the next time I come here I’ll get a relaxing deep-tissue massage before my ramen.

Or afterward. I’m flexible.

But today I am in the expert hands of Ramen Sensei! This Hitto Ramen is one of two locations. The other is in Dongan Hills.

Sign out front.

I was informed that business has slowed since the restaurant opened in 2001. He was not the first restauranteur to tell me this. Many places have not recovered their pre-pandemic clientele. I do love eating in mostly empty — or in this case, entirely empty — restaurants. Hence all the mid-afternoon dining. But it’s tough on the people who keep these places going when the formerly busy times aren’t as busy.

Keeping hope alive.

My Cold Summer Noodles had a hint of wasabi that tickled my nostrils without overwhelming the delicate taste of the noodles. They were probably wheat (soba) as opposed to the coarser buckwheat (udon).

Fresh ingredients in subtly gleaming crockery.

This was not the version listed on the menu (which contains cucumber, crab, ham, apple, scallion, and red ginger) but a more scaled-down version that relies more on greens and tomatoes with a touch of crab. I love the taste of fresh produce — it’s an indispensable part of every meal at home. So is improvisation. I loved the way the fresh greens harmonized with the sweet earthy taste of soba. They were noodles, they were cold, and they were delicious.

The closeup.

As the plate suggested, it was a taste of Japan.

Study of artfully but unintentionally arranged noodle remnants.

The restroom sink featured a rock garden, or karesansui, sometimes known as a Zen garden.

A soothing places to wash your hands.

It was amply provisioned with the one thing you never want to run out of in a restroom.

A reassuring sight.

Whatever I might think of the S61 bus as a rough (albeit interesting) ride, having it stop right outside the restaurant was a welcome plus.

Travel time to bus stop, approximately three seconds.

And my bus came four minutes after I finished my meal. How cool is that?! Note that I prefer the buses from the ferry, as opposed those from Midtown Manhattan, because the boat ride makes these trips more epic.

Hardly had time to pay and put the phone away.

I got to travel home on the Dorothy Day, my favorite of the MTA’s Staten Island Ferries.

It is the newest and cleanest.

These guys were capturing memories, as my fellow ferry riders often do, from the top level.

Shooting from the parapet.

The ride home was comfortable apart from the extreme AC. The Lunar II shoes by Hush Puppies have been my constant companions on the Tour. The jean shorts — do people really call them jorts? — by Wrangler are in medium blue with brown accents. The manufacturer calls this color Mid-Tint though my preferred term, bestowed affectionately, is Dirtbag. They look even dirtier than my Sin City Levis. No one will ever mug a guy wearing these jorts as he explores strange neighborhoods.

Me and my dirtbag shorts.

As we pulled into Manhattan’s South Ferry, the light was favorable for shooting the Battery Maritime Terminal, a Beaux Arts masterpiece built in 1906–09 to serve the ferries that connected Manhattan to Brooklyn until the 1950s. It was subsequently designated a city landmark in 1967 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It now houses ferries to Governors Island and Jersey City — and houses Casa Cipriani, a five-star restaurant! I will never ever ever be able to afford to eat there.

The SI Ferry approaches alongside the Battery Maritime Terminal.

No regrets. You can’t wear dirtbag shorts in Casa Cipriani. It was the end of an easy day, and I had needed one after the previous episode’s big hike in Clove Lakes Park. Among the next stops will be three neighborhoods with a common thread: New Brighton, West Brighton, and West New Brighton. That’s a lot of Brightons.

Home again.

Previously on the Staten Island Restaurant Tour:

Part I: Angelina’s (Tottenville)

Part II: Fina’s Farmhouse (Arthur Kill)

Part III: Laila (Richmond Valley)

Part IV: Il Forno (Pleasant Plains)

Part V: Breaking Bread (Prince’s Bay)

Part VI: Woodrow Diner (Huguenot)

Part VII: Il Sogno (Annadale)

Part VIII: Riva (Eltingville)

Part IX: Marina Cafe (Great Kills)

Part X: Do Eat (Bay Terrace)

Part XI: Canlon’s (Oakwood Heights)

Part XII: Prince Tea House (New Dorp)

Part XIII: Inca’s Peruvian Grille (Grant City)

Part XIV: Colonnade Diner (Jefferson Avenue)

Part XV: Baci (Dongan Hills)

Part XVI: Chinar on the Island (Old Town)

Part XVII: Cinco de Mayo (Grasmere)

Part XVIII: Phil-Am Kusina (Clifton)

Part XIX: Lakruwana (Stapleton)

Part XX: Pier 76 (Tompkinsville)

Part XXI: Chang Noi Thai (St. George)

Part XXII: Mike’s Unicorn Diner (Bulls Head)

Part XXIII: Melt Shop (New Springville)

Part XXIV: Da Noi (Travis)

Part XXV: Big Nose Kate’s Saloon (Rossville)

Part XXVI: The Manor (Manor Heights)

Part XXVII: Luk & Bart Homemade Food (Mariners Harbor)\

Part XXVIII: Rinconcito Paisa (Graniteville)

Part XXIX: New Dinette (Port Richmond)

Part XXX: The Stone House (Clove Lakes Park)

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