Review: At K Dara Noodle Bar, a shining beacon of better broth and rakish cuisine

Packet broth merchants can't compete with Vathanathavone Inthalasy's long-simmered elixirs

There are dozens of Buffalo restaurants selling versions of Asian noodle soups, but only a few offer bowls that make me want to return for a second helping.

The difference is in the broth, not the showy stuff floating on top.

The banal broth found most places comes from using soup mix instead of cooking your own broth. Real meat broth requires long, slow simmering of animal parts. Collagen and other proteins fortify every spoonful, leaving enjoyers sticky-lipped.

Today the best broth in Buffalo can be found in the basement of the Dun Building, on Pearl Street. There, Laotian-American chef Vathanathavone “2-2” Inthalasy offers rakish cooking, with ecstatic broths, enticing textures, and a menu of finely honed favorites that make you want to let loose and suck the marrow out of life.