Michi Ramen has a much larger space than Ramen Tatsu-ya and service (other than the very first night where I had to wait an acceptable 20 minutes for my food) is fast, helpful, and attentive. While Ramen Tatsu-ya is counter service (order food at the counter, pay up front, sit, they bring you the food, and leave whenever you are ready), Michi Ramen is a standard sit down restaurant where you get seated, order from a waiter from a menu, eat, and pay on a fancy tablet that gives you the option to email or print a receipt (if only all places provided the email option! OfficeMax also emails receipts and I'm growing to like the option). Another difference is that Michi Ramen's space is large enough that tables aren't crammed together and there's no chance of being bumped. However, decorations are sparse and it's clear they are running on a budget with all their focus being poured into their food. Ramen Tatsu-ya has Michi Ramen clearly beated when it comes to atmosphere (which is very carefully manufactured from the large wall dominating artwork, painstakingly handmade sconces, and distressed tables; everything is designed to make you feel like you stepped into a well-weathered ramen-ya forgetting that you are in Central Texas). Michi Ramen looks like it could be a Chinese restaurant (not the ones with artwork everywhere and paneled walls, but the kind that takes over a space and improves it just enough for it to be servicable. For Austinites, think of the interior of Asia Cafe or A+A Sichuan Restaurant). All this will, hopefully, improve over time as soft opening transitions into regular service and more resources can be devoted to the interior. I, for one, am glad that they chose to open as soon as possible as I cannot get enough of their killer tonkotsu broth. Since I'm talking about the inside of the restaurant, I thought I'd mention that everytime I've dined there I haven't felt like I needed to wash my clothes or take a shower to feel and smell clean. I'm not a person that puts heavy emphasis on decorations, so the fact that I don't have to queue up and decide what to order before I get to the counter, can sit at my own table, and spread out (I often carry a large camera bag and at Ramen Tatsu-ya had to eat with the bag in my lap two out of three visits) really helps me to relax and enjoy the food.
When Michi Ramen opened, they served both lunch and dinner for 7 days a week. They soon removed Mondays to provide some additional time for prep and to allow them time to make adjustments and changes as they saw the demand and feedback come pouring in. This last week, they removed (temporarily, I'm told) lunch service to focus primarily on dinner service because the previous weekend they had run out of food by 7:30pm. Turning away customers is never a good thing, but having a ramen so good that they run out of food has to be proof they're doing something right. Focusing on dinner service only will give them a chance to figure out how to meet the demand without any unhappy customers. Their plan is to bring back lunch service in the future and eventually return to 7-days a week.
Here are my ramen posts:
http://madbetty.com/?s=ramen
I love Paul Qui, so it pains me greatly to say that the only time I've been to East Side King Hole in the Wall it was extremely underwhelming for me. My noodles were overcooked and super soft and mushy (no springiness whatsoever) and the broths just didn't work for me with too many dominating flavors (super salty, tasted like powdered spices, and in the tortilla soup overly strong lemongrass and keffir lime leaves) that weren't melding / blending. The eggs were phenomenal and the soft tofu served with the kimchee ramen was great. However, I honestly preferred the texture and flavor of the instant noodles they served at The Grackle and also preferred the broth there.
In either case, it's not really a fair comparison with the other ramen-ya in town since it's mostly just ramen in name. I'll visit again some time as it is possible that I hit them on a bad night.
I'm not sure you read the article... guessing you just read the title and then commented? I'm pretty sure I never say all the ramen in Austin is "good" and they aren't. There's only two worth eating at.