Noodles aren't a first date food. Spices and scallions lodge between teeth and slippery wontons splash with abandon, making for a graceless mess.

The signature dish at the appeThaizing Restaurant on Oswego Road in Clay is the Golden Noodle Maple Roasted Duck.

Still, is there anything better than curling up with a hot bowl of noodle soup in the dead of winter?

Perhaps you still associate noodles with your stringy, microwavable Cup-A-Soups from college. It's time to break that stereotype. For this story, we're focusing on the wide, wonderful variety of Asian noodles, from stir-fried soba to chewy udon.

You can get a decent Pad Thai at almost any Thai restaurant in Syracuse, by the way. We mention it below, but hope you'll expand your horizons.

The difference between noodles and pasta boils down to one thing: Pasta is a type of noodle, but noodles are not a type of pasta.

Traditionally, pasta is made from durum wheat (often referred to as "semolina," which is the flour made from ground durum). Semolina has a high protein content, which gives pasta a heavy taste and texture.

Noodles are made from unleavened dough, typically made from flour, egg and water, which is rolled flat and cut. Noodle dough can be made from a delicious spectrum of ground starches, like buckwheat and rice. This broad, savory variety of noodle flavors and textures will get you through this February chill.

(March is National Noodle Month, by the way, so bookmark this list to celebrate.)

The $7.75 Shrimp Udon bowl (with udon noodles, seaweed, tempura shrimp, vegetables and a fish cake) at Aloha Japanese Bento Express in Syracuse.

Aloha Japanese Bento

217 S Salina St., downtown Syracuse.

(315) 802-7384 |

See menu.

Aloha Japanese Bento Express in downtown's historic McCarthy Building offers plenty of Japanese and Hawaiian specialties, but don't overlook their three noodle bowls if you need to warm up. The portions are large, hot and well-presented. If you get the Shrimp Tempura bowl, make sure to eat the battered and fried veggies first. Tempura doesn't stay crispy for long. With prices between $6.75 and $9, it's a solid lunch spot.

appeThaizing Restaurant

See menu.

SU Hill:

727 S Crouse Ave., Syracuse. | 315.295.2200

Village of Liverpool:

105 1st St., Liverpool | 315-453-5500

Clay/Baldwinsville:

8417 Oswego Rd., Baldwinsville. | 315-622-2777

Our

food reviewer Aimee Koval

breaks down the ubiquity of Pad Thai (and the importance of getting it right): "Pad Thai is perhaps the best known -- and best loved -- dish in modern Thai cuisine, having come to Thailand in the 1930s by way of Vietnam. Tamarind and palm sugar feature prominently in most Pad Thai recipes, giving the rice noodles their characteristic sweet-and-sour tang, while hints of nam pla (Thai fish sauce), egg and crushed peanuts temper the dish with salty and savory elements. AppeThaizing's version of Pad Thai ($11.99) featured liberally sauced thin rice noodles loaded with chicken, bean sprouts and chives, making it a satisfying, protein-packed dinner entree."

Fan of appeThaizing? Also try the upscale Lemon Grass Restaurant in Armory Square. The popular Bamee Hang Gai cold noodle dish features chicken, wonton noodles, sprouts, peanuts, baby greens, green onion, Chinese parsley, fried garlic and sweet/sour dressing. See menu.

Hand-pulled noodles with seasonal vegetables and egg at Bamboo House, 252 W. Genesee St., Syracuse.

Bamboo House

252 W. Genesee St., downtown Syracuse.

(315) 424-8800 |

See menu.

On paper, Bamboo House seems much like any other take-out shop, but its emphasis on hand-pulled noodles makes it an ideal one-stop shop for the noodle fans in downtown Syracuse. Expect to receive generous noodle portions for less than ten bucks. The secret ingredient? Egg.

Les Pates et Les Nouilles

37 Albany St., Cazenovia.

(315) 815-4213 |

See menu.

Les Pates et Les Nouilles translates from French to "The Pasta and the Noodles," but it's not a French restaurant. You can't go wrong with the $10 Pad Woonsen, served with onion, broccoli oyster sauce and "carb-free" cellophane (glass) noodles. The $10 Drunken Noodles will also fill you up with plenty of sweet basil, veggies and your choice of meat.

Beef Teriyaki with noodles and vegetables at Mitsuba Japanese Cuisine in Camillus.

Mitsuba Japanese Cuisine

Township 5 in Camillus

(315) 488-8898 |

See menu

This Asian fusion eatery

opened just last month in Camillus

but it has a record of success in Upstate New York, with locations in New Hartford, Rome and Ithaca. Apart from plentiful sushi offerings, Mitsuba's massive menu includes udon soups, Teriyaki noodles, Yaki Soba and Pad Thai with meat and seafood options.

Similar menu options appear at Firudo (3011 Erie Blvd. E.), which mainly markets itself as a made-to-order sushi spot.

Mi hoanh thanh (egg noodles and pork wonton soup) costs $8.95 at New Century Vietnamese Restaurant in Syracuse.

New Century Vietnamese Restaurant

518 Kirkpatrick St., Syracuse.

(315) 410-9999 |

See menu.

If you've never had pho, New Century's fresh take on the Vietnamese cuisine will make you a believer. The fried noodle egg rolls are also unique to this palace of pho. Food reviewer Denise Owen Harrigan raved in her

2012 review

: "The popular New Century egg rolls ($5.95), plump with shrimp and pork, were encased in crisp shells of crushed rice noodles. Their textures and flavors came alive with a few drops of the Vietnamese dipping sauce, nuoc cham. The sauce is a simple stir of lime juice, sugar, chilies, garlic and fermented fish sauce. Yet it captures -- on the tip of a spoon -- Vietnam's quintessential flavors: sour, sweet, hot, salty and umami (from the Japanese word for tasty)."

Big of New Century? Also try Sweet Basil at 143 Marshall St. They offer plenty of Thai noodles (from Pad See Ew to Kao Soi) and a couple $12 Vietnamese soups like tradition pho and Bun Bo Hue with straw noodles, beef, bean sprouts, scallions and sliced onions. (See menu.)

The interior of the new N13 noodle house in Hamilton.

N13

3 Lebanon St., Hamilton.

(315) 228-2002 |

See menu.

N13

markets itself as a modern twist on a centuries old tradition of the Asian noodle shop. Yes, the N stands for noodle. If you ever find yourself out in Hamilton, N.Y., enjoy the ridiculously kind prices at N13, from the $7.50 Beef Pho to the $4.50 plain and simple Dorm Room Noodles. For something a little different, try the Kimchi Stir with stir-fried egg noodles, kimchi, shallots, soy sesame sauce and cilantro. (FYI: The small, casual joint is closed every Tuesday.)

Dan Dan Noodles with minced pork at Red Chili Restaurant in Syracuse.

Red Chili Restaurant

2740 Erie Blvd. E., Syracuse.

(315) 446-2882 |

See menu.

If a

Red Chili

server warns you about a spicy dish, don't wave it off like some P.F. Chang's knock-off. These folks don't play around. The $7.95 Dan Dan Noodle dish is a classic, Chinese Sichuan crowd-pleaser originating from Chinese Sichuan cuisine. Noodles are served in a mildly spicy sauce with crumbles of minced pork, chili oil, spinach and scallions. For the same price, the Spicy Sour Beef Cellophane Noodle Soup offers a deeply flavorful broth with hunks of meat, bok choy, Sichuan peppercorns, fresh garlic, star anise and dried crispy beans. Brave foodies can also order the dish with intestines. It'll fill you up and clear your sinuses.

Tokyo Seoul

3180 Erie Blvd E., Syracuse.

(315) 449-2688 |

See menu.

Tokyo Seoul offers fantastic Korean BBQ options and plenty of sushi, though the majority of its marinated meats and Be Beem Bop bowls come with rice. Look hard on the menu and you'll find a handful of rare noodle dishes worth mentioning, from the $12.95 Jham Pong (a spicy seafood noodle soup) to the $12.95 Duk Mandoo Guk soup with beef mandoo, sliced beef, rice cakes and noodles. Spend $34.95 for a masterpiece of Ha Mul Dungol, a spicy large casserole with seafood, tofu, noodles and vegetables.

Special Combination Rice Noodles at Vietnamese Noodle House in North Syracuse.

Vietnamese Noodle House

709 N. Main St., North Syracuse.

(315) 396-0766 |

See menu.

Vietnamese Noodle House in North Syracuse opened last summer to fanfare from our food reviewer.

Jane Marmaduke wrote

joyfully about the Special Combination Rice Noodles: "The egg roll garnishing the top of the dish was among the best we have tasted: flavorful and not the slightest bit greasy. The stir-fried pork on top had been marinated in a different set of spices from those used for the chop on the rice dish, but it was just as good. Everything else in the noodle bowl - shrimp, rice noodles, bean sprouts, lettuce, cucumber, basil - was mildly flavored, allowing us to add heat and the flavors we wanted from the condiments on the table and from the little bowl of nuoc mam, the seasoned fish sauce served on the side."

More restaurant suggestions in Central New York:

» Syracuse's best chicken wings

» Syracuse's best diners

» Syracuse's best Thai restaurants

» Syracuse's best Indian restaurants

» Syracuse's best steak houses

» Syracuse's best sushi

» Syracuse's best brunch restaurants

» Syracuse's best Italian restaurants

» Syracuse's best 'kid friendly' restaurants

» Syracuse's best lunch restaurants

» Syracuse's best restaurants for a first date

» Syracuse's best pizza

» Syracuse's best restaurants for a celebration

» Syracuse's best outdoor dining

» Syracuse's best burgers

» Syracuse best beer bars

» Syracuse's best barbecue

Jacob Pucci and Allie Healy contributed to this post.

Katrina Tulloch writes features and entertainment stories for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact her: Email | Twitter | Facebook