Now that I know there are quite a few Korean food lovers on the board here, just thought I’d start a real thread on it.
Frank Deis, where did you get ja-jang myun today? Somewhere in NYC, or NJ?
Some of my favorite dishes: kong biji, soon doobu chigae, kalbi jim, and of course, the bbq beef standbys, bulgogi and kalbi. The spicy stuff is tough to pair with, but I usually go riesling with a bit of RS; the bbq stuff goes with almost any red as far as I’m concerned. Even a burg that I thought might be too light to stand up to the bbq flavors was better with the food, picking up earthiness and showing its sweet fruit more.
What are your favorite K-food restaurants, dishes and pairings?
Serge - you nailed it. Soju has a very similar effect, with just a hint of sweetness in there too. Seems like a comparative tasting experiment will be in order.
Not to worry, I know the stalwart dishes, and my better half knows the whole gamut, and is actually studying at Korea’s top cuisine school now, in fact. Sounds like Frank could do a pretty darn good job too, so at least in NYC you are set!
I’m not sure about their corkage policies, but even if not officially allowed I will have the wife plead with them in the mother tongue to get the advantages afforded to natives At least one of them has semi-decent wines on their list if all else fails.
OK, restaurants. The place I went today was no big deal, in fact I think it is rare to get certain Korean dishes that taste as good as what anyone can make at home. If you live near a Korean grocery and you know what to buy and what to do, Bulgogi is laughably easy to make and what you make will taste better than what you would get in 95% of Korean restaurants. Look for high quality thin sliced beef – sliced as thin as, say, Kraft American Cheese slices. Get a big bottle of Korean BBQ sauce, and some red lettuce. You could also get toasted sesame seeds, King Oyster Mushrooms, green onions, fresh garlic, etc. but the essentials are meat, sauce, and leaves. Get a big bowl, and layer the beef slices with the BBQ sauce (and sliced garlic and green onions if you are ambitious) and leave overnight. The sauce usually has ground up fruit in it which tenderize the meat. When ready, scorch up the meat somehow. A stove-top ridged griddle works well, but a big frying pan is OK. You want to kind of scoop off the excess sauce and then toss a thin slice of beef onto the griddle, flip it over, and stack it on a plate. The meat will brown quickly because it is so thin. When you have a plate-ful, take it into the dining room and let everyone wrap the meat in the leaves and chow down. A very beautiful meal, and about as hard as pouring milk on Cheerios.
I’m mainly acquainted with some of the high end Koreans in Manhattan – I like Bann on 50th Street and Do Hwa down in the Village. We have tried some of the Korea-town restaurants but they have always struck me as a bit sketchy, especially since we eat there around midnight after going to the Metropolitan Opera.
I worked in L.A.'s K-Town for about 18 months and have never eaten so well for lunch. Just amazing variety and depth of flavor. Not sure about NYC, but if you’re ever in L.A. you can eat amazing Seoul food
Now – the question about the “Friendship Restaurant” – I think the answer is that Woo Jung means friendship in Korean, and there is a good BBQ restaurant by that name in Palisades Park. Scroll down for some good pictures, this place sounds really good.
Hey Frank,
What about Woojeon?
We went there and I am a totall newb about Korean dining. Although the meal was awkward because of our lack of familiarity with Korean dinner service, the food tasted good.
When I’ve been to Woojeon, I have liked it OK. But that was a few years ago and my friends say it’s gone downhill a bit.
Did you do the BBQ? They bring burning charcoal and put it in a bucket in the center of the table so you can cook your own meat. Your knees get really hot. This is pretty typical of good Korean BBQ places. Warm knees can be a good thing in the wintertime…
We can think about it. I don’t think Woojeon is BYO. Hmm.
If I can find it – there is a place nearby that sounds good called Chung Sol Bat. It’s on Old Post Road, and they do BBQ. Looks like it’s across Route 1 from the Shop-Rite shopping center (where Edison Noodle is).
Frank, you are quite a wealth of info! True enough, Korean bbq is easy to make at home and we do it all the time. The marinade is essentially just soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar, and various people add different things to customize the sauce too (sometimes including, believe it or not, kiwi - which I am told has tenderizing effect). I’ll post the real specifics when my wife is back in town. She’s also starting a Korean food/cooking blog soon, after she returns from her training at the Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine. When she’s back, I am in for a real treat as she practices what she’s learned, as it will be food as traditionally prepared for the Korean royal court from the times depicted in K-dramas like Dae Jang Geum. The pictures she’s been posting from her courses have had me salivating!
Or, you can buy pre-marinated beef from the Korean supermarkets like Han Ah Reum (affectionately known in the community as H Mart) that you literally just throw on the grill. And don’t forget the spicy red pepper bean/garlic paste with the bbq beef that you throw on after cooking! Love that stuff.
There are at least a handful of places in Koreatown in NYC that are not sketchy at all - my family mostly goes to Flushing but they have no reservations about hitting Manhattan K-town places too, including Kum Gang San and Gahn Mi Ok, and Cho Dang gol for tofu dishes. By contrast, the reaction of all of the Koreans and Korean-Americans I know or am related to with respect to the Momofuku restaurants ranges from “meh” to “overrated”. Other than having tried the places once or twice, they never go.
I need to get myself somewhere to try the Korean tacos - anyone in NYC tried the places doing it here? Any recommendations?
And we haven’t even brought up the Korean fried chicken places yet! We are found of doing the Bon Chon chicken/Pinkberry daily double, a little too fond, as my waistline attests
After working and living in L.A. for several years, I became fully indoctrinated in korean food. I love it. Just typing this, my mouth is watering for some kimchi. When I moved to atlanta three years ago, I was surprised to find a vibrant korean scene. Decent BBQ spots as well as a killer place called So Kong Dong that serves bubbling hot spicy tofu soup in a heated ceramic bowl. They also have a great dolsot bibimbap.
Do you guys have Super H Mart’s in your areas? They are korean grocery stores that are well priced and have any kind of ethnic food you are looking for along with an amazing produce section. No affiliation, but if these guys ever go public in the US, I’m a buyer of their shares. Great business.
Mark, if that included somewhat gruff service, I may know exactly what you mean. Being Asian but not Korean, the first time I went to a Koreatown restaurant, my friends and I were actually treated so rudely it became a running joke with us. Then I went back with Korean speakers and we were treated so nicely - it was like night and day. This was back in the early 90s and Koreatown restaurants have gotten a lot nicer to non-Koreans since then, but I swear I never went back without somebody who spoke Korean!
Thomas, we have both H Marts and Super H Marts here in the NY area. We regularly go and load up!
Ha! Our place is pretty small and humble, but it would be great to have you guys over sometime. I will mention to her that there are ready and willing participants (guinea pigs?) to taste her creations I think a ton of her Facebook friends have already been forming a line!
At least one of them has semi-decent wines on their list if all else fails.
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