Archive for the 'Koreatown' Category

Hae Jang Chon – Los Angeles (Koreatown)

Published by Gastronomer on May 9, 2012 in All U Can Eat, BBQ, Korean, Koreatown, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 7 Comments

For the nominal price of $17.99 per person, Hae Jang Chon provided my cousins, The Astronomer, and me with an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue feast that was so stupendous that it left our clothes and pores imbued with smoke and meat for days.

What set this barbecue emporium apart from others that I have visited in Koreatown [See: Don Day, Don Dae Gam, Tahoe Galbi] was the smooth stone grill used in place of the more common metal grates.

According to the restaurant’s website, the stone grill is ”nature’s best cooking surface.” It “produces various healthy minerals,” “absorbs and decomposes heavy metal ions,” and best of all, “absorbs excessive oil to bring out the exquisite taste of pork.” I don’t know if any of these claims are actually true, but I am sold nevertheless.

Another one of the restaurant’s notable touches was the homey tablescape that was neatly set before we were seated. Each place setting included an array of condiments in addition to silverware and plates. I went through two dishes of the fermented bean paste during the meal because meat just tastes better with a hit of salty funk.

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Mirak – Los Angeles (Koreatown)

Published by Gastronomer on March 6, 2012 in Korean, Koreatown, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 3 Comments

I stumbled upon mixed messages while researching Mirak, a temple of goat delicacies in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. While Yelpers claimed that goat meat contained properties beneficial to women, bloggers alluded that it had a Viagra-like effect on men. Now that I’ve had my fill of the meat in question, I must say that both health claims are dubious at best and beside the point really. One ought to eat goat because it is delicious. Period.

Goat comes grilled, roasted, and stewed at Mirak. The Astronomer and I took a cue from the parties dining beside us and ordered a goat hot pot for two ($15 per person).

Before the main attraction arrived, our waitress brought over a few banchan for us to nibble on. There were two types of kimchi (cabbage and radish), marinated bean sprouts, and blanched broccoli and cauliflower drizzled with a sweet red chili sauce.

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Kobawoo House – Los Angeles (Koreatown)

Published by Gastronomer on January 16, 2012 in Korean, Koreatown, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 5 Comments

A few days before leaving town for the holidays, The Astronomer and I met up with a group of friends for a weeknight dinner at Kobawoo House, a porky palace that’s been around since 1983. I get the shakes when I go too long without a meal in Koreatown, so it felt damn good to be back in the land of kimchi and all-you-can-eat meat this evening.

Due to the restaurant’s popularity, layout, and capacity, our party of 12 could not be seated for a solid 45 minutes. Additionally, we were split between two tables. This place isn’t great for big groups, but with the promise of pork belly to come, everyone remained in high spirits.

As soon as our butts hit the seats, hot tea and an array of simple banchan arrived at the table. My favorite of the bunch was the green onion-specked omelet, which was served cold. We requested a second helping of it because one slice per person just wasn’t gonna cut it.

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Jeon Ju Restaurant – Los Angeles (Koreatown)

Published by Gastronomer on September 2, 2011 in Korean, Koreatown, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 7 Comments

The Astronomer and I have a long history with The Wiltern, Ben Folds, and Koreatown. Well, maybe “a long history” is pushing it a bit. Back in 2008, we attended a Ben Folds show at The Wiltern and enjoyed dinner beforehand at Tofu Village. The convenience couldn’t be beat, and the flavors left our mouths pleasantly afire.

Ben Folds and company recently returned to Los Angeles to play another gig at The Wiltern. We once again scoped out a K-Town dinner prior to filing into the venue. The Wiltern’s proximity to great Korean eats means that The Astronomer and I are always well fueled to stand still for the duration of the show.

Jeon Ju was written up in the Los Angeles Times sometime back in 1998 by the lovely Barbara Hansen, but I learned about this place from my friend Matt. He promised me that the house special sizzling rice bowls were worth checking out the next time I found myself hungry for carbohydrates in Koreatown.

After settling into our seats and placing our order, two complimentary bowls of cold noodles came our way. The soup was mostly thin and not too spicy, while the noodles were tightly bundled in the center of the bowl. Even though it wasn’t a particularly warm evening, both The Astronomer and I slurped up the broth, noodles, and all.

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DonDay – Los Angeles (Koreatown)

Published by Gastronomer on August 8, 2011 in All U Can Eat, Korean, Koreatown, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 11 Comments

Cousin Phil is my favorite person to feast on all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue with. His appetite for animal lifeblood rivals that of a T-Rex and his skills on the grill are top notch. When it’s just The Astronomer and me protein-loading in K-Town, there’s always a possibility that we won’t be able to polish off the final plate of galbi or that we’ll somehow burn the delicate shrimp or squid. However, when Phil’s around, everything is carefully managed and under control.

When a recent business trip brought Phil to Los Angeles for two days, The Astronomer and I whisked him away for a Korean barbecue dinner. After picking him up at his downtown hotel, we made the short drive to DonDay in Koreatown. According to my friend Danny, the restaurant’s all-you-can-eat specials offered good quality and value. Our party of three settled on the $19.99 per person option that included a variety of animals, cuts, and marinades.

Included in the price of admission was a small army of side dishes. The Astronomer and Phil didn’t care too much for the banchan, but they’re my absolute favorite part of Korean dining.

Tonight’s selection included blanched broccoli with sesame oil, pickled daikon, kimchi, macaroni salad, marinaded cucumbers, bamboo shoots with jalapenos, and rice papers. I appreciated how the ladies who run the joint happily refilled my mac salad and rice papers when I ran low.

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