Korean Food USA is a new series that showcases Korean and Korean-inspired eateries all around the nation.

Owner Kamala Saxton (right) with her employees

Asian fusion food has been all the rage lately, but few have seen as much success as the Korean taco. Take our previous post on the flourishing Hankook Taqueria in Atlanta as a prime example. Seattle‘s version of the Korean taco is curated by Marination Mobile, a food truck specializing in Hawaiian-Korean cuisine.  Owners Kamala Saxton and Roz Edison have perfected their business so much that Good Morning America declared Marination Mobile “America’s Best Food Truck.”  Not a bad feat for two home cooks with no professional culinary training!

Marination Mobile’s key menu items are their tacos, sliders, kimchi fried rice, kimchi quesadilla, and SPAM musubi.  Beverages include soda and Hawaiian Sun soft drinks, as well as beer.  The store front mimics the close quarters of a food truck, and while there are a few stools and ledges to sit and eat, a mobile food experience is still promoted.  Now, let’s take a closer look at some of these food items!

Tacos

Marination’s savory tacos feature two soft corn tortillas stuffed with your choice of filling (kalbi, spicy pork, miso ginger chicken, or ‘sexy’ tofu) and topped with a pile of sweet slaw, adding a cool, zesty crunch to the otherwise warm dish.  Pickled pepper slices and a wedge of lime come on the side.  Add a drizzle of Sriracha to turn up the heat, if that’s your flavor.

Sliders

Perhaps Marination’s most signature dish besides tacos are their sliders.  Nestled inside of a sliced sweet bun are your choice of juicy shreds of kalua pork or a hunk of SPAM, topped with crunchy slaw.  If the thought of eating SPAM makes you wary, it’s in your best interest to at least take a bite.  After all, there’s a reason why SPAM is considered Hawaii’s unofficial food!

Kimchi Quesadilla

Take a traditional tortilla and cheese quesadilla, add a few bits of kimchi, and top with a handful of slaw and zesty sauce.  this is Marination’s take on a classic snack, and it’s good to every last bite.

Kimchi Fried Rice

For their last signature dish, Marination takes another classic dish of fried rice and adds Korean ingredients to really maximize the flavor.  Starting with a traditional fried rice base, kimchi is added, along with a fried egg and swirl of green onion and furikake to top it off.  Vegetarians can eat the dish as is, or meat lovers can add savory kalbi  for an added cost.

Marination Mobile has stimulated so much business that last April, a store front called Marination Station was opened in the Seattle neighborhood of Capitol Hill, while the truck continues to roam local neighborhoods.  Another store front is planned to open in West Seattle this year.

Marination Station
1412 Harvard Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
http://marinationmobile.com
Follow on Twitter @curb_cuisine
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Marination Mobile Locations
http://marinationmobile.com/locations

[Photos: Suzi Pratt for Eater Seattle]

Korean Food USA is a new series that showcases Korean and Korean-inspired eateries all around the nation.

“Da Moim” translates to “coming together” or “gathering” in Korean, and there is nothing better than to gather with family and friends to enjoy a delicious meal. For Jae and Kristine Lee, owners of Korean fusion restaurant DaMoim in Annandale, VA, this was their vision. Not only do they offer have flavorful food, but with a modern decor furnished with dark colors, it’s also the perfect environment for people to come together.

These juicy Soo Yook sliders are a fabulous twist on an American favorite

Da Moim has a variety of traditional Korean dishes like their famous Kalbi Jjim, which is braised short rib in a special sauce, or traditional Korean dumplings (mandu) made from scratch. However, Jae Lee, who wanted to give more diverse options to his customers, also creates unique, unexpected fusion dishes like the Kimchi Quesadilla, carmelized kimchi with perilla leaves in melted jack and cheddar cheese, and a crowd favorite: Soo Yook Sliders. These petite sliders consist of pork belly, julienned cucumber and scallions, apples, and cilantro all stuffed into steamed mantau buns.

DaMoim’s Kalbi Tacos have Korean marinated beef served on warm tortillas with sesame-chili salsa, lettuce and scallion slaw, and crushed sesame seeds.

This restaurant has a dish for everyone, so get a group of friends and moyuh (Korean word for “gather”) at DaMoim!

DaMoim
http://www.damoimrestaurant.com/
7106 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003
Follow Da Moim on Facebook

[Photos: Shamus Ian Fatzinger/Fairfax Times and DaMoim]

So there’s been a lot of talk lately on kimchi, the various ways to pair it with other foods, and the wonderful health benefits that it offers. Last month, we talked about the Kimchi donuts at Dunkin’ Donuts in Korea, and that got me curious to see what other sorts of creative concoctions people are coming up with these days.

From Amanda Cohen (owner of Dirt Candy) comes her version of Kimchi donuts with watermelon radish, cilantro, and wild arugula. I haven’t actually tried these since they were out when I went last time, but it definitely sounds interesting.

Of course, there’s Kimchi tacos from the famed Kogi taco truck, which I think is on its way to New York. Woohoo!

Christina Tosi is whipping up some kimchi butter at Momofuku Milk Bar. It’s actually quite delicious and goes great with a warm toast in the morning.

We also have a great recipe for Kimchi Quesadillas! Gotta love the Latin/Korean fusion theme going on here. Latin and Korean actually make an interesting duo since they both are heavy on flavors and spices. If you’re interested, here’s a recipe for Bastardized Kimchi Burgers.

And finally, I’d like to bring your attention to this little bottle down below. Yup, it’s official. In Korea, you can buy Leuconostoc kimchi candy that will help you stay away from swine flu! It’s got 9 different vitamins is available in apple flavor.  I’d be curious to try it and I wonder whether it’s super popular in Korea.