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

Seattle is no stranger to Korean fusion eateries, with Revel and Marination Mobile racking up rave reviews amongst locals and tourists alike. Joining the Asian fusion scene is Cha:n, a brand new restaurant that opened on May 1st in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market. At the helm of operations is Heong Soon Park, who decided to dedicate the lower level of his Italian restaurant, Bacco, to experiment with Cha:n.

Cha:n, which means “all the food except for the rice,” is an intimate 38-seat space open for dinner from Tuesday through Sunday. Its menu, split between traditional and modern dishes, is composed of small plates each ringing in at $14 or less. Those opting for a more traditional flare can find bibimbap, kimchi pancake (jeon), and spicy kimchi pork belly (samgyeopsal) on the menu, while the adventurous types can try bulgogi beef sliders, kimchi bacon paella, and kimchi hangover soup with pork belly. The dessert menu also swings towards more ethnic flavors with rice beer sorbet and honey glazed sweet potato gracing the menu.

Spicy kimchi pork belly on poached tofu

Kimchi hangover soup with pork belly

Kimchi bacon paella with cheese gratin

For those seeking a new wist on traditional Korean fare, Cha:n Seattle is the place to try!

Cha:n Seattle
86 Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98101
(Located in the courtyard of Inn at the Market)
www.chanseattle.com
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[Photos: Suzi Pratt]

When it comes to AYCE Korean BBQ, most people can’t put quality and quantity in the same sentence. Gen Korean BBQ in Tustin, CA refuses to make that compromise. The moment you walk in, you get the sense that this is going to be a different kind of AYCE experience.

If Tron wanted Korean BBQ, he would feel right at home at Gen. Electrifying blue and white lights line the spacious white leather booths, and upbeat electro music plays in the background as you devour your food. Looking around, you realize that the ambience definitely caters to a younger crowd.

Left: Kobe Chadol; Right (Clockwise): Saeng Galbi, Beef Tongue, Joomulluk

This is not the place to just fill up on chadolbaegi and samgyeopsal. Gen is all about offering quality meats and ingredients while still fulfilling their customers’ desire for variety. Gen offers 25 different meat and dish selections. With each order, servers actually bring out smaller portions – not to cheat hungry eaters – but so that each table can try as many different types of cuts and flavors as possible.

Noteworthy Selections:
#1: Gen Signature Prime Steak

#4: Kobe Chadol

#6: Kobe Woosul – Beef Tongue

#9: Saeng Galbi

#12: Joomulluk

#24: Spicy Rice Cake (pictured left)

Accompaniments that go with your meats include the standard mixture of sesame oil and salt, sweetened soy sauce, and spicy chili. The standout condiment is Gen’s exclusive salt and green tea powder mixture, which hits the spot for those with a salty palate.

Gen opened in September of last year, but its huge following only continues to grow. A two-hour wait is standard for peak hours and weekends, but the time spent scuffling your feet outside is worth it. In response to the high demand, Gen is in the process of remodeling its former bar and patio area. The remodeling will double the size of space for diners, and Gen plans on finishing its expansion by the end of February or early March.

Gen is open until midnight so it is a popular destination for not only meat-hungry customers, but also those looking for a fun place to drink. Gen just started a Happy Hour, which goes from 9:30pm to closing and includes $3 beers and $6 soju cocktails.

Tips for a successful eating adventure:

1. Try to arrive during off-hours in order to minimize your wait time. Weekdays before 5pm and after 8:30pm are usually the best times to go.
2. Compared to dinner at $20, lunch is only an easy $15. Keep in mind though that Gen does offer different meats for their lunch and dinner menus.
3. Even though Gen gives a 2-hour limit for eating, pace yourself! Order small waves of plates so that you don’t get too full by the time you hit the 1-hour mark.

Gen Korean BBQ & Yakitori Bar
13741 Newport Ave.
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 505-1800

[Photos: Mindy Nguyen]

Two weeks ago, we posted the Los Angeles edition of the top 5 late-night Korean eats, and as promised, here’s the East coast edition.

New York City is consistently praised as having the best dining-out options—at all hours of the night, and Korean cuisine is no exception to that. You can’t always get a home-cooked meal when the craving hits, but we think the restaurants below definitely hit the spot.

Almost every restaurant on our list of the Top 5 Late-Night Eats is open 24/7, which is great news since it’s New Year’s Eve. Check out the dishes below—you’re bound to find something to satisfy your taste buds after a long night of drinking!

1) NY Kom Tang Soot Bul Kalbi – Charcoal Grilled Kalbi

This kalbi house, located in the heart of Koreatown, opened in 1979 and claims to be the oldest Korean restaurant in New York City. NY Kom Tang Soot Bul Kalbi is famous for using charcoal grills instead of gas grills, which infuses the beef with a natural smoky flavor that is rare to taste at other Korean BBQ establishments.

The menu offers several options for BBQ meat, such as Chumooluck (prime rib steak marinated in soy sauce) and Samgyeopsal Gul (grilled pork slices). But customers come here mostly for their Kalbi marinated in soy sauce, which comes with a complimentary gyeran tang (steamed egg soup). The late-night meal of champions.

NY Kom Tang Soot Bul Kalbi
32 W 32nd St
New York, NY 10001
(212) 947-8482

2) Gahm Mi Oak – Seolleongtang 

Zagat-rated Gahm Mi Oak’s claim to fame is their delicious seolleongtang, or ox bone broth, served up 24 hours a day in the perfect milky-white color. Restaurant-goers that are familiar with the healing powers of Korean soup are sure to flock here for a quick hangover cure late at night, or early in the morning.

The soup dish is usually served unseasoned with slices of beef brisket, rice, and rice noodles; customers are presented with their own choice of adding in scallions, salt, and for a spicy kick—kimchi sauce.

Gahm Mi Oak
43 W 32nd St
New York, NY 10001
(212) 695-4113

3) Seoul Soon Dae – Soondae & Jokbal 

Those familiar with New York know that Manhattan’s K-town isn’t the only place to get a taste of high-quality Korean food—Flushing, Queens is littered with prime choices for Korean cuisine. Among them is Seoul Soon Dae which is located on Northern Blvd.

The house specialty that attracts diners is Soondae—boiled or steamed blood sausage stuffed with different ingredients like cellophane noodles, scallions, and rice. Soondae is typically considered street food, but makes for a very fulfilling meal. Also try their jokbal, pigs’ feet—it’s good for your skin and helps fight nasty hangovers!

Seoul Soon Dae
151-18 Northern Blvd.
Flushing, NY 11358
www.soondae.com

4) BCD Tofu House – Soondubu Jjigae

It is definitely worthwhile to list BCD Tofu House under our NYC edition as well considering it’s one of the busiest spots in K-town. Although the wait time on a Friday or Saturday night is normally an hour or longer, it’s a rare sight to see customers leave for another restaurant.

Food-lovers come to BCD for the boiling tofu stew, seasoned to your preferred level of spiciness, and for the varying selections of soondubu jjigae to choose from. BCD has undoubtedly mastered this dish; not to mention the other menu items are worth a taste, too, like the spicy raw crab or the spicy pork bulgogi. If you’re in NYC, BCD Tofu House is a must!

UPDATE: As of Dec. 31st, BCD Tofu House has closed permanently.

BCD Tofu House
17 W 32nd St
New York, NY 10001
www.bcdtofu.com

5) Dduk Tak – Comfort foods + 2-Cha (2nd round of drinks!) 

Dduk Tak—formerly Baden Baden—is one of the latest second-floor establishments to K-Town’s restaurant-lined 32nd street. Most of the dishes are said to be dangerously spicy, but they are well-paired with soju or makgeolli.

The restaurant-bar offers special deals for birthday celebrations, and on rainy days, customers are comforted with free pajeon (scallion pancake). Along with traditional Korean comfort foods like cheese ddeokbokki (spicy rice cakes with cheese), odang tang (fish cake soup), nakji bokkeum (spicy stir-fried octopus with veggies), and kimchi fried rice, the menu includes more exotic foods such as chicken feet, sea snails, and pigs’ feet—sure to sober you up!

Dduk Tak is comparable to Pocha 32, but with a cozier feel to it attributed to the wood decor and dimly lit setting. Although the restaurant isn’t open 24 hours, it is open until the wee hours of the morning after a long night of karaoke. Plus, it’s a great spot to go for a second round of drinking, a.k.a. 2-cha (pronounced ee-cha). They have colorful makgeolli cocktails!

Dduk Tak
28 W 32nd St., 2nd Fl.
New York, NY 10001
(212) 714-2266

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

A drive away south of L.A. into Orange County is a KBBQ oasis that focuses on the pure and natural flavors of the meat they serve. Wako Honey Pig in Buena Park doesn’t have the average steak or samgyeopsal (pork belly); instead they take a no-nonsense, purist approach to their meat and focus on the quality of food over quantity—which isn’t to say they skimp on the meat, because they sure don’t.

Honey Pig prides in serving only the best of the best pork which is taken straight from Jeju Island in South Korea with minimal marinade added in order for patrons to be able to appreciate the meat in all its natural glory. Flawless and beautifully marbleized cuts of meat end up on an angled iron grill top which allows the meat juices to flow down to the kimchi and kongnamul (soybean sprouts) and let it saturate with its flavor. Unlike many other KBBQs that try to detract attention from mediocre sauced-up meats with loads of banchan, Honey Pig chooses to place only those side dishes that will help you concentrate on the already intoxicating meat. The restaurant is known for their steak, heuk dweji samgyeopsal (black pork belly), and infamous chadol sauce, which many have tried to imitate and steal (literally!).

After the meat fest is through, waiters come and add bokkeumbap (fried rice) to the left over flavors of the meat and leave you feeling as though you’ve had one too many bites of meaty heaven. Make sure to add in some shots of soju, and, while you’re there, grab a free coffee from the sweet machine by the exit!

Little piggy, get in our bellies!

Wako Honey Pig
7212 Orangethorpe Ave
Buena Park, CA 90621
(714) 739-4504

[Photo: Audrey Yun-Suong]

It’s one of the most popular dishes at Korean restaurants and though it’s been around for a long time, the “Korean Bacon” has had a recent resurgence.  It’s called Samgyeopsal (sam-gyup-sal) and oh boy it’s really good.  The literal translation is the not so appealing “3 layered flesh”.  Surprisingly, I did not come to eat my first samgyeopsal until last year when I took a trip to Seoul, but boy was it cheap and it was so darn good.  And since that trip across the Pacific, my cholesterol has probably increased by several points.

One of our favorite Korean home cooks is Maangchi and it appears that she just released her version of samgyeopsal.   If you like pork and love Korean food, this is definitely a dish worth trying out.  Enjoy!

Source:  Maangchi

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