Personalitini

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Korean

Koreatown

I live next to Korea(town)

Asian, Dinner, KoreanLizComment

Shilla BBQ for Dinner with Mom!

My mom and I attended an awards ceremony at Stern to support one of my very good friends, Christine. I'm proud of all of her accomplishments and I was glad I could be there to support her!

After the ceremony ended, my mom and I went to Shilla (no website, http://www.yelp.com/biz/shilla-new-york). This is a Korean BBQ joint right by my apartment. I've gone here before with my family and enjoyed it. We walked down 32nd St and looked at several other spots to eat (in the spirit of trying something new!) - but each had ridiculous lines. We were hungry, so Shilla, with no wait, was the clear winner.  

Each time we've come in the past, we've sat on the first floor. I was surprised when they said to walk up to the "third floor" - I didn't even know they had one! The restaurants in Koreatown are so large!

The small dishes of appetizers that came out before the meal (the "banchan") were super tasty! I'm still working on figuring out my camera, but tried it out at dinner - so bear with me!

Korean Banchan

Korean Banchan

Random pasta salad and kimchi

Random pasta salad and kimchi

Sautéed spinach, kimchi pancakes and bean sprouts

Sautéed spinach, kimchi pancakes and bean sprouts

My mom and I both love bulgogi. If we wanted to BBQ it ourselves, we would need to order two BBQ entrees. Instead, we ordered the bulgogi on rice in a hot pot. This was a way to have the meat style that we love without ordering a ton of meat!

Bulgogi on Rice

Bulgogi on Rice

We also orderer the Jap Chae, which is a clear noodle dish with (more!) bulgogi style meat and veggies. Some of the mushrooms in it freaked me out - they are large black mushrooms that are just aggressive. My mom and I both ate around them - it is a texture thing.

Jap Chae

Jap Chae

This is a solid Korean joint. I will note that it has a B Health Rating. I saw a place in Koreatown that has a C - how is that possible? Anyway, I've eaten in many Asian restaurants with B health ratings and haven't had an issue ever, just wanted to advise you!

Cheers,

Liz

 

Miss Korea is a BBQ Expert!

Asian, Lunch, KoreanLizComment

Finally Visiting this Koreatown Favorite!

I live in Herald Square which is right next to Koreatown. This is super convenient when you have a friend visiting that wants to try some Korean BBQ! I've wanted to try Miss Korea (http://www.misskoreabbq.com/) for awhile. Every time I went before it was super crowded, likely because it was at dinner time. This time, we went for lunch before our musical (First Date)k

Miss Korea is Pretty in Pink

Miss Korea is Pretty in Pink

We ordered two entrees to split: Veggies & Tofu and Bulgogi (a thinly sliced marinated meat served in lettuce wraps). Korean BBQ places load you up with a free arrangement of veggies, may of them pickled. It is always interesting to figure out what the food is, as each place has its own assortment of "appetizers". 

Mystery Appetizers! Gimme that Kimchi!

Mystery Appetizers! Gimme that Kimchi!

Now, for our Vegetables and Tofu! Along with the vegetables, there was a certain type of apple served. There was also an interesting dipping sauce; it tasted somewhat like a fermented bean sauce. 

Eating Corn on the Cob with Chopsticks...it's hard

Eating Corn on the Cob with Chopsticks...it's hard

Finally, the star of the show arrived: Bulgogi! It is my favorite: nom nom nom!

Meat: it's what's for lunch

Meat: it's what's for lunch

Out of the many Korean places I've been to in Koreatown, this is at the top of the list. I will definitely go back when my parents come to visit: they love the BBQ!

Cheers, 

Liz