KOREAN BBQ CROSSES WEST OUT OF KOREATOWN
By Carole Dixon
For dineLA.com
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We’ve come a long way from K-town’s smoke-filled dives. Today, Korean BBQ has gone upscale and mainstream. From Marina del Rey to Hollywood, LA diners are sharing tables with built-in downdraft grills, flipping their own Kobe beef with tongs while tucking into spicy fermented cabbage and swilling trendy cocktails spiked with sparkling sake.
This is not to suggest that institutions like Soot Bull Jeep in the old neighborhood have been forgotten. This Koreatown staple still draws record crowds, and one of the main reasons — according to local fans — is that the meat is cooked over a real charcoal grill and not a high-tech downdraft. The downside: you’ll likely smell like you’ve been in a smoky bar all night when you leave. The upside: the marinated kalbi (short ribs) is one of the towns most highly praised. Another nearby favorite for the kalbi and cold noodle dish called dongchimi guksu is The Corner Place. More upscale favorites include Parks BBQ or Seoul Jung in the Wilshire Grand Hotel.
16 years ago the modern, high-end Woo Lae Oak opened right in the middle of La Cienega’s restaurant row. Co-owner Gina Han recalls, “My aunt decided that she was tired of people associating Korean food with divey, smoked out places, so she decided to open an upscale Korean restaurant.” Han also plans to open a new concept in K-Town early next year called Bann in the original Woo Lae Oak space that opened in 1972. Han was clearly ahead of her time and some customers balked at the modern setting…but only at first.
In Marina del Rey, Wharo opened in its unlikely location about four years ago. They kept the old-school charcoal grill but added a seaweed salad and owner Mijin Namgoong's homemade ginseng soju.
It still took LA a while for the craze to catch on, and just in the past few months hip modern versions of K-town restaurants have been opening around LA. According to Executive Chef and co-owner Robert Benson at Gyenari in Culver City, “It’s really been a neglected Asian cuisine. Japanese, Chinese and Thai have had their heyday and have all been brought to the mainstream, but no one had done that with Korean.” In addition, the health benefits of a staple like kimchi have been purported to cure everything from a common cold to cancer. “It’s a surprisingly healthy cuisine, says Benson, “Low in fat, high in flavor with lots of vegetables. It’s also kind of an event and a social way to dine.”
Benson adds, “We like to bring the cuisine mainstream so that people who have never tried it would.” For the traditional BBQ, they added wagyu. For the little side dishes, the chef took advantage of the California produce and added asparagus and tomato kimchi. Other hits include Japchae, clear class noodles with beef, spinach and vegetables, as well as braised short rib, which are slow cooked like an osso buco.
At Jian BBQ on Beverly Boulevard. Chef Lee Eun Sanbeing executes traditional dishes paired with boutique California wines by Josh Goldman of Bin 8945 and Bastide. On their BBQ menu you’ll find salmon, shrimp and tuna belly, as well as the more traditional bibimbop — rice and vegetable medley with an over-easy egg on top. Other popular dishes that you wouldn’t expect to see on a Korean menu include spinach pancake with crab and leek, Korean-style cod with spicy radish, edamame sautéed in black soy bean, and scallop wrapped in crispy philo dough with pomegranate vinegrette.
According to owner Mi Ahn, “We are not a trendsetter, but this was a void that was existing in the dining scene that we wanted to fill. You can go to Koreatown but there are few restaurants on the Westside. We were hoping to bridge a gap with the location and the contemporary Korean dishes. There is no fusion here. It doesn’t work with Korean food like Japanese.” And who can argue with a downdraft on the grill, so you don’t smell like smoke?
Over in the hub of hip Hollywood, SHIN is also embracing the downdraft and sporting a cozy-cool bar serving a Korean Kiss made with Ty-Ku-infused Soju. James Brown blasts out of the speakers, while a nod to him is also on the bar menu with “the Seoul Singer,” a coffee-Patron tequila with a splash of Coke.
The side dishes include extra special surprises such as a Korean potato salad and a fried hard-boiled egg. Owner Simon Shin and his family are known in the community for their eateries Shin Chan Restaurant, E Moon Oak and Beverly Soon Tofu. “People come in asking for my Mom’s spicy brisket soup and try and put me to the test,” Shin laughs. While the classic soup is on SHIN’s menu, new ones are in the making. The beef short rib casserole falls off the bone into a bowl of steamed rice and their marinated Spencer Steak, or bulgogi, melts in your mouth.
“There’s no Asian fusion, no avocado, no cheese, just Korean specialties,” says Shin. The restaurant’s signature dish — Shin’s famous ribs — are a bone-in, prime rib that’s been marinated for three days. And, for those who have yet to master the cooking technique, his staff is happy to aid the grilling impaired. Desserts include green tea crème brulée, and your check comes with a few sticks of melon gum (from K-town, naturally).
Corner Place, 2819 James M Wood Blvd., Los Angeles, 213.487.0968
Gyenari Korean BBQ and Lounge, 9540 Culver Blvd,, Culver City, 310.838.3131
Jian BBQ, 8256 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, 323.655.6556
Park's BBQ, 955 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, 213.380,1717
Seoul Jung at The Wilshire Grand Hotel, 930 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 213.688.7777
SHIN, 1600 Wilcox Ave., Los Angeles, 323.464.4100
Soot Bull Jeep, 3136 W 8th St., Los Angeles, 213.387.3865
Wharo, 4029 Lincoln Blvd., Marina Del Rey, 310.578.7114
Woo Lae Oak, 170 N La Cienega Blvd.,Beverly Hills, 310.652.4187
