cha_charoni

So I finally got to check out Honey Pig last night and boy I wish I hadn't waited so long. There were seven of us and we were seated after about a 2 minute wait while they cleared off a two round tables that were adjoined together. One of the tables had the grill in the table while the other one used a portable grill burner.

For the 7 of us, we ordered 3 orders of the jju-moo-lluk galbi, 3 orders of the gochu jang pork bellies, 3 orders of the marinated pork galbi. We also got 2 orders of the kimcheejigae as well.

My favorite of the 3 was the gochu jang pork bellies although all 3 orders were very good. The beef and pork was very good quality. The restaurant was very busy and quite honestly the atmosphere made me feel like were in a restaurant in Seoul with the way the restaurant was set-up and the busyness of the place.

The service was pretty good all things considered. The tables are small with the grill sitting in the middle of a circular table and there's plenty of people working there that we were able to flag down someone whenever we needed anything. They even left us a carafe of water for the table that was filled whenever it was left empty. For those expecting to find a plethora of pan-chan, this restaurant may not be for you. Here it's all about the meat and main dishes. We definitely went through a lot of lettuce and the lettuce/onion salad as well as the marinated onions that went so well with the meat.

Looking around, I did get some food envy and next time I'm definitely going to order some of the non-marinated pork bellies with kimchi as well as one of the chul-pan dishes. In the end, all of us were quite satisified and probably ordered one meat dish too much. Our bill came out to be $135 without tip for 9 meat dishes and 2 kimcheejigae's and itemized in English. A pretty awesome value but I wonder if they will increase the prices back to their original prices that they have slashed out on their menu. By the time we left, there was definitely a wait of people waiting outside to get a table. I'm sure on the weekends this place must be packed throughout the night.

I would imagine having a native Korean speaker definitely is a plus to help navigate the menu and how to enjoy some the items that you won't find in your typical korean restaurant.

Anyhow, can't wait to go back and try some of the other things on the menu we didn't try.

Just thought I'd start this thread since people were asking about it in the WLO thread. My parents got some take-out when it first opened and said it was pretty good. We tried going there a couple of weeks back and the wait was over an hour. Definitely liked the vibe when we first walked in and it reminded of being in Seoul. Anyhow, did some research and was able to find a website although it's mostly in Korean but the menu is translated to English with prices. After looking at the pics and menu, I think I'll have to stop by again soon and this time wait until I'm seated.

Anyone been yet care to give us a review?

http://kt411.com/adf/detail.asp?Blobid=81

Grover,

Thanks for the 411. Ever since Dae Sung Kwan in Wheaton changed ownerships, I haven't had good jjajang myun in a while. I'll have to head down to Annandale and check it out.

BTW - have you checked out the new ssamgyupssal(pork belly) restaurant in Annandale that opened up on Columbia Pike? I think its called Kooldaejib and is 24/7. I tried going there a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday night at 7pm and there was a an hour long wait which is unheard of for a Korean restaurant. The place was obviously packed and the place felt like I was in Seoul with the way the tables and grills were set-up. A coupe of friends have gone and said the place is great. I'll have to head back and try again.

It looks like Five Guys is a go for Nationals Park.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog...at_new_par.html

I've been there twice now, once back in November when we did take-out and once after Christmas when we dined in. The first time the crabcake was delicious and was a good crabcake. My wife really enjoyed the mac n cheese and thought it was done wonderfully although I didn't care for the onions in it.

The second time I went with some friends and we all felt that the crabcake tasted a little fishy. The fries were great both times. I think its something that I will go here and there but it's a little overpriced for what you get.

Bon Chon Chicken is opened on July 20th in Annandale. I had a hard time to find the location because the google map said it is near Yechon but I wasn't able to see anything like it. Finally I made a phone call yesterday and found out that it is located in the small size mall between Campbell Ferrera Nursery and Sambo restaurant. I imagined it would be like a take-out place but surprisingly it is a restaurant that serves not only fried chicken but also other Korean dishes and beer/soju. According to the brochure, it takes 20 minutes to prepare but actually it took longer than that even though we were the second customers. For Fried chicken, there are wings / legs / special (wing & leg) with soy-garlic or hot sauce but no breasts. Large plate costs $17.95 and medium one is $10.95. We ordered a special with hot sauce (large plate). Somehow, the server got mixed up my order and asked me if I can accept the soy-garlic/hot sauce half and half. Otherwise, she would order a new one but we were too hungry to wait another 20 minutes. The chicken is very crispy, tasty and not too saucy. No flour batter. Small sides (pickled radish and cabbage strips with thousand island dressing) were accompanied as usual. It is not as spicy as Cheogajip chicken. I would say it is a medium or med-high level of spiciness. The soy-garlic sauce is also good but not much garlicky to me. The portion was pretty good size for two persons. I'll definitely go back soon.

Grover, thanks for the information on the Annandale location. I'm sure I'll be checking it out when I'm in Annandale since it seems like it's a restaurant with other items than the chicken. The one in Lotte Plaza in Germantown is just a take-out type place since it's within Lotte Plaza supermarket and not even with the other restaurants that are on the other side of Lotte Plaza with seating.

I read the NY Times article that I'll link below a couple of months ago and was curious to see how Bon Chon chicken tasted like and to my surprise a Bon Chicken store opened up inside the new Lotte Plaza Int'l supermarket in Germantown. I looked around their website and it looks a new one is also opening up in Annandale [this link has the new location] on 7/15. Anyhow, if you happened to be up in Germantown, I highly recommend you try this korean-style fried chicken. It has a very light flaky skin and juicy meat that tastes wonderful. They have two flavors, soy garlic and a spicy variation. Both my wife and I were partially to the spicy one. The pieces of chicken are available in drumsticks or wings and come with a radish side dish that some korean restaurants serve as a pan-chan.

Feb 7, 2007 - "Koreans Share Their Secret for Chicken with a Crunch" by Julia Moskin on nytimes.com

It looks like they are opening on 14th Street near the corner of Q St in the Matrix Condos. They have an easel with a sign that reads Artfully Chocolate featuring Kingsbury Confections in the unfinished space. It will be next to Canidida's World of Books and the future space for Universal Gear also opening up in the Matrix. I live in the neighborhood so I can't wait for it to come into the neighborhood.

I actually stopped by tonight and had some take-out. The spicy tuna roll and spicy shrimp tempura roll wasn't too bad. Not as good as a good sushi restaurant but much much better than take-out sushi in a grocery store like Wegmans or what Whole Foods usually has. Also ordered the chicken teriyaki with bok choy and was pleasantly surprised although the portion was pretty small but probably equivalent to the $6 price. All and all, a good alternative for take-out or a quick bite at the counter.

Has anyone checked out this place? I live in Logan Circle and have passed by and was interested if anyone has tried the place out. If the food is good, definitely a good addition to the neighborhood over the Coffee Bar and Jamba Juice that used to be in the space.

Here's a Washingtonian link on the opening.

 

I have to agree that Logan Tavern is a pretty good neighborhood joint that does comfort food really well. I live around the corner so it's a good place for my wife and I to stop in and enjoy a nice dinner or brunch. A side of shrimp mac n' cheese always finds its way on our order as well as chopped salad. Their bloody mary's are also quite nice for brunch

Of course with Stoney's moving to the block, that has also been a good edition to the block as well to get something just a step below what LT offers.

cha_charoni

Thanks for posting your opinion (and welcome!) Interestingly, it was the comparison to Lighthouse Tofu (which I've heard others make before) that made me want to give this place a try.

So, the RPLC met for lunch there today. I was, all in all, pretty disappointed. I think the prices were slightly higher than Lighthouse Tofu (by a dollar or two on a $10 item), and I liked the food slightly less. I had a mushroom tofu soup. I thought it was spicier at Lighthouse (where they give you a range of 5 or 6 different spiciness levels) and the broth was more complex and more flavorful. The panchan wasn't as good or plentiful as at Lighthouse. I wouldn't tell somebody to stay away from Arirang, nor would i tell them to run to it. With another Soondooboo place I prefer in the neighborhood, I probably won't be returning.

It was interesting to hear your take on the place. Ironically, I ate at Lighthouse twice this past week because two different group of friends wanted to dine there. I do prefer Arirang over Lighthouse but I seem to be in the minority on this board and even amongst my friends although there are some that do prefer Arirang. But don't get me wrong, the difference to me is not big enough to avoid one over the other.

In terms of spiciness level, both places offer 4 types, white(no spice), mild, spicy, and very spicy although Arirang probably doesn't do a very a good job of making people aware of that on the menu like Lighthouse does by showing the peppers. I'm actually Korean-American so they usually ask how spicy I want my Soondooboo so I'm not sure if they made a difference in your group outing if there wasn't a native Korean in the group to translate and talk to the waitress/waiter. It's unfortunate that most Korean restaurants don't really try to be more accommodating to non-Korean clientele although Lighthouse probably does better than most with their menu in 3 different languages(Korean, English, Chinese). I didn't know this until I asked my parents, but apparently Soondooboo is very popular to native Chinese and is similar to some dishes that they have in thier cuisine.

Arirang is a good Korean restaurant that specializes in Soondooboo, a spicy tofu soup that comes in different varieties. They also have the standard Korean staple dishes and the panchan is pretty good although not as plentiful as the good restaurants in Annandale. But make no mistake, most people go there for the Soondooboo. Another restaurant that specializes in this dish is Lighthouse Tofu House which has a restaurant in Annandale and in Rockville near Twinbrook Metro. I actually prefer Arirang over Lighthouse although both are quite good.

BTW, Arirang is currently opening a second restaurant in Germantown on the intersection of Clopper and Liberty Mill Road behind the Chevron gas station in a previous Japanese restaurant in a small strip shopping center.