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ylkim30

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Everything posted by ylkim30

  1. ylkim30
    I have never been to a traditional, old-school Asian restaurant before. What type of food do they serve there? I have been to many traditional, old-school Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Thai restaurants, and never get food with rancid oil doused with msg. I have been to many bad, Americanized Chinese, Korean, and Thai restaurants and chain pan-Asian restaurants catering to a fast-food audience that use bad oil and excessive msg, but I would not call them traditional or old school. It's unfortunate that folks who never had good Chinese, Korean, or Thai food think that is what people frown those countries eat, and use those bad examples as the measure of the quality of those cuisines.
  2. ylkim30
    Kogiya is the best bet, but it's merely passable. The marinated meats are really too sweet, but that's true of most bbq in the area. There isn't great korean bbq in the dmv. Among Koreans, we like Nakwon. But only for samggypseol. (That's where I go with my embassy friends and other out of towners with traditional Korean palates ... not necessarily the place to go if you have an Americanized palate) --- To Sok Jip (Escoffier) Nak Won (Escoffier)
  3. ylkim30
    I went to First Down for the first time Friday night. A perfectly fine dive bar. Food looked suspect. Bottled beer was potable. TVs had sports on. I suppose you can't ask for too much more.
  4. ylkim30
    $65 isn't too low if you don't want to drink. Anything above $0 is too high. Anyway, long story short, better not go there if you're a teetotaler (or in recovery).
  5. ylkim30
    David Chang has done more than any other chef to elevate the perception of non-japanese Asian food in America. I remember as a kid, people (including adults) would see the food I ate at home and call it garbage to me and my parents. No one would do that now because of David Chang -- they know they would be seen as an unsophisticated buffoon (and rightly so). Who cares if David Chang wants to do his own thing...being Korean doesn't mean he has to slavishly mimic the Korean home cooking of a grandmother living in Jeolla-do during the 1970s. People said Jean-Georges re-invigorated French cuisine by using yuzu in his dishes or refraining from drowning his food in demi-glaces. So, why is Chang hammered for inauthenticity for doing the exact same thing? Why does Asian food have to be homey and cheap while only European food is fit to be served with white tablecloth and on porcelain china?
  6. ylkim30
    The lurkers are telling me the cool kids like nak won for samgypseol. It's good, though banchan is only so-so. But, that's true of all the bbq places. In terms of "authentic" flavors, you're looking at To Sok Jip and Blue Sands. To Sok Jip may be too authentic for most, Blue Sands is certainly so. Caveat emptor, but I love both. A friend likes Mr. Tofu. I have to try it -- his mother in law gave the banchan her seal of approval. In a similar vein, Lighthouse is solid, but I have an americanized palate, so ymmv. A real Korean (much more so than me) claims To Soc Chon is ok for soups. Personally, Annandale could use a Ponderosa Grill. Nothing is more Korean than meatballs and cole slaw in a taco shell.
  7. ylkim30
    To be honest, Kogiya isn't great. The pork belly and brisket are ok, but the marinaded stuff is so unbearably sweet. I guess it is the best bbq out of a lot of bad options.
  8. ylkim30
    I'm really hoping this place is good. We really need some more good Mexican in this town (though I am found of Taqueria Habanero, Super Taco, etc..)
  9. ylkim30
    I'm pretty sure it's the upstairs venue that keeps "DIK" bar open.
  10. ylkim30
    I had a completely different experience about a month or two ago. I thought the portions were rather large, and I was stuffed. Granted, the menu looks markedly different from the one they had when I went there, so they might have made some adjustments to pricing and portion size since I went, but I couldn't imagine being more full after finishing my meal. I think my dining companion and I spent around $100 -- though we didn't get drinks.
  11. ylkim30
    Agreed. The biryani is pedestrian, but the palak chaat and black cod are outstanding. It's better to get their more "chef-y" dishes, and leave the classics for other places.
  12. ylkim30
    Any noticeable difference between the Sushi Capitol omakase and the Ogawa omakase? I work closer to Sushi Capitol, but live closer to Ogawa.
  13. ylkim30
    The green curry here is excellent with vegetables that are properly cooked. Fancy that!
  14. ylkim30
    I love this place. The proprietors are so nice and the food is delicious. I remember really enjoying their potato and kale taco...super hearty and filling. And,they gave me some of their pickles, gratis, which provided some nice brightness to the food. It was a really welcoming experience.
  15. ylkim30
    I've been to A-Town once. It was one of the most horrific experiences in my life, and I live near Dupont Circle and U Street.
  16. ylkim30
    Churchkey had a very attractive looking poutine last night. I didn't try it, but it was a glorious mash-up of cheese, gravy, and fries.
  17. ylkim30
    To be honest, Bordeaux pricing is totally fucking weird and out of whack. You can buy a perfectly aged 70s left bank claret for under $100 induction, but if you want to buy a recent release that will take 20 years to resolve, it's $500 or higher. Bordeaux pricing is so driven by prestige purchasers, many whom buy the wine for investment purposes and bragging rights. I'm pretty certain most Bordeaux that gets bought now won't ever be drunk. Agree with Riesling pricing, though. The production is small, so pricing will continue to increase. But, I don't see it ever rising to Monrachet levels. Too many people knock Riesling, so I don't think jj prum will ever be at $500 bottle. Then again. I never imagined seeing Schaefer hitting $50 and Egon Muller kabinetts hitting $100.
  18. ylkim30
    Unfortunately, I think the pricing is the new normal. I remember getting jj prum ws spatlese for $25 ... I think the secrets out and we are never going to see that level of pricing again. The dry Riesling are pretty much in line with Austrian and Alsace at this point, and the sweeties are going to be $30 - $40 from now on, and will keep going higher.
  19. ylkim30
    MacArthur Beverages has the best German selection in the District. It's not even close.
  20. ylkim30
    This place has been open for a while. I have not personally gone yet, but my friends love it. Nonetheless, expectations should be measured ... you're not going to get Taro or Seki-level fish here. But, you also aren't going to drop $150 a head either.
  21. ylkim30
    Underrated place that doesn't get a lot of press. Really good food.
  22. ylkim30
    Verizon Center has to be the first time in the history of the universe a new stadium actually led to the revitalization of a neighborhood. http://www.downtowndc.org/reports/verizon-center-economic-impact
  23. ylkim30
    I heart the pea soup at Le Diplomate. Last time I was there, I ordered the soup with a friend, and we were raving about it for the entire meal. When's the last time that has happened...two grown men waxing elegiac about pea soup? I remember it having a citric element to gift it lift and brightness. Maybe lemon? Complemented the crab perfectly, tying all the elements of the soup together, and made it so different from your typical dense, traditional pea soup.
  24. ylkim30
    This place is decidely non-terrible. If you need to do a lunch or drinks for business/networking, there are worse places to go to.
  25. ylkim30
    Bacon and onion flammakueche is really good. Basically a savoury tart. Everything is basically good...it's brunch, so nothing super inventive, but very solid renditions of the brunch classics. You really can't go wrong.
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