LA is home to an impressive koreatown. It’s sizeable and has tons of places to eat, of the korean variety, and otherwise. It also has multiple all you can eat korean bbq joints. I’ve never been to one, and I didn’t want to pop that cherry on this trip. So instead, we went to a slightly fancier korean spot for bbq and other food – Soowon Galbi Korean BBQ. We went simple and ordered the galbi. We only ordered one portion, so we did not get to grill it ourselves. They only let you grill at the table with two or more portions. We didn’t mind, because we were starving and didn’t feel like waiting any longer than necessary. Unlike any place I’d ever been, we were given somes salad, and the above accoutrements for the meat. Some dipping sauces, thinly sliced pickled daikon, and rice cake wrappers. I’ve been eating korean food and korean bbq my entire life, and I’ve never seen these accessories before. Is this a west coast thing? Something new I haven’t been made privvy to? Their selectin of banchan was pretty standard. They’re so anal, they have to line up the banchan dishes just right. I liked their kimchi, it was fresh and light, not very fermented, the way I like it.We also ordered haemul pajeon to have a little something else to eat. This was unlike any haemul pajeon I’ve ever eaten. It was super duper thick, like a deep dish pizza. And the thing was so hot and steamy. I typically like it more thin and crispy, but it was still good like this. But really, I prefer the pancake thinner.And finally, the meat! It was pretty yummy. Good quality meat, nicely flavored, not super sweet. It’s a bit pricey, but still a good portion. The service was really good. The dude that was our waiter was super polite and seemed to be fresh off the boat. It’s a bit nicer than most bbq joints, so if you don’t want to scare first timers, this would be a good spot.

Soowon Galbi Korean BBQ
856 S Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 365-9292

For my first night in LA, we decided to stay local and walk a few feet to Venice for dinner. There are many places to eat on this small stretch of Washington Blvd, and we ended up walking into Baja Cantina, a mexican joint. The place is pretty casual, with indoor and outdoor dining. We got a spot outside (but inside) far off in the corner. It was pretty cool. Looks like it’s big on happy hours too, where you get your own chips and salsa.
We got some chips and salsa and some guacamole. The chips are spicy chips, and they will deceive you. I ate one and almost freaked because there’s hidden chili powder on them. The salsa was a bit spicy as well. The guacamole with the little mini mexican flag was spot on and quite delicious. We were big fans of it.
They serve typical mexican fare… you know, tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, and the like. We both ended up getting non-typical stuff. Behold the above carne asada in a skillet. It came with rice and beans and fixins and tortillas so you could make your own little tacos. This was delicious.
I also went with a skillet, and got the muy muy mahi mahi fish tacos. That came in a tomatillo chipotle stew. Also quite delicious, with really big hunks of fish. And I was a big fan of the rice and the beans. Service was ok, nothing spectacular, but not terrible either. It was a nice first night out. The outdoor seating that seemed slightly indoors had good ambiance. It was low key and overall just quite nice. The weather has been nice too. Not hot, but not too cold either. But not exactly beach weather! Boo!

It seems like I was just on the west coast (and in fact I was), but I’m off to the old Pacific Coast again, southern california this time. And I’ll be heading off to the bay area for a weekend too. For those of you freezing you buns off in Philadelphia – see ya suckers!

At the good ol philly airport. How about them Phillies? Has the curse finally been undid? Hope y’all enjoyed the ticker tape parade!