and on a continuation of the festival of nations

(which somehow both involved cabbage delicacies)

I finally after living in LA for almost 5 years and being so close to Koreatown tried Korean BBQ. I have wanted to try it for at least two years but was pretty much blinded by the overwhelming choice of BBQ joints in the area. Well over 50 restaurants in a 5 square mile radius with names like Sa Rit Gol, Soot Bull Jeep and Chosun Galbi; I really needed a tour guide for a place I could take a 5 minute bus ride to. (By the way another thing I love about being here is that you can be so close to a completely different culture. See Anthony Bordain's No Reservation show on Los Angeles)

My friend chose Shik Do Rak, on 1st and Western, for us and I don't think there could have been a better choice. New to the experience it was great to have someone explain how it works.

When you sit down little dishes of things are placed across the table, Kimchi of various types (also a first for me-and the cabbage reference in the first line of this post) vinegar pickled cucumbers, fish cake (so good) pickled radishes, spicy pepper and peanut sauces and plenty of rice paper. (See pictured)

You order meats which is always various and wonderful cuts of beef, although for the more daring and non-united states centric palates there are plenty of intestines, stomach and other bits to choose from. I didn't choose to go that way. We chose Galbi, which you can see pictured as frozen curls of frozen beef and deckle which is a brisket, skirt steak cut.

You cook the meat to your desired doneness on the grill in the middle of your table. Don't sit too close or you will burn your legs. When it is how you like it you wrap it in rice paper with whatever you want from the table and eat and cook some more until you are so full you can hardly see.

There was also plenty of soju and this great potato noodle dish that is now calling to me from the refrigerator.

I have been thinking about Korean BBQ since I had Korean BBQ so I will definitely be back and will probably be in my new tour repetoire if non-vegetarians come to visit.