Cheap Eats on the road (DC/Maryland): Korean food cart and BBQ

Because it is only a few hours away from NYC (and a cheap bus ride away), Washington D.C. makes for a quick weekend get-away.  We've gone there before enjoying the city's high-end, cheap eats, and drink places.  Though we did not have much time to sight-see (between business meetings and visiting our newborn nephew), we did manage to check out a couple of cheap eats.  Join us as we rush to find the Korean food cart in Washington D.C. and then take a road trip out to Chaps Pit Beef in Baltimore, MD.

I took the Bolt Bus out from NYC to meet up with my hubby (who was in D.C. on business).  During the ride, I used the free WiFi to search for places to eat for cheap.  I came across the Korean food cart - it was only a few blocks away from the bus drop-off spot and was opened 'til 2pm...giving me plenty of time to make it there (or so I thought).  With my bus running late (due to traffic) and my stomach rumbling (due to hunger), I was anxious about missing the cart (and then being stuck with room service).

When the bus finally got in by 1:45pm, I ran straight to the food cart (and soon realizing that DC blocks are a lot longer than NYC blocks!)  Upon seeing the bright yellow cart being packed up, I rushed and breathlessly asked for an order of Bulgogi Bibimbap.  Luckily Andy, my friendly server, had some food left over from the lunch rush.

Unfortunately, they ran out of egg (love the fried egg with bibimbap!), but I was still happy to try their Bulgogi (spicy beef) Bibimbap ($7).  The dish itself was large and substantial (I later shared it with my hubby).  Though it was not the best bibimbap I've ever eaten, it was nice to enjoy a dish full of vegetables and nicely seasoned (not that spicy) beef for only $7.  In an area filled with chain sandwich and coffee shops, I'm glad I had this option for lunch. 

And on the next day, my hubby took me to a completely unromantic, slightly seedy area for a couple of fantastic sandwiches.  After all, if Chaps Pit Beef was good enough for Anthony Bourdain and Guy Fieri, it's definitely good enough for us.  We were lucky to beat the lunchtime crowd and ordered our meal with relative ease.

The classic Pit Beef ($6) was an easy choice.  The beef was tender and moist (it helped that we ordered it rare) - definitely not plain deli meat.  We tried some of the sandwich with the sauce and vinegar, but thought it wasn't necessary at all.  The sandwich itself was so flavorful.  Though it may not look pretty, this sandwich was definitely worth the trip.

The gigantic Raven ($7.30) had roast beef, turkey, and corned beef.  It was a lot of meat that needed some sauce.  Though we preferred the other sandwich, we could see how others with large appetites and meat cravings would like this huge sandwich.

The Bulgogi Korean Food Cart is located at 1400 L Street on the SE Corner of L and 14th Streets (between N 14th St & N Vermont Ave) in Washington, D.C.

Chaps Pit Beef is located at 5801 Pulaski Hwy in Baltimore, MD.

Korea Day in Central Park

Walking in Central Park last Friday, I came across Korea Day in NYC.  Filled with entertainers in colorful attire and tons of free food, the Korea Day celebration attracted many people who were unfamiliar with the Korean culture.  (A guy in line asked me "what's a kimchee?" and "is it seafood?")  It was an accessible way to encourage people to try new foods and learn something new.  Enjoy these photos of the day!

I loved the performers demonstrating Korean traditional dance - especially the cute kids!

Crowds gathered to watch Ddeok (aka Tteok), or Korean traditional rice cakes, being made.  With large hammers or mallets (called tteokme), the glutinous rice is pounded until the rice cake is made.

The largest bowl of Bibimbap I've ever seen!  Bibimbap is usually my favorite Korean dish because it's a mixed rice dish full of vegetables.  Though not served here, my favorite version is the dolsot bibimbap, which is served in a hot stone bowl with raw egg.  The bowl cooks the egg and crisps the rice.  

One of the longest lines was for a version of Korean tacos.  We've seen this trend at food stands in San Francisco, food truck from Jersey City, and the original Kogi BBQ LA food truck.  This taco was an interesting version containing kimchee (spicy fermented cabbage), kalbi (Korean short ribs), fresh tomato salsa, and curiously Parmesan cheese all wrapped in lettuce and tortilla.

The other long line was for KFC or Korean Fried Chicken.  Unlike American fried chicken, Korean fried chicken is typically double-fried which makes its skin extra crispy.  Korean fried chicken is also eaten as a snack or bar food versus a full meal.  After frying, the fried chicken is then seasoned with various sauces.  My favorite is the spicy, subtly sweet sauce.

Korea Day will be an annual event in Central Park. Can't wait for next year!

Gourmet Food Trucks at Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

Usually we follow food trucks' tweets on Twitter to find out where they are and what they're serving.  Sometimes it's easy, while other times we're on a wild goose chase as situations (e.g. traffic, police citations, weather, etc.) change these gourmet food trucks' locations.  So when we heard that at least 6 of them would be stationary in one spot, we were eager to check them out.  We headed out to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market this morning to brave the crowd, soak in the sun, and eat our fill of Korean BBQ, BLT burgers, vegan doughnuts, and inspired ice cream.

Half an hour into the event and already The Krave had a ton of people waiting in line.  The Krave is known for its creative take on Korean BBQ (like LA's Kogi Truck, the one that tons of New Yorkers waited in line to try last year).  Because it's normally located outside the city (in Jersey City), we knew this was the one truck we had to try.

After a 40 minute wait, we ordered the Taco Combo ($7.50) which included the Sesame Chicken taco, Galbi Short Rib taco, the Pork taco, and a drink.  The tacos were all tasty as we loved the spiciness of the shredded kimchi on them.  Our favorite was the well-marinated Galbi Short Rib, which narrowly edged out the sweet and moist Pork.

We also ordered the Kravers (2 for $6) or sliders with Pork meat and Galbi short rib meat.  We loved the abundance of meat along with the Monterey Jack cheese and kimchi on the toasted brioche buns.

While I was waiting in line, my hubby went to get some "waiting food" from Go Burger by BLT Restaurants. 
After watching a recent No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain episode in which BLT Burger's Chef Laurent Tourondel demonstrates how to make the perfect cheeseburger, we knew we had to try it.

The Classic Cheeseburger ($6) is made with 100% Certified Black Angus beef burgers (a mix of sirloin, short rib, chuck and brisket cut).  The burger was juicy, with the right amount of pink.  My hubby also bought the Kobe Dog ($6) mainly because the meat is from Snake River Farms (which is where places like Per Se and The French Laundry have sourced their meat).  The hot dog, with apple cole slaw, spicy German mustard, and pickled jalapenos, was pretty good.

We've had the dumplings from the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck before, so we didn't venture out to get them again.  What looked really interesting were the freeze pops in Thai Ice Coffee and Mango Lassi flavors.  We'll try them when the truck comes back to our neighborhood (without the huge crowds!). 

What better way to beat the 87F/31C heat than with some cones from the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck?  Loved the bright colors of the various ice cream toppings:  sunny yellow (coconut flakes and curry), poppy red (perhaps the spicy Sriracha hot sauce), and green (wasabi peas).

We opted for the sweet Bea Arthur (vanilla ice cream with dulce de leche and nilla wafer cone) while our friend got a vanilla cone with cardamon spice on top (surprisingly the fragrant spice went well with the thick, creamy vanilla ice cream).

With all of the meat-loving trucks, our vegetarian friend wondered what was available for her.  Luckily the Cinnamon Snail truck decided to take up shop in NYC.  This organic and vegan truck is found in Hoboken, NJ and soon in Brooklyn, NY and features sandwiches, desserts, salads, etc.  

By now, my hubby and I were so full, so we only bought a maple glazed toasted coconut vegan doughnut ($2).  Though it seemed a little dry while we were roasting in the sun, it tasted better when we brought it home.  Sweet and nutty - it was a nice way to end our day in the sun.

P.S.  Other trucks on hand were the Treats Truck and (the very popular) Calexico truck.

{Dining Out} Jungsik

Jungsik amuse bouche

Can you believe this was only our complimentary amuse bouche? We had struggled to find a restaurant that wasn't offering an over-priced "special" New Year's Eve dinner for our last meal of 2011. Jeff suggested we check out Jungsik, a new Korean upscale restaurant in the Tribeca neighborhood. Jungsik had received some good reviews and it was offering its regular menu at our earlier 7pm seating.

From start to finish, we were impressed with Jungsik's impeccable and gracious service. The space is sleek, yet intimate. We opted to sit side by side (love these corner tables!). I chose their 5-course tasting menu ($115) while Jeff decided to make his own 5-course menu ($115). Because Jeff doesn't have a sweet tooth like I do, he asked to start with 2 appetizers in lieu of dessert (which the restaurant kindly allowed). From the moment we order, the food just kept on coming.

Special cocktails: Rose of Sharon ($16) and Melange ($16)

We started with some cocktails. My Rose of Sharon was nice for anyone who likes soju with a touch of blackberry. Jeff enjoys bitters and bourbon, so the Melange was his drink of choice.

Our first bites was the complimentary 5-course amuse bouche: Cucumber Blue Cheese (airy and served in a glass), House-made tofu (silky), Pizza with fresh mozzarella and kimchi (so much flavor in such a tiny bite), Fried chicken on a stick (addictive), and Sliders.

Apple: Foie-Gras; Complimentary smokey soup; Bimbim; Mushroom: Dashi and Egg

The foie gras dish was delicate and we loved the sweet and salty combination. The complimentary soup was very comforting and tasted like a smoky lentil soup with cured meat. I thoroughly enjoyed the Bimbim, or deconstructed Caprese salad. The basil sorbet was beautiful and I loved mixing it together with the tomatoes, mozzarella, and crunchy roots. Underneath the salty Parmesan disc was a rich mushroom dashi and poached egg that Jeff finished in mere minutes.

Spicy Kalguksu with Clams, Garlic, Jalapeno

Sea Urchin with Korean Seaweed Rice, Crispy Quinoa

Crispy Snapper with Cilantro sauce

Tribeca Lobster ($7 supplement): Butter poached lobster with Korean Mustard

Five Senses (Spicy, Crunchy, Sour, Soft & Sweet) Pork Belly

Which dishes would you have chosen? Jeff likes rich and savory dishes so he preferred the Sea Urchin, Crispy Snapper, and Five Senses Pork Belly dishes. The crispy quinoa was a surprise winning combination with the briny uni. The rich pork belly was sliced into bite size pieces - and Jeff liked it so much that he ate mine too (I was very full by this point of the meal). The snapper was perfectly cooked and though he liked the flavor, found the sauce a touch salty.

I liked the Spicy Kalguksu dish with the briny clams and mildly spicy jalapenos. My favorite main dish was the buttery lobster with sweet creamy sauce.

Complimentary palette cleanser; Apple Rice Wine Baba; chocolate pot de creme; Michters Manhattan ($17)

Our pre-dessert was a refreshing palette cleanser of granita (the fruit was similar to Goji berry) with Lavendar creme on top and Asian pear puree on the bottom. Since Jeff swapped out his dessert for an extra appetizer, he opted for a couple of Manhattan cocktails made with Michter's Rye Whiskey.

My main dessert was the Apple Rice Wine Baba with Calvados Cream. Even though I was full, I always have room for dessert! This dish was a fun one - like a deconstructed apple crumb cake. Our final bite (post-dessert) was an Anjelica Root Chocolate Pot de Creme. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.