New York Hot Dog & Coffee – 10.16.08

245 Bleeker Street
New York, NY
917-388-2608

With one of the highest turnout for a NYC venture,
the expectations for NY hotdog buzzed through the air.
Unfortunately the buzz turned out to be flies circling around a mound of dog poo.

a. bulgogi hot dog
6.5/10 with pickles
7/10 without pickles.
their most famous hot dog had a pretty good combination of lettuce, hot dog and bulkogi (bulgogi = korean meat). as a korean though, wasn’t too impressed. was extra salty with pickle, still a bit salty even without the pickle. still, it tasted pretty good. i liked the toasted bread concept.

b. J dog
6.5/10
nothing special, in fact a bit dissapointing
Jdog = pickles with relish.
c. chili cheese dog
6/10
ehh. i’ve had better. chili wasn’t really that good.

d. chicken dak kahlbi dog
5.5/10
do not try this hot dog. admire the attempt, but sometimes attempts backfire.
Overall Food:
6.5/10
bulgogi maybe is worth trying once. everything else, not.
Service
n/a, no waiter service

Decor
8/10
quite spacious, nicely lit place.

Value
5/10
considering it’s hot dogs, paying $5 for one seemed pretty unreasonable.

conclusion
the bulgogi hot dog may be worth trying once. maybe. for the novelty factor. just don’t get your hopes up.
would i consider going back there? nope. plenty of other eateries to check out in nyc.

side note:

across the street, there were 4 stores adjacent to each other,
a bakery, seafood, meat, and cheese store.
ALL RATED A 27/30 in zagat! for those of you not familiar with zagat, those are really, really high zagat ratings.

only the bread store was open at 9pm, couple of them tasted really good, the others tasted a bit stale (prob b/c it was 9 at night) but def worth checking out and buying from all 4 stores, especially if you are in nyc and want to cook. something i learned, don’t expect your food to taste great if you cook with crap. you cook with crap, you end up with crap. even the best chefs in the world cant make crap taste something more than crap.

singing off,
kangste
CDO

Bru’s Review

I wholly agree with our CDO’s review but I would like to highlight a few things.

1.  SALTY.  Bulgogi is already salty.  Add to that a hot dog and pickles and you have your salt intake for a week.  No condiments needed as they will only add to the saltiness.

2. They have a bulgogi sandwich, which is a hotdog bun and korean beef topped with the usual pickle and lettuce.  It is not bad as the flavor of the beef comes through with the added benefit of less salt from the hot dog.  Not much of a value as you get the same amount of beef as the bulgogi hot dog for the same price.

3. Decor is hip and trendy.  I was surprised by the spacious seating area in the back with wall murals, glass roof, music, and round stools.  Just dim the lights and add a DJ booth and you have yourself the hottest new hot dog lounge in NYC.

Overall, I give it 5/10 hotdog buns.  Check it out as it is something different, but there are better bulgogi and hot dogs out there…

-bru

You Chun / BBQ Chicken- 06.03.08

Mandoo Bar in Palisades Park unexpectedly changed ownership and is now a generic Korean restaurant. Eatclub calmly and cooly made an executive decision to check out a Korean noodle restaurant instead; one that the EC President has been raving about, You Chun Naeng Myun on Broad Ave.

You Chun Korean Restaurant

135 Broad Ave.
Palisades Park, NJ
201.363.1950

You Chun specializes in naeng myun, a thin noodle typically served cold and ravenously slurped by Koreans during the warmer summer months. The restaurant has a clean layout and subtle indications that it does all it can to keep people waiting in the lines that can form out and around the building. A fully furnished waiting area is provided; complete with water cooler, hot coffee and tea, cookies, benches and TV that rivals the best hospitality from your favorite neighbor.

The restaurant was packed on a Tuesday evening at 8pm (after the usual dinner rush). It was warm out which explains why Pal Park’s Koreans scrambled over for some soothing cold noodles. Every customer was also Korean. Good signs.

The banchan was sparse as there was only one dish, thinly sliced radish kimchi. Also was the standard asian salad: iceberg lettuce with ginger-like dressing. But lo, there was something unique in that carafe: not hot tea but hot broth. Seasoned beef stock to be exact. It was a little salty but tasty nonetheless.

Banchan

What is naeng myun you ask? Basically it is thin noodles traditionally served in a stainless steel bowl with either a cold broth [and kept cold with ice] or mixed with vegetables. Toppings include pickled radish, raw zucchini, asian pear, and halved boiled egg.  It is a savory, tangy, spicy and altogether refreshing dish.  See more here: Wiki

Ym and Paul ordered the bibim naeng myun, mixed cold noodles while I opted for the hwe naeng myun, cold noodle with spicy marinated raw fish (think ceviche). The noodles were unique here as they have a darker brown color made from special flour (chilk naengmyeon) with supposed health and nutritional benefits. Notice the shaved ice marinade, a nice way to keep the bowl cold instead of the usual plain ice cubes.

Hwe Naeng Myun

Bibim Naeng Myun

Overall, I was only somewhat pleased with my dish. It was way too marinated and overpowering with saltiness, sweetness, spiciness, and sourness. At $12, it was pricey for noodles and could have included more fish. All of us were very full however. You Chun deserves a second chance but this time I will for sure try mool naeng myun, the standard cold korean noodle.

Good
Brown noodles definitely different.
Clean and efficient.
Free food/drink before youre even seated.

Bad
Hwe naeng myun oversauced.
Can get very crowded, especially at peak times.
Pricey for a bowl of noodles

Ugly
Be prepared for mega kimchi-breath afterwards. No worries however, the immaculately clean and well furnished restroom has mouthwash for your rinsing pleasure so that your hot date can continue.

BBQ Chicken – BONUS REVIEW!

BBQ Chicken (off Broad Ave.)
Palisades Park, NJ

BBQ Chicken is supposedly straight from Korea and it was obvious. From the strange name, the crazy color scheme, to the outrageous claims, it is definitely an Asian import. Their motto is: “It’s not barbecue chicken, it’s BBQ.” And since when is “BBQ” chicken cooked in 100% extra virgin olive oil? (blank stare)

The steam vent/handle/signage shows Korean ingenuity. The packaging shows Korean FOB.

Sweet, salty, pungent fermented radish. The perfect accoutrement to the crisp bird.

Whole CRISPY fried chicken.

Nonsensical marketing campaign aside, the fried chicken was gooood. Not heavily seasoned and the least greasy fried chicken I ever had that was still juicy and moist. Even after a 10 minute car ride, it was still extra crispy and tongue burning hot. Be warned: chicken is made to order and ours took 25 minutes to make, so be sure to call ahead. Also, it ain’t cheap ($20 for whole fried chicken) so avoid if you’re on a budget. Still, it blows KFC out of the water and is a good example of what Korean-style fried chicken is all about.

-bru

Kim’s Korean Kitchen (revisted) – 04.01.08

(Lovee: for petting, not eating…that’s right, I’m talking to YOU Koreans)

New York

Kim’s Korean Kitchen is not the name of a restaurant but rather the description of where Eatclub is meeting tonight. The beloved members known affectionately as the Kims, will be hosting dinner tonight. Unfortunately, until Eatclub can buy a larger place for them, the Kims cannot accommodate a large group to cook for which explains the secrecy of this week’s meeting and the ambiguity of this posting. Do not fret however, faithful board members of EC will meet and hopefully some newcomers can join as well. Do not feel bad if you were left out as the rigorous selection process gives priority to dedicated EC eaters. To be invited in the future and be rewarded with such unique gatherings, simply attend more meetings and kiss butts of founding fathers and mothers. Simple as that.

Bul goh gi – marinated thinly sliced ribeye beef, Korean style (with secret tenderizing ingredient)

Kimchi pa jun – Korean kimchi pancake

Fried zucchini

Meh won tang (Konglish spelling?) – Spicy Korean fish and tofu stew

RIBS Sophia style (YmK pictured, not Sophia)

All in all, a crazy Korean culinary collaboration. I ate a lot of food and not because I was merely being polite. Everything was very tasty and authentic. Add on top of that, dessert wines hand delivered from California’s Napa valley by YmK himself and you have a dinner of epic proportions. Can anyone beat chef Sophia in a Korean food battle? I would like to judge that match. The shabby pictures do not do the food justice. You must experience Kim’s Korean Kitchen in person.

Good:
Delicious Korean food that will cure your hunger pains and bird flu symptoms and will tastily remind you that Eatclub finds excellent grub.
The RIBS! Sweet and spicy and fall off the bone tender. Perfect.

Bad:
My bulging gut after dinner.

Ugly:
Beer that lost its freshness in November 2007. Ugly but necessary to drop this perfect meal one notch so that I don’t die and goto heaven.

-bruce