Koreatown

Koreatown is more than a cookbook.  Sure, there are plenty of recipes including recipes for those tasty banchan you can never get enough of.  Finally, I make that killer potato salad because I know the secret is to use some Biofeel or Yakuit yogurt drink.

But it's also a travelogue.  I now know where I must eat next in Atlanta, New York, Chicago. Heirloom  Market BBQ, save me a brisket!  There's a section where guest chefs like Hugh Acheson, Edward Kim, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook, Paul Qui, and Eric Ripert contribute a favorite recipe with Korean flavors.  You see how Korean food is expansive and inclusive.    There's a section on drinks and sweets.   I especially enjoyed learning more about makgeolli, a drink I first sampled at Madangsui in NYC.

There are interludes where famous people like Jonathan Gold, Adam Johnson, Andrew Zimmern and Andy Milonakis weigh in and share their passions for Korean food.   A lot of name dropping as if that enhances the pleasure of experiencing Korean cuisine.

Laughed when I read the tips on "how not to piss off your neighbors"   Every once in a while, the power goes out and neighbors offer space in their refrigerator.  They love it because I have Asian refrigerator -- a syndrome where every nook and cranny in my refrigerator is jam-packed -- and I share my goodies.  In the interest of keeping my neighbors friends, however, I'm always afraid to hand over the kimchi and fermented foods b/c of the odors.  

Here's my kimchi marinade

Three containers of hot Persian cucumbers.

This book is for anyone interested in Korean food.  Everyone will learn something from this book.  Now for the disclosure:  I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Saint Martha: I'm a worshipper!

Trying a new restaurant that has generated a lot of buzz and good word of mouth always raises the bar, and hence, often increases the chance you will be disappointed.   Fortunately, this was not the case.  

The restaurant is small, intimate.   When we arrived, it was only 1/3 full or so.  You can sit at the bar, but the plates are stacked so high, you can't really see into the kitchen or talk to staff so we chose a table.  

Amuse Bouche

Chickpea hummus quinoa

We ordered all three appetizers:  the crab and uni cream, the chicken liver mousse, and the octopus.  The octopus never arrived, so they comped us dessert -- the panna cotta.   The deconstructed bagel was interesting, the salmon was the best part and a generous portion so it need more goat cheese, pickle and the everything churro.

The crab and uni cream

The chicken liver mousse w/mushrooms and praline hazelnut

giving it that Nutella taste

Deconstructed bagel

The star was the beet sorbet and roasted beets.   It was as tasty as visually appealing.  Must learn to make beet sorbet.

Everyone raved about the brisket, how long it is smoked, that I expected it to be more tender and moist.  Unforunately, our wasn't.  Quite dry.  The hoisin was a little overpowering.  We only ate half of it.

Although portions were on the small side, food was delicious, innovative and fun.   As is the wine.  Mary, the sommelier, is a self-described wine pirate.  I am crazy about her, and her wine picks.   She has exquisite taste.  She loved how DH could recognize a lambrusco from across a crowded room.   The food is excellent, but I'd also go for her.  "Some people collect wines, I hunt wines."  And she does.  She poured us a taste of a wine from Crete, since I had heard all about it.   It was fantastic.  Far better than the Greek wines my wine club focused on several months ago.   Mary promises new wines coming from Israel, North Fork, Long Island, former Soviet Georgia, Lebanon, all over.

I love how when you go to the bathroom, there is a tape on how to speak Korean.  The bad news, there's only one bathroom.   Other "bad" news, the wine list, thought eclectic, is expensive.  Yes, I know, so is the food.  The table next to us tried to split the diver scallop three ways.   When the restaurant is full (and it was halfway into our meal) -- it is super loud.

Panna cotta

Still, you'll find me worshipping at the altar of Saint Martha.   Perhaps, this is a good time to remind everyone I will write for food.