Posted by foodiebuddha
on July 28, 2010
Just a few days ago, I stepped back into Hankook Taqueria and had a fairly flat experience. I’m actually working on that post as we speak. However, owner Tomas Lee just got a whole heck of a lot of attention for his Hankook Taqueria and their Yumbii Taco Truck that is sure to bring them a lot of attention. The chef was the lead chef mentioned in today’s article in the New York Times about Korean Tacos.
While the article doesn’t actually review the quality of the food at the various establishments it mentions, it’s a good summary text for those not familiar with the Kogi BBQ story. My favorite part of the article is the supplement slideshow, though Hankook is nowhere to be found there. The picture above is from my meal way back in the day. You can see all the pictures from my meal at Hankook here. I’ll have some more pictures up soon as well. Oh, by the way, the author was none other than John T. Edge of Southern Foodways Alliance fame. You ought to follow him!
Posted by foodiebuddha
on July 02, 2010
Last night, I rolled out of the house ‘bout 8pm hell bent on a mission. You see, Buford Highway is canvassed with Korean restaurants. It’s a cuisine I love and covered in the past and a culinary adventure reviewed extensively by stalwarts like Eat, Drink, Man (linky), Take Thou Food (linky), and Chow Down Atlanta (linky). My mission: find a place untouched by our collective obsession. That’s no small task but as luck would have it … the food gods smiled on me.
Stationed in one of the dime a dozen strip centers in Chamblee is a brand new Korean restaurant. It’s so new that they don’t even have menus and even the name seems to be debatable. The sign outside might tell you the name, but I don’t know cuz I can’t read the damn thing. For now, I’ve assigned it the title of Korea Soup House. It’s located at 7130 Buford Highway, denoted by a 24-hour sign, and sits next to Mirak, a Korean joint discussed by the aforementioned Gene Lee, aka EDM. Let’s put it like this … despite casual digs and no menus, I felt like I had fleeced them when I saw the $25.00 pre-tip bill they handed me.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on June 29, 2010
Intown Atlanta has no shortage of burger joints and pizzerias. Consequently, it seems that this reality costs us the opportunity to enjoy true ethnic food, as framed by our natural ethnocentrism, without having to haul booty up Buford Highway. Enter Wasabi Grill, a new Japanese/Korean smörgåsbord in the Home Park section of The Westside. While it may not be the most authentic endeavor, Wasabi Grill, like Miso Izakaya and Hankook Taqueria, is an attempt to give urban Atlanta an alternative to the Americanized sushi bars and assimilated Chinese restaurants that most of us think about when the words “Eastern cuisine” are used.
Having replaced Mosaic Halal Café, you’ll find Wasabi Grill on 14th street just across from Jimmy John’s. Open just about a week and change, I strolled by a week ago yesterday for a little “Linner.” While there isn’t anything about the place that makes me think we’re about to witness a renaissance, it did okay given the circumstances.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on April 21, 2010
And so should you …
Yes, Eat, Drink, Man just decided to drop some Korean goodness on those of us less fortunate. Check out his post (pictured above) and revel in the awesomeness that is Korean food. Since we can’t all hop on that plane … perhaps we can get just a little bit closer by visiting one of Atlanta’s many Korean restaurants. Might I suggest Café Todahmgol in Gwinnett, where Chow Down has been going for awhile. Yes, she’s shared this little joy with me as well as with Eat It, and the aforementioned Eat, Drink, Man.
Posted by foodiebuddha
on April 05, 2010
Mrs. Vennerable and I make it our personal quest to check out as many bulgolgi offerings as we can. That being the case, it should be no surprise that the two of us made our way up to Doraville and stumbled into Today Restaurant (or Woori Jip for the Korean in you) to add another notch in that bedpost. You see, most Atlanta foodie fanatics have made a food quest or two up Buford Highway in search of great grub. The area is knee deep in what we American’s identify as “ethnic food;” and, if you didn’t know better … you could probably spend a few years eating a meal a day there and never enter the same stronghold more than once.
Despite the endless array of options, a handful of restaurants in each cultural compartment always seem to garner a good bit of attention. In the case of Korean cuisine, Hae Woon Dae is one such establishment. Why do I mention HWD in a review of Today Restaurant? Simple, because they are smack dab on top of each other. Unfortunately for Today, Hae Woon Dae is a bit of a behemoth in reputation and I can’t imagine it helps to be their neighbor. However, as Vennerable and I turned into the somewhat off the beaten path parking lot at 5805 Buford Highway, the mystery of the unknown is exactly why we stepped out of the shadows for a meal (well, that and the fact that Don Quixote is closed on Sunday’s).
Snuggled between those two eateries you’ll find a demonstrative sign and a busy as a bee doorway. Behind that door sits the predictably styled establishment known around these English speaking parts as Today Restaurant. At first sight, the ground work was certainly there for a foodie discovery worthy of the “Foodie Finds” tag (currently reserved for The Kind Pie and Celia’s Carniceria). While the meal didn’t quite knock it out of the park like those two, we left feeling like we got our monies’ worth.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on January 07, 2010
Eat, Drink Man does Korean
It’s been a super busy day, so sorry for the lack of posts. However, I wanted to point out some required reading to all you passionate foodies. To welcome in the new year, Atlanta Magazine’s Christiane Lauterbach (of Knife and Fork fame) wrote a little piece on Korean food. The source of her information (and perhaps her inspiration), was none other than Gene Lee, who we all know as Eat, Drink Man.
The article, which was published on new years day, is full of good tips. Even if you fancy yourself an expert, it’s worth the read. Meanwhile, I strongly suggest you hit up the source. Mr. EDM was kind enough to share his thoughts on the topic, and include some pretty fancy picturas. I’ve taken the liberty of “borrowing” one for this post. Alright, time to go get my football on.
Posted by foodiebuddha
on October 19, 2009
A lot of people have postulated as to why Hankook Taqueria, the one part Korean cafeteria and one part taqueria, has opened on the Westside. Whatever the reason, the addition of a Korean inspired restaurant over yonder helps to expand the culinary landscape. While there are a handful of establishments that serve Korean cuisine, not a single one of them is in ears shot of Hankook. Further to the point, I’m pretty sure this is the first foray into Korean tacos in the ATL. These facts alone make HT a valuable addition to the neighborhood, even if the food isn’t anything wonderful.
The man behind Hankook is Tomas Lee. Lee, an accomplished chef, has already tried his hand as a restaurateur. Unfortunately, his eponymous Tomas in Norcross and Wok-In Wok-Out in Lawrenceville are both a thing of the past. Now this former Buckhead Diner executive chef finds himself much closer to the heart of the city in a very unassuming location.
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Posted by foodiebuddha
on October 15, 2009
In my evening web perusal, I stumbled on a new blog by the name of Live To Feast (website). It looks like the person behind L2F, whomever they are, is setting up shop as a restaurant notation maker, a twitterati, and a pretty solid writer (unlike my own rantings, I haven’t found an grammatical error in the two posts I’ve read). Thanks to a little help from Eat It Atlanta over on twitter, L2F took note of Hankook Taqueria in one of his/her earliest posts. Apparently, owner Tomas Lee has made Hankook an odd mixture of Korean food and Taqueria style tacos. Even with just a few posts to date, I’ve already deemed L2Fs barren feed worthy of a follow. Check it out!
Posted by foodiebuddha
on August 03, 2009
Bulgolgi has long been a staple of my diet. Ever since college, when I made weekly visits to the Korean spot just across the street from my pad, I’ve had a soft spot for Korean food. I was actually introduced to Bulgolgi over at a friends house and ever since then, I’ve been trying every version I can get my hands on.
Luckily, Eat Drink Man has thrown his hat into the ring. He just posted an excellent recipe for Bulgolgi over on his blog. In addition, he took the time to give you some details about the dish as well as some insider tips on what to do when preparing this meaty goodness. When you are done perusing that recipe, check out his Flickr feed as he takes excellent pictures
(photo via Flickr courtesy of LarimdaMe)
