bon chon

bon chon
314 5th avenue 2nd floor, new york, ny 10004
6653 little river turnpike, #h, annandale, va
tel: 212) 221-2222; 703) 750-1424

what was consumed: large special chicken with half and half sauce

fried chicken in korea is awesome. i can’t exactly pinpoint how it’s different from the fried chicken in the states, but it is ... a little bit. but hey – don’t be surprised! koreans love to eat (myself included, of course). sometimes, i long for some korean-style fried chicken along with the slightly pickled radish and shredded cabbage topped with ketchup and mayonnaise (i know – sounds gross, right? “homemade” thousand island dressing. but let me tell ya, after buckets of the ketchup/mayonnaise concoction on top of your shredded cabbage, there is nothing else that goes so well. i am still NOT a fan of thousand island dressing, but ... ) that always accompanied an order ... of course, along with a cold pitcher of (albeit crappy, but DELICIOUS) korean beer.

while in seoul, i frequented a place called “kyochon chicken,” which they apparently have in queens, NY (maybe there are other locations in the states ... i should totally look it up ... later ...). they have this “special” way of frying their chicken, have a special sauce, and even have spicy varieties which i absolutely love.

people say that the US equivalent to kyochon chicken is bonchon (which may be true, but then that would totally go against the appearance of kyochon chickens ...). in any case, when my friend suggested that we go there (to appease my love/hate relationship with koreatowns), i couldn’t resist! just the thought of such lovely and tasty treats! even now, just the thought of it makes my mouth salivate just a little. the chicken is fried up in the same special way (something about it being double fried for extra crispiness) and you have the option of either light soy and garlic sauce or a spicey hot pepper sauce. you can get a smaller order or a larger order ... and usually they are really accommodating when you ask for “half and half” with the sauces. i will have to say, though, that the chicken is a little bit on the pricey side. that is, i’m sure you could get some pretty ok fried chicken elsewhere. but the chicken is really really good and worth the money (in my opinion, anyway). for me, nostalgia is an added bonus~

there are other franchise locations closer to me, but i have yet to visit the one in virginia or the one in maryland. friends have told me that it’s good there as well. next time!

*an edit of addition*

i've since also visited the site in annandale, va. similar to the nyc location, bonchon was a cross between the korean "sool-jib" and a restaurant (just the way we like it - haha). i don't know what it was about the time that i went, though, because the service could have been better and our chicken came out cold :( i still very much enjoyed it and will most likely be back, but i will be on the lookout for better performance ...

online: http://www.bonchon.com/ (korean and english options available)

la loma

la loma
316 massachusetts avenue ne, washington, dc 20002
tel: 202) 548-2550
hours: 11am-11pm (kitchen closes at 10pm, i believe), open until midnight on saturdays and 10pm on sundays

what was consumed: quesadillas, taco salad, fajitas, ribs! salsa, margaritas …

i love mexican/tex-mex food! so, when i heard there was a place right on capitol hill that was a favorite among my friends, i was excited to make my acquaintance.

they have a wide array of mexican/tex-mex foods – enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, you name it! you walk into a pretty standard looking restaurant, greeted by your server. you can sit either inside or outside (when the weather is nice, the outdoor seating is totally packed! totally popular~). once seated, they bring out some delicious chips and salsa. the salsa has lots of big chunks of veggies and is sort of gespacho-ish (ie there’s a lot of soup/water in the salsa, so if you like it like that, you’re totally in for a treat!). ohhhhh, and their margaritas are delicious! they’re served on the rocks and by the glass or by the pitcher. i, for one, prefer them by the pitcher (haha). during the time when i was a frequent la loma goer, the moment my group would walk in, the servers would know to get margarita pitchers ready … delicious!

but one of the best things (yes, even next to the margaritas) to get at la loma are … their ribs! yes, la loma was the first time i had ribs at a tex-mex joint. so delicious! and if you order them along with fajitas, the ribs are fantastic in the tortillas. but i warn you – between the chips and the large fajita plate, even the best eater will be overwhelmed with the food (ok, so it was just me, but … you know what i mean).

come to think of it, it’s been some time since i’ve visited la loma. a revisit is due! SO excited ^_^