hyo-ja bah-beh (효자바베)

hyo-ja bah-beh (효자바베)
서울 종로구 자하문로1길 42; also at ; also at 서울 종로구 체부동 210-3
tel: 070-8749-0019

what was consumed: bbq! cooked on a weber grill, on charcoal, inside of the restaurant (yes, it gets a little smoky). and a spicy italian inspired tomato soup. both are a must.

in the cute area near gyungbok palace (aka seo-chon), there is a strip of restaurants that we'd frequent after work (just a short walk from the office). hyo-ja bah-beh because one of my favorites. order the bbq platter and you won't be disappointed. beef, chicken, pork, seafood ... there's a little bit of each on your platter, sitting on top of some steamed cabbage (got to have some veggies, right?). everything is cooked on what looks like a weber grill, on charcoal. yes, you will leave the place sort of stinking, but it's totally worth it.

and be sure to order the spicy seafood stew. it's a cross between a soupy spicy spaghetti (literally. there are spaghetti noodles in the dish) and jjambbong. it's a little on the spicy (and tomato-y) side, but definitely delish and a nice part ii of a delicious meal.

yay for hyo-jah bah-beh!

mix & malt

mix & malt

종로구 창경궁로 29길 3

tel: 02-765-5945

what was consumed: sous vide steak, shrimp & asparagus salad, asparagus side, chili cheese nachos, ginger soda ... specialty cocktails!

i had been spending a lot of time near snu hospital. i knew of a few good eats around there (the church i attend is in deh-hak-no), but i was looking for some place new, some place i had never been. my cousin recommended one of his favorite places: mix & malt. thanks j!

tucked behind sung-kyoon-kwan university, in one of the alleys near snuh, is a cool, expat owned bar/restaurant that specializes in some good western eats and some excellent cocktails. food wise: i hear they're known for their sous vide steak. i don't know anywhere else in seoul that offers this (mind you, i have limited knowledge), but mix & malt does a delicious version, including the creamy mashed potatoes all covered with delicious gravy (salty! not sweet! excellent!). the other dishes we ordered were also delightful - well dressed salad featuring asparagus and shrimp, chili cheese nachos with homemade chips (and, again, not a sweet chili! love it), delicious fries, seasonal greens, etc. YUM.

if you're looking just for a place to grab a cocktail (or even if it's to accompany your meal), you're in the right place. the staff offers interesting combinations, as well as the traditional. sit at the bar to increase the likelihood you'll get a taste of the mixologist's newest creations. and even for you non-drinkers, mix & malt has a series of house-made soda combinations that are DE-LISH. i could really go for one of their ginger sodas right about now ...

also, if they are in, be sure to say hello to the owner and his lovey dog. the dog seems to love the attention.

mix & malt! go/come, sit down, have a drink, and enjoy. i can't wait to go back!

online: https://www.facebook.com/MixMalt/

craftworks

craftworks

651 itaewon 2-dong yongsan-gu, myungsan buildling 1st floor, seoul 140-834 (one of multiple locations)

tel: +82-794-2537

what was consumed: beer! and wings. and chili cheese fries

lush or not, you can't disagree with the positive addition to the korean food scene - craft beer! craftworks has a variety of beers, all named after different mountains in korea. neat! you'll also frequently see craftworks' fare in local restaurants around town. so, enjoy!

and for the non-drinkers (i.e., those who just want to EAT), fear not! craftworks has some delish bar food. fries, wings, and specials that will suit your fancy any day of the week!

i frequent the noksapyoung location. in addition to it being close-ish to where i call home, it also has a semi-indoor, semi-outdoor set up (i.e., patio). it's super nice to be able to sit outside with good friends. and good food and drink!

online: http://www.craftworkstaphouse.com/

phillies

phillies

44-17 Yongsan-dong, 2 ga

what was consumed: chicken wings! in lots of different flavors.

in the spirit of fried chicken, friends and i wanted to go korean-ized american style chicken wings. so, friends and i ventured to phillies on a thursday evening after work for the HH wings special.

phillies prepares wings in the way that americans bars frequently prepare wings: lightly breaded, fried, then doused with sauce. phillies offers the usual buffalo wings, but they also have a slew of other flavors! sweet and sour, soy garlic, tikka masala, ... , etc. because we wanted to try a few different options, we were glad to be a rather adventurous 4-top that was willing and wanting to try a bunch to decide which was our favorite (the answer is all. of course).

phillies also has a pretty good veggie platter with a delicious (they say home made) dill ranch dip. i wish it was also offered with the wings, but i was happy to pay for a side order of it. yum.

in the style of lots of dining locations in the HBC, phillies offers both craft beers along with more usual korean favorites. yay for lots of draft beer options! 

"they" also say that phillies plays a lot of the US games (namely american football), so for those of you wanting to do some sportsing, phillies might be the place to go. and let me know if you do because i could always go for some chicken wings. wootwoot!

online: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phillies-pub/170828282969113

a-town bar and grill

a-town bar and grill

4100 n. fairfax drive, arlington, VA 22203

tel: 703) 528-1110

what was consumed: seafood HH

kdk and i were determined to go through some list of seafood tower HHs in the wdc area. even though the list was pretty recent, the offers were already outdated. that didn't prevent us from wanting to go through this list. a-town bar and grill was the first on the list and since i was coming out of va for training, we said, "might as well!"

turns out, a-town bar and grill didn't have the seafood tower HH as the article said, but they did have a crab leg special. crab legs it is!

i will also comment that despite our initial plan for crab legs, we also enjoyed some sriracha wings and tator tots. i'm not particular about my tator tots (i.e., i can (and will) eat troughs and troughs of them), and these were no different. crispy on the outside, soft in the center, and sprinkled with finely grated cheese. YUM. and the sriracha wings! kdk and i were (mildly) concerned that the wings would be overly sticky and sweet, but they weren't! i contemplated ordering more of them or ordering yet another order of crab legs. hahahaha.

kdk and i had a great time - a great start to our seafood tower HH challenge!

online: http://www.a-townballston.com/

rustico

rustico
827 slaters lane, alexandria, VA 22314
tel: 703) 224-5051
hours: monday 4pm-10pm, tuesday-thursday 11:30am-10pm, friday-saturday 11:30am-11pm, sunday 11:30am-10pm

what was consumed: pei mussels fra diavolo (grilled bread, chorizo), home-made thick-cut fries (tossed in your choice of caesar or ranch dressing), creamy marscapone polenta (wild mushroom ragù, truffle oil), salt roasted beet salad (goat cheese fondue, blood orange vinaigrette, pistachio dust), duck confit & cracklins pizza (brie & sautéed onions pizza with chick pea crust), roasted mushroom pizza (mushroom cream, goat cheese, sauteed spinach pizza), bbq pizza (bbq braised pork, caramelized onions, cheddar)

there is never a dearth of eating options in old town alexandria. there are lots of different kinds of food, in a number of various locations, with a slew of clientele to suit your fancy. BUT, if you're ever in the old town alexandria area and in the mood for some yummy woodfire grilled pizza and a nice cold brew to wash it all down, i recommend visiting rustico. a bunch of us headed out to old town on a cold wintery day to see friends play a little concert. so, after the little usaf chamber group (?) performance at the masonic temple, a group of us head out to rustico for bites to eat.

rustico is known for their pizza and their great beer selection. for those reasons enough, i am enticed to visit rustico time and time again. for those who like options, not to fret! rustico also has a number of other options on their menu. delicious mussels, a most definitely creamy polenta plate, salads, antipastas, etc. they also have the option to select from their cheese/cured meat plates (there's a fancy name for this and for the life of me i can neither remember nor look it up - argh!). i haven't tried it yet, but it looks really good and can't wait to taste for myself.

friends in the group ordered a slew of things, so i got to try a variety of different things. the creamy polenta was definitely one of my favorites and something i'll have a super hard time not ordering the next time i'm at rustico. and the mussels! delicious. i could take bread and dip it into mussels broth all day long. yum.

and, of course, pizza.

with the slew of other things that friends ordered, by the time my pizza came, i was less than my usual voracious. nonetheless, the beautiful pizza pies places before me incited my salivary glands. they have a number of different pre-set topping options as well as the option to create your own (which is always fun as well). while the crust isn't anything out of the ordinary, sometimes that's just what you need to highlight the combination of the crust with the toppings. yum.

on the menu, i saw the option for the gluten free chick pea crust. intrigued! for some reason, i thought it'd be more chick pea-y, but it just felt like another crust (probably made with chick pea flour as opposed to anything else. i don't really know why i thought it'd look any different, but i did. i don't know what i was thinking). my pizza, unfortunately, was a little overdone, so the crust was a little dry and almost burnt. luckily, the duck confit and cracklin's toppings saved the pizza (i pretty much just ate the toppings ... which is what i often do regardless of the pizza crust). despite the chick pea crust disappointment, the meal was delicious and the group left with full bellies AND leftovers for the next day's lunch (yay doggie bags!).

pizza is getting fancier and fancier. and while i will periodically enjoy the quick delivery and convenience of fast(er) food joints that delivery right to my door, i will still fondly and often think of delicious options at places like rustico. just until i can visit to enjoy again. yay!

online: http://www.rusticorestaurant.com/

idlywood grill & wine bar

idlywood grill & wine bar
2190 pimmeit drive unit b, falls church, va 22043
tel: 703) 992-0915
hours: lunch (monday-friday, 11:30 am–2pm), dinner (monday-thursday, 5pm–9:30pm; friday & saturday 5pm–10pm)

what was consumed: vegetable linguini, wine~

as many know, i do not have a car (for now ...). as a result, i rarely frequent locations that are neither metro accessible nor walking distance from wherever i happen to be (i.e., home). but on this night, having both a ride to and fro, i head out to the suburbs for a night of good eats, and good sights. you see, a few friends and i decided to go out to eat before watching 'the dark knight' at the IMAX theatre out in the country of virginia (woohoo! IMAX!!). we met up at henry's place (to which i am scared to go back to for fear of being assaulted (again) by (for real) crazy ladies in the building!) and then head out to idlywood grill & wine bar.

the grill & wine bar, being in a shopping center, didn't look like anything special from the outside (but perhaps that is typical of suburban eateries in shopping centers ... gawd, i've been out of the 'burbs for some time now). but when you step in, there's just something about the place. the ambiance, the candlelight, the people, the fragrance of food ...

i almost got the seafood linguini (which is what i usually get when i have pasta). that was also what our server recommended. and while i know that each place has its own version of seafood pasta, i felt so boring by ordering "the usual." because i wanted to be different, i got the vegetable linguini (on top of wanting some beloved veggies). and boy, was it delicious! the variety of vegetables were cooked and season so that they were nice and juicy, filled with flavor. the linguine was cooked just the way i like it (not too al dente and definitely not overcooked), and the oil based sauce was just what i wanted, what i needed (i love pasta!). the only thing was ... i was hesitant to order pasta because i know that i have a tendency to get some pretty bad food coma post eating, and even more so after pasta! but the pasta others were eating and my own favor for such dishes won over. let me tell you - it was worth it!

i also tried the gnocci (and artichoke hearts) in a creamy pesto sauce that came along with the salmon entree (and, you know, i'm a sucker for gnocci - i love it!) which was also delicious. i love the faint flavor of potato that you taste as the gnocci melts in your mouth. it was combined well with the creamy pesto sauce, though some may say that the pesto and cream are a bit overwhelming. i thought it was more of a compliment to the creaminess of the gnocci. delicious!

in addition to the fantastic food, i'll have to say that the service was great (maybe that's because henry, a 'regular' at this place, was with us). they have a somalier on staff (who, i believe, also happens to be the owner of the place) who recommended some great wine to us. there was concensus at the table that the wines went really well with all of our meal selections (at least that's what the people i was with were saying. i'm not a wine-o, so i know little about wine outside of enjoying it - hee hee).

if there is a next time, i will be sure to save some room for dessert (even though i'm normally not a huge fan). there was a large variety of options that sounded oh so tasty. too bad there was no room in my stomach ... too bad!

online: http://idylwoodgrill.com/