There was so much food I wanted to eat in Seoul, but one week just wasn’t enough. There was the dduk I wanted to eat from the nice old ladies in the subway station (1 styrofoam tray for KR ₩1,000/US $00.84!), more street ddukboki, jajangmyun (자장면, noodles with black bean sauce), sweet potato fries, more samgyupsal (삼겹살, pork belly)… the list goes on and on. Fortunately, there was one thing on my to-eat list I made sure to eat before take-off to Beijing: my favorite, gobchang (곱창, small intestines). Well, not exactly but close enough, I ate daechang (대창, large intestines).
When Joo Hyun and Soo Hyun said we were going to go eat daechang, I was excited, but also apprehensive. The thing with large intestines is that it’s usually funkier than small intestines, and I mean funkier in a bad way. A little irony funk is nice, but too much and you need another bottle of soju to make it enjoyable. That’s been my experience so far in New York at least. However, when we got to Yeontabal (연타발), immediately I knew it was going to be different. First of all, the restaurant is strictly charcoal (숯불, sootbul). Meat always tastes better when it’s cooked on charcoal as opposed to a gas grill. Second, all the meat brought to the table was fresh. You could tell just from looking at it. But of course, even with the best intentions, food can be royally f*cked up. Happily though, with the help of Joo Hyun, I can report to the contrary. MORE »

My latest Raising the Bar post is about White Slab Palace, my regular neighborhood hang-out spot. It takes a while to get drinks or food, but the place is chill, the waiters/waitresses extremely laid-back, and the seafood fresh. Read “Raising the Bar: Fishing for a Bite at White Slab” on SE:NY for some delicious and some not so delicious details.
“Raising the Bar: Solid Bar Bites at Bar Stuzzichini,” went up on SE:NY this afternoon, or should I say, yesterday. (Late night for me as usual.) If you haven’t read it, take a gander. Five stuzzichini (appetizers or small plates) for $25. It’s a pretty sweet deal, especially when grilled head-on prawns, fried artichokes, arancini, and grilled octopus are among the choices. But if that’s not good enough for you, during Happy Hour, you get a free stuzzi with a drink at the bar. See, there are some advantages to being a wino. Embrace your inner drunk.
My latest post, “Raising the Bar: Banh Mi at Terroir?,” is up at Serious Eats: New York. Did you ever want to eat an Italian banh mi? Terroir has one with pork terrine, mortadella, and pickled vegetables. Is it a banh mi? Not a chance, but it’s still tasty.

This week’s bar food post, “Raising the Bar: Mixing it up at Bibim-Bar,” is up at Serious Eats: New York. I’ve been eating a lot of Korean food these days because I miss Seoul.
At Bibim-Bar I ate nakji (spicy octopus) bibimbap and chicken basil dumplings with a glass of makgulli (Korean rice wine). Mmm, makgulli always makes the world right….at least momentarily.
I’m leaving Seoul for Beijing in a few hours, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go online safely to write a post, so until then, content yourself with “Raising the Bar: Finding Venice in Chinatown at Bacaro – NYC” on Serious Eats: NY. I get romantic with some cuttlefish in Chinatown.
I have some exciting news. Every Thursday, I’ll be writing a weekly column for Serious Eats: New York called “Raising the Bar” on bar food. (Stomach and liver, don’t fail me now!) If you haven’t seen it yet, the first post went up today. Check it out. I’ll be having an extra drink tonight to celebrate. And if you have any recommendations for bars with unbelievably delicious food in New York, please send them my way. Help from my lovely readers is always appreciated.