In Los Angeles, Strip Mall Food Is Way Cool. The great food is made better by the "anti-hip" atmosphere at strip mail restaurants, like the holes in the wall in other big cites. I haven't been to LA, but the thought of a jewel in the rough strip mall restaurant reminds me of the Korean restaurant in Burlington, MA on Cambridge St, on the right just past where the Filene's Basement used to be (great local directions, eh?).

I don't even know the name of it (the sign is only in Korean). I went of the first time on the recommendation of a Korean colleague. We brought a client who raved about frequenting Koreatown in NYC with a friend of his who had served in the DMZm and it passed his test. When I went for dinner for the first time our party of six had the only Western features in the room. I knew then I had found the real deal.

I've got a passive aggressive streak when it comes to vegetarians that came out that night. I said nothing as my friend's veggie wife sat in the middle set on their side of our six top, and secretly delighted in her intimate view of the grilling meat. Other examples: I invited a friend who was three months into a New Year's resolution to stop eating meat to a barbecue joint (Redbones), and invited an Indian colleague and his vegitarian wife to the Midwest Grill when I had a craving for rodizio.

10:18:19 PM    trackback []  

Amanda Hesser: "Some cultures serve spicy food in hot weather, which some people claim is intended to make you sweat and then cool down. To me, it has always sounded to me like stomping on someone's toe when they have a toothache, to distract them from the pain."

10:03:22 PM    trackback []