LOS ANGELES: chosun

3330 W Olympic Blvd. (and S Manhattan Pl)
Los Angeles, CA 90019
323.734.3330

PRICE: $$$$$ ($50-$60)
RATING: YYYYY (I love this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Drive. =) There's valet parking in the back.
RESERVATIONS: Needed if you have a big group.
MUST GET: chosun kalbi, sam gyap sal, ke jang

I grew up eating Korean food (my dad's family grew up in Korea) so I think I'm a pretty good judge when it comes to kimchi, soondubu, sahlangtang, etc. etc. Chosun is my favorite place in America for Korean BBQ (I've only had better when I was in Seoul). In fact, for my last trip home to LA for Chinese New Year, this place was the first restaurant I went to once I got off the plane and the last restaurant I went to right before I go back on the plane to come back to Taiwan. (Korean food in Taiwan is awful!)

I always get the same key dishes whenever I go here: chosun kalbi, sam gyap sal, and ke jang. Sometimes those are surrounded by hae mool pajeon, eundaeku jiree, and/or yookejang. Chosun kalbi is short ribs marinated in their own special sauce. San gyap sal is basically bacon (fatty pork), so if you cringe at the sight and taste of fat obviously don't get it. If not, make sure you dip this thing in the salt, pepper, and sesame oil sauce before you put it on the lettuce wrap or your mouth. Ke jang is raw crab in spicy sauce. I love this dish despite how hard it is to de-shell these suckers, but it's definitely not meant for the mild hearted. I'm not the biggest fan of hae mool pajeon, but its one of the better ones i have had so if you're a fan its worth a shot. Eundaeku is black cod for those of you who are curious. If you love spicy food and fish, I highly recommend this dish. The meat just comes falling off, but its not soft to the point of mushy. The sauce is great, especially when mixed with rice but usually at this point I'm too full to eat more. And yookejang has got to be one of my favorite korean soup dishes ever, but if you sweat at the sight of jalapenos or anything red-- don't even bother. The dish is basically shredded beef and vegetables in a redddd broth.

I recommend sitting outside in their nicely decorated patio, but despite the ventilation you'll still come out of this place smelling like meat. Chosun is one of the nicest Korean restaurants I've been to. It has a simple, modern decor that despite the years and all its customers has remained spotless. It's a nice place to go to bring a date, family, and even clients.