Bulgogi Glee

The wife and I went on a triple date with some good friends. As always, we met over some delicious food, this time at the Korean restaurant, Arirang. We were all in for a special treat in that one of the diners is Korean and did most of the ordering for us.

Arirang specializes in grilled meats, which was obvious as soon as I set foot into the building. As I passed through the front door, the tantalizing smell of seasoned meats grilled over seasoned cast iron hit me like a punch to the nose in that I was momentarily stunned, pausing to enjoy the now. Once inside, my eyes darted around uncontrollably between parties grilling meats on the table burners and servers exiting the kitchen while balancing heaps of meat smoking on top of searing-hot iron platters. Muffled conversations fought to overcome the gradually fading hiss of sizzling meat.


For appetizers, we had a "shrimp and onion pancake." As you can see, it was just like it sounds. The batter, more like a crepe than a pancake, was marbled with pieces of cooked white and green onions as well as little shrimp. Each person got his/her own piece, which was reminiscent of a pizza slice. The pancake came with a "special sauce" that was probably soy sauce laced with fresh chili peppers, sugar, and sesame oil. Though I wanted to order another pancake, I was promised that the following dishes would be just as good or better. So I did what anyone would in that situation, I pouted as fiercely as I could.


The next dish dish was beef bulgogi. Though the Wiki link tells you what it is, it doesn't tell you that eating bulgogi is similar to using crack cocaine..without the addiction and eventual family dysfunction, of course. Every subsequent bite was me chasing that first high in that I continually ate an unhealthy amount of the salty sweet substance sizzling over the iron plate.


This was the pork bulgogi, which is just as delicious as the beef but healthier since it's white meat...somehow, I'm sure it's healthier...oh well, I wasn't counting any calories at this meal.


Like most Korean restaurants, dinner was accompanied by a large assorment of small side dishes. These were some of the sides that accompanied the meal. Though I've had these several times before, I still have no clue exactly what they are. Eating at Arirang is like eating a home-cooked meal prepared by your friend's mom, you ask for seconds, not questions. Growing up with this mindset has conditioned my stomach and palate to stare down challenges like a marine in combat. All the sides were some sort of pickled vegetable with spices and all did a great job of preventing me from realizing how much oily meat I was actually eating.


This is my wife's favorite, a kind of tofu soup with seafood. The salty broth was infused with onions and spicy peppers, hence the orangey-red color. Beneath its surface was a piping hot mix of soft tofu, shrimp, mussels, scallops and squid. Though it's intended to be eaten alone, like a soup, my wife prefers it over white rice. Her preference worked out beautifully since she filled up quickly with the additional rice leaving more for me to enjoy.


This grilled mackerel was phenomenal. No analogies here, just phenomenal. I admit I'm usually a sucker for whole fish but this was on another level. The mackerel was cleaned, butterflied, sprinkled with salt, and broiled. That was it. And yet, this simplicity that adds to the phenomenon. Mackerel is a bony, oily fish with a stronger flavor than other fish, which makes it my preferred fish. This preparation intensified those qualities that I love. The broiling seemed to essentially sear the fish, locking in all that moist, oily goodness and rendered all the exposed fins and bones as brittle as potato chips (and yes, I ate all the fin chips I could). The dusting of salt complimented its intense flavor making it a perfect for warm fluffy white rice. And the regular process of using my teeth to extract bones was entertaining to everyone in the party, making this mackerel the life of the party.

Much thanks to Trista and Marcos for ordering new and exciting dishes I wouldn't have known about otherwise and thanks to Dante and Jodi for their adventurous spirit in trying these dishes for the first time like my wife and me. Through good food and great friends, I do believe I was closer to enlightenment while eating this meal.

Food at the Rich Port

The wife and I spent our Christmas holiday in sunny Puerto Rico with the family. In addition to lounging on sandy beaches and getting sunburnt, I got to sample some Puerto Rican food, or as the locals call it, comida.

We had one of our meals in Old San Juan at La Mallorquina, which specializes in traditional Puerto Rican fare.


I ordered the chuleta de cerda ala parilla (grilled pork chop with grilled seasonal vegetables and yellow rice). Though a little dry, the pork was seasoned well. Salt and pepper dominated the flavor with faint hints of other spices, including garlic and chili powder. The accompanying peppers and peas seemed to have been blanched and then tossed in a vinegar-based sauce, adding a lightly sour contrast to the rich, meaty pork. The yellow rice was fluffy and aromatic from the chicken broth used in cooking it. It was a satisfying dish, but not spectacular.


My wife ordered the asopao de mariscos, a type of seafood stew. This dish is the eatery's claim to fame and it was evident. The bowl was full of shrimp, scallops, squid and mussels. The seafood was very fresh and perfectly cooked. The nearly soupy rice was deliciously seasoned to compliment the fresh shellfish. When combined with the bland fried plantain pieces tucked in on the sides of the bowl, it was like a symphony of sabor in my mouth. The only disappointment was my wife eating much more of her dish than she normally would.


I washed down all the deliciousness with this awesome mojito, easily the best one I've ever had.


After a long hard day in the sun and sand, we stopped into a beach-side hole-in-the-wall establishment called Costa Mia to silence our disgruntled stomachs.


For starters, we ordered some empanadillas de amarones y cebollas (little empanadas with shrimp and onions). The fresh shrimp, peppers and onions were marinated with a light vinegar mixture and stuffed in crispy fried pockets of yummy. Oh Mylanta, these circular sandwiches were amazing! The vinegar helped cut through the oily dough, allowing my taste buds to hone in on the interplay of fresh shrimp, spicy onions and sweet peppers. I was tempted to gorge myself on more but after so many years of focused eating, I was disciplined enough to wait for the main course.


For my entree, I ordered mofongo con carne frita. Mofongo is a dish said to originate in Puerto Rico. It consists of mashed green plantains that are shaped and baked. Though I don't know if all mofongo is shaped like this one, mine functioned like an upside-down cup where the hollow interior was stuffed with pieces of fried pork simply seasoned with salt and pepper. The mofongo was similar to slightly undercooked potatoes; it was bland, firm and slightly chewy. I didn't care for it much by itself, but with the salty, fatty pieces of pork, the combination was like algebra, looks weird at first, but after you've had it, it just makes sense.

As I mentioned earlier, we were traveling with the family, so most of the remaining meals consisted of attempts at recreating traditional Vietnamese dishes with local ingredients. It wouldn't be a family vacation otherwise! For example:


My in-laws made these succulent beef dishes with the freshest ingredients they could find that day. Though at first I was frustrated because each meal at the rental house meant one less meal with the locals, my frustration was soon ameliorated by the smells permeating the rooms. My only quibble about the food was that, though the store had many other exotic produce, my in-laws stuck with what they knew how to cook rather than experimenting with new ingredients. This was understandable because they didn't want to risk ruining a meal due to unfamiliarity with a foreign food item. But I for one would have loved the culinary adventure. And you may ask, "why didn't you cook up something?" That's because I know better than to get in the way of 6 Vietnamese women cooking in one kitchen. Forget Survivor, there should be a reality show where a group of mothers are forced to cook a meal in one kitchen at the same time. Only then will the world see real drama.

Dinner by the Fountain

Visited some good friends in Philly for the weekend. Knowing how much I love to eat, they planned an entire weekend of gluttony. Our first meal was at La Fontana Della Citta, a quaint BYOB Italian restaurant near the heart of the city.


For starters, we whetted our appetites with an order of calamari fritti. These were some of the best I've had. The pieces of squid were plump and tender. The breading was crisp and light. The marinara was warm and chunky. My only complaint was there there were no pieces of tentacle. Though I like squid tubes, I LOVE me some squid tentacles. Next time I'll remember to request for some.


This is their rack of lamb. I originally ordered the osso buco but they were out at the time. The brown sauce looked delicious but neither added nor detracted from the dish. Because it was bland, I just took it to be a means to keep the meat moist. Despite being a bit tough, the lamb was flavorful and thoroughly enjoyed by my taste buds. As I always do when eating a rack of lamb, I make a first pass using fork and knife but then finish off the dish with my fingers clinching the rib bones and my teeth tearing off every last bit of meaty goodness.


My wife go their seafood risotto, of which I ate half. The seafood was superb but the rice wasn't. Undercooked, the grains did not absorb the creaminess of butter sauce. This was a minor setback since we simply ate around the rice. The seafood itself was delicious. Fresh and properly cooked, the mussels, squid, scallops and shrimp were all tender and plump with flavor.

When considering the food only, we had a pleasant experience at this eatery. But coupled with the great company at dinner, we loved the restaurant and would revisit when possible.

Home-Cooked Goodness

It's always busy right before the holidays. But for some reason, this is also the time I get really lazy, so I've been behind.

Today I'm sharing some home-cooked goodness.


This first spread was graciously served when I visited a good friend in Rowlett. I apologize for the foto's focal plane being to shallow. It's a build-your-own-spring-roll meal, similar to this one. The sliced beef was marinated in lemongrass, salt and secret spices. The shrimp wasn't marinated. For those unfamiliar with this set up, here's how things work:

1. Cook the meat in a lot of butter in the hot pot
2. Once cooked, combine meat with rice vermicelli, lettuce and cilantro and wrap in rice paper wrapper
3. Depending on your liking, dip it in the accompanying fish sauce (some folks may find the fish sauce too pungent, but, like Goldilocks in Baby Bear's bed, I found it was just right)
4. Guzzle some beer
5. Laugh with good friends
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5

As for how it tasted, IMHO, the combination of minced lemongrass and salt is as delicious as A and W. In the wild, lemongrass looks like a huge weed. In the grocery store, it looks like hard, dried green onions. But at the dinner table, it looks like there won't be any leftovers. It tastes like the illegitimate offspring of a lemon and lawn clippings. Sounds weird, I know. I really don't do it justice but that's what it tastes like. And once you had it, you won't forget it.

The rice vermicelli emulsified the oily, fatty meats with the crisp, fresh veggies so that you can enjoy all the flavors without getting sick of too much meat of veggies. The noodles also served as a means to capture plenty of fish sauce. With beef and shrimp in the same bite, it's the Asian version of surf and turf.


Our next home-cooked meal came from my mother-in-law. This woman loves to cook. See how the foto has enough food for 6 people? Yeah, all that was served for only 3. In one of my earlier posts, I covered Laotian nem. Well, here's one of the Vietnamese versions. Though I haven't asked her for her secrets yet, I have a hunch that it is a mixture of pork, beef and lemongrass. I know she then shapes it, steams it, and then grills the cooked meat mixture. Once cooked, it's split lengthwise and covered in cooked green onions. The green onions are cooked in plenty of hot oil just until fragrant. The Vietnamese term for the cooked green onion literally translate to "fat onions." The plate of greens consists of lettuce, a type of mint, and more green onions. In a bowl, combine the noodles, meat, and veggies. Add chili paste and fish sauce as desired and garnish with peanuts.

As I mentioned above, lemongrass and salt is a great combination, especially for beef and pork. And since the nem has both beef and pork, it's a no-brainer. The oil infused with green onion coats the meat and adds aroma and grease to the meat. Throw in the salty fish sauce and spicy chili paste and you have a symphony of flavors in your mouth. I ended up eating much more than I needed, as usual.

The Mallard from Peking

Had dinner with my folks at Sing Kee. Like before, I ordered the ridiculously delicious sizzling bean curd. This time around, I also tried their Peking duck for the first time, but it won't be my last.


The skin was crispy and separated from the meat, which is due to air injected under the skin before cooking. The meat was moist, tender, and full of duckiness. It helped that the duck was mostly deboned and cautiously carved for easy access. I began by eating the duck without any of the sides but that soon became unctuous since I needed something to balance out the lardy mallard.


Here's the entire spread that comes with an order of Peking duck. From the back to the front are steamed buns, duck, hoisin sauce, cilantro and green onions. The buns, sometimes referred to as pancakes, function similar to a tortilla or hot-dog bun in that it folds over the other foods. They were served freshly steamed so that they're moist and soft. So how does assembly work? Well, it works kind of like taco night at home. You grab a bun, spread on some hoisin sauce, add as much meat or greens as you like and chow down.

I had a blast eating the duck but am told that there are places in Houston that make it better. Terrific! This further cements my belief that life is a series of little food quests.