tahoe galbi

i'm not sure quite what's happened to me since i got to LA, but i feel like i've been progressively veering away from meat, and particularly red meat. this, i must admit, is pretty saddening. especially when i'm known for my carnivorous, low-carb ways. i mean, people really don't know what to do w/me when they find out about that i'm no longer as into steak and that i eat dessert w/every meal (and that i eat bread when i'm in the mood -- *shocking*).

even though i'd just stuffed my face on an AMAZING sandwich (there goes the carbs again!) at clementine earlier in the day, i couldn't say no to chiara's 28th birthday bash at tahoe galbi. i kept telling myself to hold back when i got there (and i did to some degree), but who can really hold back when you're paying a flat fee for unlimited amounts of meat? (and despite what i said earlier, korean BBQ still brings out the meat-lover that exists somewhere deep w/in my psyche -- and my stomach.)

thankfully, i was distracted from stuffing my face again by the presence of my lovely HEOC cohortians (as oscar would say) -- patti from fullerton, jovan the hubby, dr. kim, miss d, and cindylu. it was fabulous to have us all together over the grill. but even MORE fabulous that none of them had ever had korean BBQ before. what a treat! especially since i love sharing experiences w/newbies. it's always so great to see folks all excited over food.

we ordered the kalbi (short rib), the bulgolgi (rib eye), the chicken, and the pork -- and skipped the tongue and the unmarinated meat (the two remaining options from the all-you-can-eat menu), neither of which sounded very appetizing. as we were waiting for the meat to come, we had a wide array of little dishes (like korean amuse-bouche) on the table to snack on. in addition, the waitstaff also brought over some boiled egg, vegetable soup, and salad. while some of the folks were a bit picky w/what they were willing to try, most of the group was adventurous enough to sample the bulk of the dishes set before them. neither kim nor de'sha were very interested in the boiled egg, and jovan wouldn't go near the gray-green, jello-like dish. but i must give everyone props for at least picking through the more bizarre-looking items. like patricia who sampled the bean paste w/the tip of her chopstick!

when the meat finally came, we nominated jovan to be the grillmaster. (though the ladies managed to do quite a bit of flipping once the meat was on the grill.) he did an impressive job, considering that he was wearing off-white. (seriously, who does that? ok, i'll give him a pass for naivete.) in fact, he managed to keep clean the entire night. (applause, applause.) we got the pork first. (which i mistakenly thought was short rib. then again, how would i know? it's not like i cook or anything. *sigh*) let's just say that the table did NOT appreciate the pork, which kim & de'sha observed tasted like uncured and unseasoned bacon. granted, i agree that the meat wasn't seasoned enough, but the reaction to this pork was quite FIERCE. this was likely due to the note on the menu indicating that any portion of meat left over that amounted to more than an OUNCE would have to be paid for. personally, i think this was a scare tactic to make sure we didn't waste any meat. however, the table took the note quite seriously, as folks were thinking of ways to pawn off our pork to unsuspecting tables -- or at least hide it in case of search & seizure. it was all quite amusing to say the least.

while the pork was probably the least appreciated meat of the night, everything else was thoroughly enjoyed, particularly the bulgolgi. my personal favorite was the kalbi, especially since i like meat off the bone. (which everyone knows helps keep the flavor in.) and from what i could tell, patricia seemed to enjoy the chicken. considering that we could barely get through the second FULL plate of bulgolgi, we made a point to ask for a very small amount of chicken. which the waitstaff nicely obliged us with.

speaking of waitstaff, i must say that the waitstaff was SUPREMELY attentive the ENTIRE night. from the beginning when they asked whether i wanted to turn on the heat lamp (seeing that i was shivering and all), to the end when they were taking our mini-chicken order, i was SUPER impressed. aside from having to grab their attention for water, they were at the table regularly -- helping us get the meat on the grill, asking whether we wanted rice, changing the grill halfway through the meal. and when we tried to stop them from taking away our meat bowl (which was originally the salad bowl), they promptly offered us clean dishes instead. even when we were done eating, they kept offering us more meat (which we had to kindly decline as our stomachs were expanding beyond the limits of our stretchy pants). there really wasn't much more we could ask for. well, except maybe some oranges at the end. i know i know, picky point. but it's so asian!!

tahoe galbi
3986 wilshire blvd
los angeles, ca 90010
213.365.9000