H-Diner: American Comfort Food All Dressed Up Tuesday, Jul 7 2009 

Itaewon and american food and h-diner and itaewon reviews and restaurant introductions and reviews deconstructacon 2:52 am


Here is an article I wrote for the Groove Magazine this month on the H-Diner. These series of articles are called introductions because the restaurant contacted the magazine and invited us to the restaurant. So how do I feel about H-Diner? It’s not bad. I would go again for a bowl of chili and a sandwich. The environment is great for having wine and to relax. The owner is also very nice.

Dan

H-Diner: American Comfort Food All Dressed Up
A Restaurant Introduction by
Dan Gray and Soo-Hyang Choi

H-diner is what an American Diner would look like if it was in Soho in NYC. It’s got the American ideals, but done in a chic way. When I was invited by the posh Kim Hyun-jeong to dine at her restaurant, I brought my good friend Chef Soo-Hyang to join me. Soo is a fan of American diner cuisine and she had been craving a good bowl of chili.

The beautiful Hyun-jeong greeted us when we arrived in her black cocktail dress. Dressed in jeans and Birkenstocks, I felt a tad underdressed. The space is very sleek with its high ceilings, white brick walls, dark wood trim, and orange canopy. It even has an outside balcony that overlooks a quiet field.

Hyun-jeong told us she wanted H-diner to have the food that she enjoyed eating while she lived in the United States. She is so enthusiastic about the restaurant’s food and that she decided to give us a tasting of her most popular menu items.

We started out with a chili and a New England clam chowder with mussels. The chili had lots of ground beef and with nice spicy zing. The chowder was homey and the mussels added a distinctive twist to the New England dish. This was followed by a medley of sandwiches on their homemade cibatta bread. We got a ham sandwich, pan seared shrimp with lemon sauce sandwich, vegetarian, and pastrami sandwich. Of these I enjoyed the vegetarian sandwich the most because of the mix of roasted eggplant, squash, onions, tomatoes, cheese, and sprouts. All of the sandwiches are very hearty and come with a side salad. Soo enjoyed the shrimp sandwich because of the lemon sauce and she really enjoyed the bread as well.

A full rack of tender, saucy ribs followed the sandwiches. The meat on these ribs fell right off the bone and the tangy sauce complemented the smoky taste of the ribs. They were so finger licking good that we almost didn’t save room for bacon cheeseburger. This all beef burger had 2 types of cheese: American and Monterey Cheese, 2 slices bacon, tomato, onion, and lettuce. The burger was cooked well-done, which I think is a sin. In the future, Hyun-jeong said that she would ask customers how they would like their burger cooked.

So that was Soo’s and my experience at H-diner. It’s a nice place for lunch, especially if you work at the Military Base near Capitol Hotel-the restaurant is right across the street. Also, the outside porch is great for relaxing with friends over a beer or wine.

H-Diner
02-796-6967
e-mail: geonsin@hanmail.net

Direction: Her restaurant is to the side of Starbucks that is right by Capitol Hotel. It is about a 10-minute walk from the main entrance of Itaewon. Buses 142,401, and 406 stop right by the diner.

 

Photoblog: Dang what a difference a good lens and camera can do Wednesday, Jul 1 2009 

American Eats and american food and matt kim and photoblog and san francisco deconstructacon 6:35 am

Chicken sandwiches and chocolate cookies

The foccaccia bread looks amazing.

A mouthwatering POV of the the chocolate cookies.

I am currently using a Rebel XT with a 35mm lens and I really think it shows in the photos. These pictures are from San Francisco. Matt Kim was kind enough to show me a few tricks on the camera and to loan me the camera for a little while. You can see Matt’s amazing photographs here.

 

S’more Keyboard. YUM! Sunday, Jun 28 2009 

american food and photographs and random web deconstructacon 10:26 pm

S’more keyboard with marshmallow keys.

Via Gizmodo.com

 

Taylor’s Automatic Refresher: San Francisco Hamburger. Sunday, Jun 28 2009 

American Eats and american food and hamburgers and san francisco deconstructacon 8:12 am

the famous burger all wrapped up and served on a metal tray.

A shot of the egg bun and slightly pink meat.

This is the classic American Burger at San Francisco’s Ferry Market.

It was pretty good, but is this a burger that’s more hype than substance?

It’s pricey at $6.99 for the regular hamburger. This price doesn’t include fries, drink, or tax. The meat isn’t thick, but it is juicy and with a distinct beef flavor. It should because they raise their own cows. This is the main selling point for Taylor’s. They raise the cows on vegetarian feed (so the burger is sans mad cow) and the cows don’t receive antibiotics or growth hormones.

The egg bun is thick and does a good job of sopping up the flavorful juices. I think it was a little too thick and took away from the meat. I agree with limited amount of toppings on the burger. Taylor’s hamburgers only have lettuce, pickle, and “secret sauce.”

Now the secret sauce is clearly “Thousand Island Dressing.” Now, do you think McDonald’s used the Taylor’s burger as inspiration for their Big Mac?

Overall, not a bad burger but not a burger I would rave over. I heard the sweet potato fries and the garlic fries are amazing, so should I go to a burger joint and order fries? I guess I could pretend to be vegetarian.

http://www.taylorsautomaticrefresher.com

 

Seoul Eats Becomes American Eats Tuesday, Jun 9 2009 

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for a short time. I’ll be on vacation in America until the 26th and here is my itinerary:

Seattle until the 11th and then
Philadelphia until the 15th
Florida until 19th
Vegas 19th-21st and then
San Fran until the 26th.

So…I’ll be writing about my trip until I get back.

PS. I need eating buddies! So if anyone is in the area around those dates, send me an e-mail.

My number is 12064840256. (I know it might be strange to put my number up, but I’m planning on getting rid of my $17 dollar phone after my trip.)

Dan

 

Chili King Menu and Directions Thursday, Jun 4 2009 

Itaewon and american food and hamburgers and restaurant menu deconstructacon 3:39 pm

This is a new thing that I’m working on. I’m going to try and get as many restaurant menus as possible so you can peruse the menu before you get to the restaurant.

Here is the menu to the Chili King with Directions.

If there are restaurants that would like to me post your menus as well, simply e-mail me at seouleats (at) gmail (dot) com.

Dan

The Chili King
010 6873 1304
Hours 11-11
Closed on Tuesday because the King goes to Three Alley Pub to have wings.

Directions go out Exit one of Itaewon Station and make the second right: make a right at “Pacific Shopping,” you’ll see OK2 Kitchen on your left. Go up the hill about 200 meters and you’ll see it on the left.

 

The Tale of how a Chili boy became the Chili King Thursday, Jun 4 2009 

Itaewon and american food and hamburgers deconstructacon 2:51 pm


When someone claims to be the king, there must be a reason. During medieval times, the king was the one that was the strongest and most ruthless. He was king because no one could beat him and if he was, then everyone knew it was time for the old king to be replaced. I don’t know if there was a Chili King before in Korea, now if there was he has been dethroned.

Let me tell you the tale of a boy who came to Korea and how he became king.
Kevin Crys didn’t come to Seoul to be king. He came as a man with ambitions to travel the world and have fun. He came as a teacher as most that come to Korea. Here he met other people like him. He soon made some friends, so he went to a few parties. At parties he found out that people liked to eat and he remembered that he liked to feed them. He started to make chili for parties and the people liked it. Then he went to other parties and made chili and they liked it as well. Soon he was being invited to parties all the time and he started to notice it wasn’t just for his fun and charming self; it was for the chili.
Sure it’s fun to make chili for parties, but he started to wonder if he could leave the safety of the party walls and take his food to the people. So young Kevin bought a truck and he started to sell his food on the wild Itaewon streets at night. Yet me tell you folks, he was the original foreign street food guy. Sure, there are new younglings on the street these days, but Kevin was doing this back in the day when the guy up near hooker hill selling hot sausages was still in high school, the kebap guys were still in the middle east, and the other foreign guys I see with their full mini kitchen were still in diapers. This guy was the original. 
So Kevin sold hotdogs and burgers for a while and his trusty truck held up to the wear of the road. Then about a year ago (2008) there was a International Food Fair and Kevin started to sell hotdogs with chili. His little truck had a line nearly a mile long and there there throngs of people salivating for his dogs and chili. 
It was on that day my friends, Kevin became the Chili King. He put his trusty truck to rest and he opened up his restaurant on the hill of Itaewon. Here you will find his hearty burgers, plumplicious hotdogs, Donair, and worthy Chili. 
The Chili King
010 6873 1304
Hours 11-11
Closed on Tuesday because the King goes to Three Alley Pub to have wings.
Directions go out Exit one of Itaewon Station and make the second right: make a right at “Pacific Shopping,” you’ll see OK2 Kitchen on your left. Go up the hill about 200 meters and you’ll see it on the left. 

 

A Blast from the Past: My Ode to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Monday, May 25 2009 

american food and candy and reese's deconstructacon 10:45 pm

It’s been a long week and I have many blogs to catch up on. Last night I went to Beer O’Clock for Hamburgers. It was alright. I’ll have to write that up soon. Also, I hope you like the new Seoul Eats design. I talked to many people and one comment I kept on getting was that the old design was, “too busy.” I hope the new streamlined look will encourage you to keep reading.

Oh, Reese’s. I love them and I was inspired to write an ode to them a while back. So the following is a repost of my old Ode.

My Ode to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Oh, disk of crimped delight- a UFO to my heart.
Abduct my sense of control; I want you inside me.
There you all dressed all coquettish in your pleated
school girl uniform. I pull the skirt down a bit to reveal
your smooth finery.

The first bite is like Bacchus’s first sip of wine;
I won’t stop until I have all of you.
The chocolate has a bite that gives way to
the crumbly salty peanut filling
that sends three taste buds asunder.
Oh bliss to be. Oh, bliss to be: Salty, Sweet, and Savory.
Tart, Bitter, and Spicy are left wanting
as Salty, Sweet, and Savory delve in
their orgy of decadent debauchery.

The isolated flavors watch with yearning, yearning, YEARNING
to be part of the flavor olympics held before them.
The chocolate lunges with in a perfect arc and stumbles in
a forgiving sandpit that settles the fall with subtle hints of
savory, sweet, and salty peanut.
Then it’s the next event.
The mouth and tongue tumble and somersault and pirouette
as they savor the essence
of this cosmic anomaly.
Oh, Reese’s. The apostrophe means I’m all yours.

But Nibbling bit by bit is so unfulfilling. I can’t take it any more.
I want all of you.
The rest of the skirt comes off and in an explosion, the flavor saucer is
gone.

 

Kogi BBQ and Chef Michelle Cho to attend Chicago Food Trade Show: May 16-19 Sunday, May 10 2009 

Michelle Cho and american food and kogi and korean food and mexikorean deconstructacon 10:03 pm

This is an interesting e-mail that I got in my inbox the other day and I thought you should totally know. I wish i could go to it, but I’ll be in Korean class. The Kogi guys are amazing. I mean they haven’t been at the game for too long and they are famous around the world. Geez. Think about it. One taco truck had the entire world talking. Now there are two and I heard of more on the way. On Tweeter they have 21,419 followers. I’m debating if I should stop over in LA just to find them when I go back to the states next month.Well, here’s the press release for the trade show.

Dan

Media Contact:

Grace Niwa, Niwa Public Relations

(646)-644-5799

grace@niwapr.com

“FROM ROYALTY TO REINVENTION”

A TASTE OF KOREAN CUISINE AT THE KOREAN PAVILION

Featuring Imperial Cuisine Chef Michelle Cho and

Chefs from the Kogi BBQ Truck from Los Angeles

Hosted by the Korea Agro-Trade Center, NY at the National Restaurant Association Trade Show, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL from May 16-19

NEW YORK, May 8, 2009 — The Korea Agro-Trade Center, NY, a government agency that promotes foods and beverages imported from Korea, is pleased to announce From Royalty to Reinvention, a unique tasting event at the Korean Pavilion (Booth 6848) on Monday, May 18 at 11 am during the National Restaurants Association (NRA) trade show held at the McCormick Place, Chicago, IL from May 16 to May 19.

Guests and attendees will experience traditional Korean Royal Cuisine prepared by esteemed Imperial Cuisine Chef and Culinary Educator Michelle Cho, who studied with her aunt, Hye Sung Hwang. She was personally trained by the last Imperial head chef, Hee Soon Han, who worked in the royal kitchen during the Lee Dynasty. To share their insights on how they reinvented Korean cuisine and made use of new media tools to build a cult-like following, young rising star chefs Roy Choi, Mark Manguera and Caroline Shin of Kogi BBQ truck fame will showcase their hugely popular Korean-inspired street foods such as their famous Korean BBQ Tacos filled with pork, short-ribs and chicken. Debra Samuels, food writer and stylist for The Boston Globe, will be available for book signings and a food demonstration from her book, The Korean Table: From Barbeque to Bibimbap, which she co-authored with Taekyung Chung. In addition, a select cast of Cookin’, a nonverbal percussion show that uses kitchen utensils such as pots, pans and kimchi vats as percussion instruments, will be flown in from Korea to do an exciting shortperformance to entertain attendees.

Having recently been called “The New Hot Cuisine” by The Wall Street Journal, there is a growing trend of chefs and restaurateurs incorporating elements or flavors of Korean cuisine into their cooking. From sophisticated fusion destinations to popular casual dining places, kimchi and kalbi have taken on new exciting roles on the menu as increasing number of Americans are adopting the culture and cuisine of Korea.

Participating exhibitors at the NRA Show include BJIF (bibimbap restaurant chain franchise), Daesang FNF Corporation (kimchi manufacturer), Daesang Corporation (hot pepper paste and soybean paste exporter), Human Rice Food (assorted frozen meals), and Sinanmade / Woosung America (sea salt purveyor).

For additional information about the May 18 media event or a schedule of the daily cooking demos, tasting and book signing sessions during the 4-day show, please email grace@niwapr.com. .

About The Korea Agro-Trade Center, NY

The Korea Agro-Trade Center, NY is the government agency entrusted with the promotion of trade, exportation, and marketing of Korean foods and beverages in the US. Through participation in major exhibitions, improving packaging design, advertising and other initiatives, the Korea Agro-Trade Center, NY increases familiarity of Korean foods and products in the US and markets them to US consumers’ preferences. Their partnership in the US allows them to maintain the positive image of Korean agricultural and fishery products through relationships between exporters and distributors.

 

Toque Dining Events Wednesday, Apr 29 2009 

Hannam and Itaewon and american food and restaurants deconstructacon 6:47 am

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know that Toque is having some specials this month. It’s a quaint restaurant that serves up homestyle Americana cuisine. I’m a big fan of their brunch, burgers, and chili. They have some other specials as well this much. Be sure to tell them Seouleats told you!
Dan

Dear Toque Friends,
 
I hope everyone is enjoying this BEAUTIFUL weather!
May in Korea is the “Family Month” of the year and we have some upcoming events for this special month.
 
1. We have started handing out Toque Stamp Coupons this month.  We give you one stamp for every bill over \30,000.
The offer is: a free cappuccino or latte after 3 stamps, \3,000 discount after 5 stamps, one free appetizer after 8 stamps
and 40% off your bill(excluding alcohol and Chef’s Course) after 10 stamps.  
Many of our regulars and enjoying this benefit and looking forward to the 40% food discount so come by to get the coupons.
 
2. May 5th is “Children’s Day” and Toque is offering a special deal for families with younger children.
On this day, children under the age of 7 who order from our “Kid’s Menu” will eat for free.  The portions are fit for 7 year olds and 
we will need to limit one item per child.  
 
3. May 8, Friday is “Parents’ Day” in Korea.  We will be offering 10% off your total bill, including beverages and alcohol(except Chef’s Course), to those families withparents wearing a carnation corsage.  
 
4. We have introduced some new items on the menu last week and some are already looking to be a steady best seller.  For example, 
we cannot make enough of the ”Garlic Onion Burger” and “Santa Fe Pizza“(spicy cheese sauce, chicken, spinach, mushroom, salsa). 
 
 
Please let us know if you have any suggestions or if you crave food from back home that you cannot get here in Seoul!
We’ll try our best to take you back to your mom’s table. 
Thank you and have a wonderful month!
 
Jane Chang     

장정은  Jane Chang
Owner/Chef  Toque Diner
682-1 Hannam-Dong Yongsan-Gu, Seoul
Tel: (02)794-3834
Fax: (02)794-3828

 

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