For some reason food always tastes better after midnight. There’s a 24-hour Korean barbecue place that I love. Korean barbecue isn’t that uncommon around here- there’s one particular neighborhood where you will see one on practically every street corner. But this place does some amazing things with the meat. It’s slightly sweet, which seems a little off for American tastebuds, but it really works. The ribs and bulgogi are tender, savory, and a hint sweet, and they have this nice crispy char and serve it with tons of little side dishes.
Not to go on and on about Korean food, but there’s also a Korean fried chicken place that’s awesome as shit. Maybe they fry the chicken twice or something, but the skin is extra, extra crispy and has some sort of a spicy glaze on it. It’s seared closed (or something) to lock in the juices, so it’s almost like biting through candy (just the texture), and the meat is tender, juicy, and savory. Then they give you these little cubes of pickled radish that are a perfect counterpart to the chicken- they’re so zesty, acidic and crunchy. Imagine the best, freshest cole slaw you’ve ever eaten minus the cream sauce. And they put little mini-kegs of beer on the table… fuck yeah!
There’s also a 24-hour Afghani place that I love. My favorite dish is chicken curry which has this amazing oniony sauce that’s full of ginger and black pepper. There’s also some sort of cow’s feet dish, where they take the fat from the hooves and boil the hell out of it with onions and spices until it’s this gelatinous mess that’s like the spiciest, fattiest gravy you’ve ever eaten. It’s great over rice or with flatbread (which they also do perfectly!) There seems to be both Indian and Middle-Eastern influence in the food, and again, everything is grilled to charred, smoky perfection. They give you fresh ginger, jalapenos, onions, cilantro, and lemon wedges as a garnish, and all this fresh zestiness goes so well with the meat.
Damn. I’m hungry.