So I teased about Park's Barbeque back in March 2008, which was when I dined here with my high school friend, her husband, and his brother. We didn't know it at the time, but Jonathan Gold had just reviewed it in LA Weekly so the place was packed. Still, it wasn't too long of a wait before we were seated.
In contrast to many of the other Korean barbecue restaurants I've dined at, the waiters here wore all black and looked hip. There were also pictures on the wall of Korean baseball players who had dined here. Oh dear, you know me and trendy places.
Charcoal for the grill. Nice!
Lovely array of panchan (Korean side dishes).
Unfortunately, Kimchee (Korean Pickled Napa Cabbage) was not free! How can a Korean restaurant charge for kimchee? $3! This was meant for the grill.
Steamed egg, $3. Yes! Charged for this too! I've always gotten the steamed egg for free everywhere else. OK, it was darned good steamed egg, but it should be since they charged $3 for it.
My friend's brother-in-law's friend, who recommended Park's to us, suggested we get the rib-eye since it comes out as a whole steak they put on the grill. We also got two orders of short ribs.
Prime beef rib-eye steak, $33.
Once the steak finished cooking, the waitress came out...
...and cut it up for us.
Prime beef short ribs, $30.
Super tender.
There was no salad, only whole lettuce leaves were offered. We got a green onion salad, but I don't know about you, I just can't eat a whole plate of raw green onions.
We finished off with buckwheat noodles with cold broth, $9.
While I thought the meat was very tender, I felt the effects of it later that night. I was thiiiiirsty! I literally woke up in the middle of the night to gulp down a glass of water. Overall, too expensive and too much MSG for me. Plus, I'm just opposed to a Korean restaurant charging me for kimchee!
Other Korean barbeque restaurants:
Chung Kiwa Korean BBQ Restaurant - Los Angeles (Koreatown)
Feedable BBQ Buffet - Rowland Heights
Gui Il Bun Ji BBQ Restaurant - Los Angeles (Koreatown)
Hae Jang Chon Korean BBQ Restaurant - Los Angeles (Koreatown)
Hwa Ro Korean BBQ and Tofu -San Gabriel
Hwang Hae Do Korean BBQ - Artesia
Light Town House Korean BBQ - Garden Grove (Korean Business District)
Manna Korean BBQ - Los Angeles (Koreatown)
Miga Korean BBQ Restaurant - Rowland Heights
Ong Ga Nae Korean BBQ - Rowland Heights
San Ya Restaurant Korean BBQ & Noodle - Los Angeles (Koreatown)
Seol Ak San - Stanton
Soot Bul Gui Rim 2 Korean BBQ - Los Angeles (Koreatown)
Tahoe Galbi Restaurant - Los Angeles (Koreatown)
Park's Barbeque
955 S. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90006
213-380-1717
*****
1 year ago today, How to Make Nuoc Mau (Vietnamese Caramel Sauce).
2 years ago today, Top Island Seafood Restaurant (Dim Sum) - Alhambra.
Y'know, I've seen so many terrific reviews on your site for Korean restaurants and I still haven't been to one. I know, I know! But about Parks, I think I'd skip it for the quantity of MSG. The ribeye did look really fantastic, though.
ReplyDeleteNikki,
ReplyDeleteYou're not too far from Garden Grove or Rowland Heights and there are plenty of Korean barbecue restaurants in both those cities. Ong Ga Nae and O Dae San both feature ribeyes.