My Last Meal(s) in LA - Part 1

A preview of coming attractions - some excellent mandu from Myung Dong Kyoja:

I recently said good-bye to my hometown, Los Angeles.  As the close of escrow on my late mother's house approached, I went back for a few days in order to finish up the remainder of the house business.  Besides driving around Silver Lake thinking of times past, I also went to some old (and new) favorites.

What trip to LA would be complete without some potato tacos from El Atacor #11?

Potato tacos are Mexican comfort food to the nth degree but surprisingly are unheard of in the Bay Area.  Also, having lived in the Bay Area for over 4 years, I can say that I'm pretty sick and tired of paying an average of $4 per taco.  El Atacor #11 is old school and charges accordingly: one can get 10 potato tacos for $7.95 - that's $.79 per taco, Dear Reader! I limited myself to only four of them.

The next morning it was nearly 90 degrees by 10 am.  What better excuse to go get dongchimi guksu for breakfast than that? 

No Corner Place for me, I switched to Myung Dong Kyoja a while back.  Since dongchimi guksu didn't seem substantial enough I calorie splurged on some of the aforementioned mandu.  Am I glad that I did since they were sooooooo good.  There was not only some nice chili paste on the table but it also offered some green onion schmutz that was quite good - the two together made a potent dipping sauce.

Well, later that night I had to decide between Pollo a la Brasa or Marouch.  Marouch won out since it was closer.  I hadn't been there in nearly 4 years and I was craving some good Lebanese food.  I wanted to get everything on the menu but I ordered babaganoush and chicken & lamb kafta kabob with yogurt.  While I was waiting the owner gave me a plate of the staff meal which was a Middle Eastern tinged pasta with sausage and cheese - it hit the spot!

I'm trying to get back to LA one last time to finish up my mother's business so on the culinary agenda is Sakura House, Park's Korean BBQ, Sanamluang, and a ramen joint in San Gabriel.

The Corner Place

A preview of coming attractions – my bowl of Dongchimi Guksu (somen like noodles in cold radish broth):


Late last year I started working for a Korean firm. One morn, before work, I was perusing the Chowhound board and read a post about these cold noodles (Dongchimi Guksu) at a place called The Corner Place. I was in love with these noodles, sight and taste unseen. Later that morning, the office manager, Judy, asks me if I want to go to lunch with her and Chris. She said, “It’s probably going to be Korean, is that ok?” and I replied, “OMG! I’ve been cravin’ Korean all day!” and she looked at me really funny and said, “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Perhaps she had forgotten that I and another employee were the only two people to eat the Jo Gee Gui (fried whole Yellow Corvina fish) at the last firm luncheon.

Needless to say the noodles were all that I had expected and more. I had been meaning to go back, like every day, but there have been so many other places to try. Finally, I got a group to go on what would definitely be a hot summer day. The day before, one of my colleagues tells me that the Dongchimi Guksu “aren’t as good as they used to be.” What! “I think they changed the recipe or something.” Oh, mon Dieu!

The recipe for Dongchimi Guksu is a closely guarded secret. Legend has it that a little old lady in Cerritos makes the broth and it is delivered to the restaurant in a Brinks truck. This is one secret that you’ll never learn: you are not allowed to take home your leftover noodles nor may you order them to-go.

The one secret ingredient that everyone can agree on is 7-Up which was very distinctive the first time that I had these noodles but since the 7-Up flavor has diminished somewhat. My colleague was right, the recipe probably has changed but in my opinion they are even better now. They are slightly more spicy (almost like a jalapeno agua fresca) and taste a little more of cucumber.

The waitress splits our noodles for us:



Raven wants something extra in her noodles and I explain why she’s out of luck:



Below, a photo of our Kalbi that we ate with the noodles:



Above, we just ate the meat with the scallion salad and sesame oil dippy. Rice and lettuce leaves were extra and with the noodles who needed them anyway?

Below, select photos of our panchan:





Above, the fermented cabbage in jalapeno water. This was so refreshing! It’s pretty spicy but it also came with a whole bunch of ice cubes in the bowl – perfect for a hot summer day.

The Corner Place
2819 W. James M. Wood St.
Los Angeles, CA 90006