One of the pleasures of eating in Seoul is that you can always find a place that specializes in one particular dish, and when that one such place has done so for more than 50 years, you are guaranteed a tried and true quality that has been time tested. 　Yurimmyeon, near City Hall in Jongno­-gu, Seoul, has been serving the same menu of noodles for more than half a century, strong and steady. A testament to their quality and consistency.　Matriarch and owner Kim Myeong-kyeong, 83, who mans the cash

April 8, 2016

What’s the best way to cook lobster tails? How do you butterfly them? 　Lobster, once considered food for servants, is now a moderately priced treat. 　The way you prepare lobster tails is paramount. What you don’t want is chewy, rubbery and tough lobster tails that need to be drowned in melted butter.　Lobster’s soft flesh, once cooked, should be pristine white, soft and tender. You should be able to eat it with a fork, from the shell or not. The flavor and texture of the lobster tail is somewhere

April 8, 2016

“Koreatown: A Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter, $30) is a cookbook, yes, but chef Deuki Hong and journalist Matt Rodbard go further than recipes, distilling two years of research, interviews and dining across the United States into what they write is “a candid and uncompromised snapshot of what it‘s like to eat and drink in Korean-American communities today.”　“For me, coming as a Korean-American, there’s a sense of pride,” said Hong, who along with Rodbard met me at Dancen, a small Korean grill restau

April 7, 2016

Hours later, after the last piece has been consumed, it is the memory of the rice served at Sushi Matsumoto that lingers, how each oblong orb under its blanket of fish was consistently warm, pillowy and subtly seasoned. 　“With sushi, one should not only focus on the fish, the rice needs to be good as well,” head chef Matsumoto Mizuho explains.  Head chef Matsumoto Mizuho focuses on serving classic nigiri and edomae sushi, one carefully crafted piece at a time. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)　Goo

April 1, 2016

This Korean rolled omelet, gyeran mari, is made with gim (dried seaweed sheet). 　Gyeran mari is a staple side dish that is typically made with chopped vegetables. This gim variation uses a whole gim sheet. Gyeran mari is made by cooking beaten eggs into a thin sheet until almost set, then folding in layers, and cutting into pretty, eye-catching slices. 　It’s an easy dish to whip up! The key to making gyeran mari that’s tender and delicious is to cook it over a gentle heat. If the heat is too hig

April 1, 2016

The Korea Tourism Organization’s international food guide “Hansik,” about the history and culture of Korean cuisine, has received the Gold Award at the 2015-2016 Mercury Excellence Awards. 　The Mercury Awards are part of the American-based MerComm Inc. International Awards Programs, which has been honoring outstanding achievement in professional communications for 29 years.  A page from the Korea Tourism Organization‘s Mercury Excellence Awards gold-winning book, “Hansik” (Korea Tourism Organiza

March 29, 2016

Middle of nowhere is a long haul for a fish cake. But apparently that’s the best spot.　I learned so from my husband’s cousin’s wife, who confided she’s from St. Helena. I squinted: Where? Her lush accent didn’t sound like St. Helena, California. Nor St. Helena, South Carolina.　St. Helena Island, I learned, is a volcanic speck in the South Atlantic, a place so remote it served as Napoleon’s prison. Ships navigating the trade winds drop by, which explains the cuisine: ocean bounty, exotic spices a

March 25, 2016

A well-known culinary personality with an illustrious career, Hong Shin-ae is a refreshing and warm presence in the celebrity food community whose opinion and food knowledge has made her stand out amongst her peers.　Seoul-born Hong first came to recognition as a blogger, food stylist, restauranteur and food researcher which led to many cookbooks and TV shows. Educated at the New School in New York City and Yonsei University where she earned a graduate degree in business administration, Hong shar

March 25, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- It's a bar that serves nothing but tap water. For free.　The concept, developed by two Minneapolis artists, started as pop-ups across the country, ranging from an event at a North Carolina artists’ space to a waterfront fundraiser in Chicago to a four-month run at an art museum in Arkansas.　They've been such a hit that Colin Kloecker and Shanai Matteson are preparing to open a storefront Water Bar in northeast Minneapolis, a taproom serving pints of city water plus limited-edi

March 24, 2016

At Woo Hyung-joon Rice Mill, a new Korean restaurant that opened in January, the carbs are the real draw, from extra-chewy, glossy noodles strewn in chicken broth to nutty chicken porridge. The key to all those tasty carbs lies in the rice. “They say freshly milled grains are the backbone for very good rice,” said owner Woo Hyung-joon, which is why, he added, he and his team mill their grains.For the chicken porridge, Woo uses brown rice, allowing those hearty grains to add an earthy flavor to a

March 18, 2016

Korean-style tacos were made famous by a food truck in Los Angeles several years ago. Since then, food trucks selling Korean tacos have become a nation-wide trend in America. The idea is to place Korean barbecue meat on a Mexican corn tortilla topped with a mix of Korean and Mexican flavors. Here, I turned the traditionally marinated galbi (short ribs) into my version of a popular Korean-Mexican fusion dish. I paired the meat with a refreshing salsa made with kimchi, Korean pear and other crunch

March 11, 2016

In Seochon, a quaint neighborhood west of the Gyeongbokgung Palace, there has always been a focus on old world charm and the area’s past as an artists’ enclave.  　Today, Seochon is an unassumingly stylish neighborhood sprinkled with galleries and cafes in a quiet ambience quite different to that found on the other side of the palace in the tourist-laden Samcheong-dong and Bukchon. Still budding as a destination neighborhood, Seochon offers a colorful mix of modern sensibility and old hanok build

March 11, 2016