What's for Lunch

From the absurd to the mundane, it was destined that I would eventually blog about something silly like lunch. Thanks to a post in The Paupered Chef, I was overcome with cravings for Korean short ribs this morning, and the only cure was action. I wanted to make them for dinner tonight, but a 5-hour marinade shot that down.

Then the rationalization process began. I'm thinking about how frugal I've been lately, eating lunch in the office most days and spending next to nothing on food. Plus, the last couple of days have been pretty productive and I am on track with my weekly goals. Why not pat myself on the back and have a full hour lunch excursion to hunt down Korean BBQ short ribs? OK, sure thing. So, using Google and cool name factor alone, I decide on So Dong Kong.

So Dong Kong, indeed!

They don't have a website, or I would link to it, but I give it two thumbs up and a bloated belly belch. It was definitely worth the trip. Now if I could just convince Mrs. Hommes to visit with me, I am sure she would love it. The restaurant itself, for being tucked away in a nondescript little strip mall, was very clean and nicely decorated inside, and the staff was very friendly, offering me a table and something to drink even though I was ordering take out. And the food was great. The kimchi was spicy and pungent, the broccoli and carrot salad was flavorful, and the rice was perfectly sticky in the Korean tradition. The one dish that I tried but wish I hadn't was the Myul-Chi Bo-kum, or dried, deep-fried and sauced anchovies. Honestly, the taste was not bad if you can handle intense fishiness combined with the heavy salt from drying and a sweet sauce, but the smell and visual aspects are the main challenges:



The short ribs? They, uhh, kicked serious, uhh, donkey.


(picture borrowed from Ray & Ashley, who I don't know, but look like an all-around interesting and fun couple!)

I will make the dish myself soon using the recipe provided by Paupered Chef, maybe this weekend, and will report back on if the home version can match the restaurant version. If so, I may entitle it So Long, Dong o Kong Ribs.