If you didn't already know about it, then you know about Korean barbecue now with all of my posting about how Korean will be the new "it" cuisine this year. Korean barbecue restaurants serve raw, marinated meats, and diners cook the meat themselves at the table over a gas or charcoal grill that is usuall embedded in the table. Galbee (marinated beef shortribs), bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated flank steak), dae-jee bulgogi (spicy marinated pork) - these are all Korean barbecue meats.
But you don't have to restrict yourself to Korean restaurants for Korean barbecue. Japanese restaurants also serve their version of Korean barbecue and call it "yakiniku." They keep the same principle of grilling at the table and the same basic marinade for the meats. The Japanese restaurants add their own flair with fancier grills and different types of things to cook over the grill. Korean barbecue traditionally grills only meats with an occasional sliced onion or mushooms and get their vegetables from bahnchan. Japanese add vegetables to the grill - sometimes directly on the grill, or in small foil packets with butter.
In LA, Gyu-kaku and Manpuku are the only strictly yakiniku restaurants I've tried. Places like Musha in Santa Monica and Torrance serve yakiniku style items as part of a widely varied menu.
What Can I Get You Folks? - Eating Out for Thanksgiving
In Defense of Guy Fieri
'Top Chef Vegas' - And Then There Were Five
