Seoul Eats

Thursday, I was able to attend the cooking classes at the Korea House. I attended classes by Han Bok-Ryeo, Pierre Gagnaire, Massimo Bottura, and Corey Lee. It was really insightful to meet these chefs and learn about their approach to food. I'll be posting pictures and a story on the event soon, but right now I'm heading over to Insadong to check the street food event attached to the Amazing Korean Table. Apparently, these chefs will be selling street food in Insadong. Now, I can't afford the 250,000 to 500,000 won meals that they are offering (anyone want to sponsor me?^^), but I will be heading to the streets to take pictures. If you are in the neighborhood, send me an e-mail and hopefully we can meet up. ***due to the rain the event finished at 3pm*** Dan

Hmmm... I know not food related, but the last post I did on this was one of the top hits of the day so I want to continue with these types of posts. I feel that language is very important and it is very revealing about the culture as well. Dan Now I don't know how much of this was lost in translation. First of all I should probably tell you that I am taking Korean classes at a university. I go five days a week and I have made alot of progress in my Korean. It really has made my life in Korea much better. Anyway today's class was quite interesting because we discussed the type of people we were attracted to. Apparently, I am attracted to women that are positive 낙천적이. I also seem to like women that are creative 창작 력. The teacher told me I should date artists 예술원. A very interesting word I learned today was 4차원. This means that I like people that think unconventionally. I think this is such a great word: 4차원. It means that people that think in the f...

10. You're guaranteed to get a little something in the sack. 9. The uglier you are, the easier it is to get some. 8. It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning. 7.  Less guilt the morning after. 6. It doesn't matter if they fantasize you're somebody else, because you are. 5. Forty years from now, you'll still enjoy candy. 4. If you don't get what you want, you can always go next door. 3. If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go again. 2. You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some. 1. You can do the whole neighborhood! From Snopes.com

Go Phillies! AGAIN! Here is post I wrote a couple years ago, but I found many people were searching for it because it is almost halloween and because the Phillies are in contention to be the world champions. GO PHILLIES. WIN IT ALL Dan Oh, my god, I can't believe it! The Phillies, the team that I grew up Loving/hating is in the world series. I grew up in Delaware and these guys sucked for so many years, but I still had the hat and gear. Oh, and I got tons of autographs from car dealerships because my Dad thought it was the All-American thing to do. I do miss Mike Schmidt. He was my hero growing up and he was the only one on the team that could actually play. The next iteration of champions came during the Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk era- or what I would like to call the "Beer Belly Era." This was when my sister Jill was in love with the Phillies (guys, she is beautiful, but she likes Truck Drivers and Wrestler Type Guys((Love you, sis)). Anyway, Go Phillies! Win it ...

구전효과 (gucheonhyogwa)word of mouth effect. Koreans use this word when a restaurant becomes famous because people spread the word. Afterall, word of mouth advertising is the best possible form of marketing. Sent from my iPod http://www.seouleats.com/

There is a new food blogger in town and her first foray into the Korean food wilderness is the Korean waffle. You follow her adventures at www.foodcoma911.blogspot.com Koreans love their waffles~ I never thought I would be a huge waffle fan. The "korean standard" for doing waffles here is just putting some cream on it. I need a little more something, something, ya know? So, one of my Korean friends found out that I love to sometimes indulge in one of my food philosophies of the BIGGER, the BETTER! See gave me an AMEN on that, and then recommended THE GIANT ALLIGATOR My eyes just lit up! What is The Giant Alligator?!!?! It's basically a big plate filled with waffles served with several different kinds of ice cream and toppings on the side. I guess in some abstract way it's shaped like an alligator's back. If normal Korean girls were going to eat this dish, then you would need about 6 of them to finish this plate. But being me, I just needed two other...

COME CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN WITH US AT VIN VINO (FORMERLY KNOWN AS KABINETT) ON OCTOBER 31ST FROM 8PM ONWARDS. ENJOY LIVE MUSIC, DRINKS, AND OF COURSE DANCING. MAKE SURE YOU GET CREATIVE AND WEAR SOMETHING SENSATIONAL, BECAUSE THERE WILL BE PRIZES FOR THE BEST COSTUMES. RSVP IN ADVANCE AND ONLY PAY 20,00O WON THAT INCLUDES 2 DRINKS AND HAPPY HOUR PRICES ALL NIGHT LONG, OR PAY 30,000 WON AT THE DOOR! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CALL US 02-711-9171 OR EMAIL US TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY- SERVICE@PIEROTHWINES.CO.KR

Be Bad this Halloween with Benefit Cosmetics, and party it up with bad girls and bad boys! Upscale Boutique Club Function has undergone major renovation and now will be twice as large and classy. Free alcohol will be given out at random intervals! Best costume award & Best Bad Boy & Bad Girl award will be given out as well. Free entrance if you sign up with Nodus at http://www.theNodus.com ◆ Registration ◆ - Free Cover (KRW 20,000) if you sign up for Guestlist Before Oct 30th on http://www.theNodus.com ◆ Party Details ◆ - Date: Sat, October 31st 2009 - Time: 10pm - 4am - Venue: New Boutique Club Function - DJ Lineup: Layy / Byul / Swerve - Entrance: 20,000 (+1 free drink) - Free if you sign up on the guestlist before Oct 30th ◆ Table Reservation ◆ For table reservation, please call: 010-6339-0187

We've got a great Halloween weekend lined up ! Hope you've decided on your costume ! Click the photo below for full details Friday, Devil's Night Comedy Improv Sat- Costume PARTY ! Sun- Brunch with Leafs vs Habs

OH, yeah, I should probably start posting things about Halloween Parties. Dan Hedonists! Indulge in your sins, even if for just one night. Eat, drink, be entertained and dance amongst the sinful and the sexy. Best dressed prizes include: tickets to Jeju-island, 2 bottles of top shelf liquor, and cash (200,000won) 2 venues and 1 rooftop fireplace, 8 DJs, 2 Dance Performances, 1 MC, 1 VJ, Dance-off, Art Display and Best Dressed Contest with prizes! 2곳의 장소와 옥상의 모닥불과,8명의 DJ들,2명의 댄스 공연,연극,예술품 전시,그리고 유명한 MC와 VJ가 함께 하는 베스트 드레서 콘테스트까지 있습니다. 제주도 여행권(2매),2병의 고급 양주,그리고 상금 20만원이 걸려 있습니다. 입장료1만원으로 1프리드링크와 3곳의 장소를 다 이용할수 있습니다.(하이브,루퍼스,옥상) 음악은 올드스쿨힙합,펑크,드럼엔베이스,디스코,브레이크비트,일렉트로니카 장르가 소개될것입니다 ★ @ The Hive Eshe (Dance) ★ DJs: J-Path (drum & bass) venus & dbstk (dubstep) DJ Fenner (dubstep/dnb) Mr. Fudge (funk/breaks) VJ: Sepp ★ @ Roofers (3Floor & Roof) DJs: Dante (old school hip hop) Mike Chang (disco/funk) Oil Can Boyd (funk/hip hop) Nuphonique (electronica/breakbe...

Check out this Global Center Event. 1.  Making Kimchi for Charity : Tuesday Nov. 10th and Wednesday Nov. 11th, 9am to 1pm, registration deadline Nov. 5th (Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center and Yongsan District Office).

This was sent to me by a reader: I hope you've experience the Raintree Cafe in the Ehwa Women's Uni neighborhood. If not.. please check it out. Though they seem to keep odd hours, their pancake brunch is especially good, considering they make their own yogurt which they serve with honey as a dessert. Happy eating! Has anyone else gone? I'm interested in checking it out. I'll have pics soon. Dan

Darlene asked where you can find Metdol Sundubu. It's in Bucheondong, down a little alley. If you are heading up towards Bucheon 72 guest house ( www.bukchon72.com 743-8530), it's down a little alley along side a bunch of different restaurants. The number I have is 02-747-011. I'll try to be more accurate with the directions soon, but I'm late for class. 5 banchan that represents the different colors of Korean food. The sundubu is made in house. The egg is essential for flavor.

Thanksgiving Roundup by Brian Dye http://kissmykimchi.com with additional information by Daniel Gray One of the downsides of being an American abroad is that when one of our holidays rolls around you may find yourself waving the stars and stripes alone on the Fourth of July or barbecuing a single hot dog for Memorial day. This tragedy reaches new heights during a holiday like Thanksgiving. Back home we would be surrounded not only by friends and family but tables laden with delicious home cooked dishes like mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and, of course, turkey!  Thankfully, for us Yankee Thanksgiving fanatics, there are options in Seoul aimed at Americans as well as anyone else that wants to join in the festivities. Rebecca and I teamed up to deliver you this list of what’s happening so far, of course this being Korea, not all the times and dates are totally set yet. Be sure to call up the restaurants and make a reservation because most o...

Here is a cooking class for those looking to learn how to make authentic Italian Cuisine. I've chef Giangregorio's food at Antonios and it is exceptional. This first class is this Saturday, so be sure to reserve your spot. Dan Italian Fine Dining Cooking Class this Saturday from 3:30~6:30pm near Sinsa Stn! Sebastiano Giangregorio's Cooking Academy will hold a cooking class this Saturday. This Saturday's theme will be wine and course food pairing so please feel free to bring along a bottle of wine to enjoy with your food after DIY cooking! Menu Starter Warm shrimps marinate with citrus fruit and served with crunchy onion soak in raspberry First Course Rigatoni (kind of big Penne) with eggplant, ricotta cheese and bacon with tomato sauce Main Course Chicken filet covered by sesame and with Dijone mustard sauce All professional cooking equipment, tools & ingredients provided. For location info, please call 010.9029.3094 or look on  www.cuci...

Lunch Course for Nov. 20th was A Seafood plate, Toscana Bean Soup, Homemade Duck Pastrami, Orecchietto with homemade sausage, Dessert, Coffee. The B course is 35,000 (With Wagyu Steak) and A course is 20,000. The Seafood plate had a Red Snapper cerviche, Yellowfish Tartar and a perfect piece of mackerel. The lime kick on the Red Snapper was exceptional and changed the texture of the fix to give it a bit of bite. The Yellowfish tartar was almost beefy and the herbs added nice accents. I love Mackerel and you can see how well they cut it. It's an oily fish, so if it has a strong scent, you know it's not fresh. This one smelled and tasted like the sea. The Toscana Bean soup was rich and warming, especially in the Fall. The Duck Pastrami was smoked and had cumin on the outside. The sugared pecans were a bit too much, but the duck was exceptional. The Orechietto (little ears) with homemade sausage was a great, energizing lunch dish. The sausage was sagey and peppery like it sh...

You might have missed this on their website because it is a popup window and I disabled popups on my web browser. I'm going tomorrow. Anyone want to join me? Tomorrow they are making Bossam! Institute of Korea Royal Cusine 34, Wonseo-dong, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, South Korea 02) 3673-1122∼3 02) 3673-2647 food@food.co.kr

The OK Kitchen is a play on the Korean word, Hanok, which means traditional house. My friend Paul Ajossi calls this place the "best lunch set in Itaewon." You can see his take on this restaurant here. The interior is a stylized mix of modern and old. I went on a Saturday and for lunch and the set included  Sweet Pumpkin and Gnocchi soup, Salmon two ways, Parmesan Flan (they ran out of the fig tartin), Australian Wagyu steak, dessert, and coffee. My friend had the Casareccia with Mushroom and cream. My meal cost 35,000 won, while hers only cost 20,000. The meal starts out with some homemade foccaccia, tortilla, and cornbread. The cornbread is scrumptious. Here is the pumpkin soup. In the center is the cloud-like gnocchi that melts in your mouth. The salmon course (BTW, they smoke their own salmon) had one flavored with orange and capers, while the other had grapefruit sorbet. Delicious. This Parmesan Flan was a substitute, but wow was it brilliant. the crisp, savory tast...

On the weekend he has Chocolate Meringue. Chocolate Meringue.

Sunny   Days , a burger place that I liked has now closed. It's sad to see it go because it was a great little place with many vegetarian and healthy options. They also made great bread. Sigh...let's take a moment of silence.

Does anyone have a stomach big enough for the King Kev? It's got 3 beef patties, cheddar, provolone, Swiss, bacon, grilled salami,  onions, pickles, tomatos and lettuce. Here is the Ranch Burger Here is my friend Maleka Try Kevin's Homemade Hot Sauce. It's tangy and spicy. Well, except Maleka needed something a bit hotter. Here is the chili burger. You should definitely check it out. Good burgers and great chili.