Seoul Eats

1. Wrote 691 Blog Posts on Seouleats.com 2. Appeared on 48 episodes of the Steve Hatherly Show for TBS eFM. 3. Was the dining editor for Eloquence Magazine for 5 months. 4. Became the dining editor for Groove Magazine. 5. Appeared in an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. 6. Helped organize and market the 7th Annual Tteok Festival in Seoul for Dr. Yoon Sook-ja. 7. Met Chef Rachel Yang when she came to the Tteok Festival 8. Met Robyn Lee from Serious Eats when she came to do a story for the Tteok Festival. 9. Met the 9-year old guitar sensation Sungha-jung. 10. Appeared in Gourmet's Diary of Foodie episode: Korea: Ancient world, modern food. 11. Traveled for 3 weeks in America. I started in Seattle and then went to Philadelphia; Winter Haven, Florida; Utah, and then San Francisco, California. 12. I met Jonathon Kauffman from the Seattle Weekly. 13. I met Chef Anna Kim at the Kimchikhan Documentary filming. 14. Was a featured speaker at the G'OAL Adoptee

These are the places having parties tonight: Berlin in Itaewon Le Quartier Latin in Sinchon Beer O'Clock in Sinchon I'll be watching a salsa competition in Apgujeong^^ Have a Happy New Year Everyone! Dan

*  4 Items of Wine from  Luca ABRATE(Piemonte/ITALIA) *      - 2007 Barbera d'Alba D.O.C. "Castelve", 100% Barbera                - 2007 Nebbiolo d'Alba D.O.C. "Brico Rotondo",100% Nebbiolo  - 2006 Barbaresco D.O.C.G. "Clarin", 100% Nebbiolo     - 2001 Nebbiolo d'Alba D.O.C. "Ceisa", 100% Nebbiolo * 장소 : 바인스톡 와인테이스팅 룸 * 참가비 : 35,000 원 (15 명 선착순 ) ( 바인스톡에서 아직 정식 수입하고 있지 않은 4 아이템 루카씨 와인과 신선한 바게트 , 미니 샌드위치류 포함입니다 .) * 계좌번호 : 신한은행 110-274-423290, 예금주 - 바인스톡 ( 입금시 반드시 이름을 남겨 주시고 , 행사 당일 및 전날에는 입금 금액이 환불 되지 않습니다 .) * 문의 : 바인스톡 서래마을 매장 02-536-6081 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Place : Wine Tasting Room at VineStock * Fee : 35,000 won (15 persons first-come first-served) (We would showcase 4 wines from Luca Abrate from winery, not yet imported by VINESTOCK CO.,LTD. among

These days I have been cooking quite a bit more. Now before I start, I set a budget of the amount of money I can spend and a time limit. Doing this really helps me to focus. About a week ago, I invited my friend Hoya to my house and I decided to make a roasted pork loin dish. Pork loin in Korea is quite cheap. You can get about 2 pounds for around 6,000 won ($5.50). Strangely, this lean cut of pork is cheaper than the fatty cuts of pork belly. My time limit for this dish was 30 minutes and 10,000 won. My cost for ingredients was 9,500 won. Here is my beautiful friend Hoya. You can catch her food adventures at www.hoyacooks.com To make the dish, I first made a cut down each pork loin. I made my slice a little more than half deep. I then seasoned the inside with some salt, some herbs de provence, lots of garlic, and butter. Then I sealed it up but bringing together the edges of the pork and running toothpicks through the ends of pork.  (BE SURE TO REMOVE TOOTHPICKS BEFORE EATING)

  Yakup Baraym, 35, from Turkey prepares a kebab at Sultan Kebab in Jongno, Seoul yesterday. Sultan Kebab came in second in foodie Daniel Gray`s "Top 5 kebabs" list. [Matthew Lamers/The Korea Herald The Korea Herald published my story on the best kebab in Korea. You can see it online here or pick up a copy of today's Korea Herald to read it. Dan Seoul Eats If you happen to run into Rami Mohammed from Yemen, don't mix up kebabs and shwarma. Mohammed didn't call the chicken or lamb dish cooked on a rotating spit and wrapped in tortilla with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and a sauce "kebab." He called this dish shwarma. "Kebab is usually made with ground meat, while shawarma is made with whole meats such as chicken," he said. Also, a kebab - which he called doner kebab - is not supposed to be served on a thin tortilla. Rather, it should be served on a hearty bread he called ekmek arasi. While I respect his scruples, this did not stop me

Instead of spending Christmas at an expensive hotel, I decided to go to an orphanage on the outskirts of Seoul to help prepare lunch. Christmas dinner isn't what you might expect, but we did have mash potatoes, turkey with grazy, and cranberry sauce. To this we added panini pizza, pickled radish, and pasta. So...do you think Korean children like turkey and mashed potatoes? Well...they liked the mashed potatoes, but they didn't really care so much for the turkey. The big hit of the day was pizza and pasta. They kept on asking for seconds. Here they come. One was left outside, but we brought him in. Here is one volunteer making pizza. Merry Christmas everyone!

This is my favorite part of the holidays. The day after-- and the the next week-- I get to have Turkey sandwiches. My favorite sandwich is just a roll with a dab of butter on one side, some cranberry sauce and turkey. It is essential that the sandwich is seasoned with lots of black pepper. Dan

Chef Meili's in Itaewon is not well known for his desserts, but he should be. This dessert menu shows his range of skills. His Apple Strudel is the best in Seoul. My personal favorite is the Kaiser Schmarren. The Kaiser Schmarren is a fluffy Austrian pancake that is topped with apple sauce. The apple sauce at Chef Meili's is homemade. Here it is. It's a thousand times better (and healthier) than a silly waffle you often find these days in Seoul. Oh, and have the hot chocolate at Chef Meili's. It's amazing. I am experimenting with video again. I'm going to get better over time. The camera only has manual focus, so it's a bit harder than my old camera. The good thing is that the quality is much better. This video was taken after the Seoul Eat's Meet-up at the Wolfhound. Dan

Here is the text: How about bibimbap for lunch today? Bibimbap is a dish mixed of cooked rice with various vegetables, beef, garnishes, and fried pepper paste. It is said that this dish came from the customers of memorial service and rural villages. This dish is very convenient to provide, just mixing of cooked rice with various vegetables, namul, and red pepper paste together. I assume this was written by Seo Kyoung-duk - an honorary professor at Sungshin Women's University. The title is ok. It grabs your attention and so does the picture. However, I'm not sure if the text matches the picture because there is raw beef and a raw egg. (I guess the egg is the "garnishes".) Here are my problems with the text: I have a major issue with the following line, "It is said that this dish came from the customers of memorial service and rural villages." Customers at a funeral? What are they buying? Oh, and death does evoke pleasant feelings, nor does

Deonjang Penne. I love deonjang: Korea's robustly flavored soybean paste. It's stonger and more pungent than the sweet Japanese miso. I like to use deonjang to make a sauce with shrimp paste, peppers, garlic, and seaweed. It makes a delicious and healthy sauce for penne.

Cakes and Hats are like eggnog and mistletoe in Korea. They are lavishly decorated. It's like a christmas tree you can eat. cute, huh? The decorations on top are made out of hard sugar and I wouldn't recommend you eat it. Korean Christmas Cakes look almost too good to eat. Here is Kim Tae-Hee with her hat. Here are an army of cakes. Dunkin Donuts even got into the fray this year. They had a polar bear theme. Baskin Robbins went with penguins. You can't celebrate Christmas in Korea without a Christmas cake. The Korean blogosphere has had numerous posts on the subject... here, here, , and here. I think it's pretty cool that Korea is so into Christmas Cakes. The cakes represent the Korean idea of Christmas. Gift exchange is not big here, but the idea of getting together and sharing is. The hats...I don't know what that represents. The hats are all marketing. Paris Baguette did campaign 2 years ago where they sold Christmas hats and n

Meh. Damn do I miss Cinnabon. What's the big deal about Doughnut Plant? I think the donuts are overpriced and bready and the coffee is watery. The only good thing they have are the salted caramel lattes.

Perhaps the best way to shed the skin of an old year and step into a new one is on the dance floor. Here's a selection of Seoul's prime countdown fiestas. Top pick: Steve Aoki Most know him as the long-tressed brother of model sister Devon Aoki and as the son of the Benihana goliath, the late Rocky Aoki. They also know him as the CEO who moonlights as a DJ by night and runs Dim Mak Records (the label that released artists from Diplo and MSTRKRFT) by day. Steve Aoki made the top of the list, not just because of his pedigree or because he pours complimentary vodka down the gullets of partygoers, but because he mashes a wicked mix. Just pop on over to his MySpace page ( myspace.com/steveaoki ) for a sample of his remixes and addictive beats. Joining him at the party, which is running under the moniker Milk 2010 NYE, is New York producer and rapper Pete Rock (real name Peter Phillips). Known for his jazz-hip hop sound, he landed on the scene in the early 1990s as one ha

Via 10 Magazine Celebrate the New Year Korean fashion by staying up all night (or getting up in the wee hours) to see the last sunset of 2009 and the first sunrise of 2010. No matter where you live in Korea, there’s bound to be a festival close to you. So unless you’re set on a night out with friends  or a jaunt down to Bosingak in Seoul to hear the bell tolled, read on! Seoul January 1st Dobong Mountain Sunrise Festival Make your way to Meeting Rock at Dobong Mountain in northern Seoul to see the first sunrise of 2010. Visitors will make New Year’s wishes, the Korean equivalent of New Year’s resolutions. tour.dobong.go.kr, 02-2289-1114 Heaven Park Sunrise Festival Join the crowds at Mapo-gu’s yearly festival at Heaven Park near World Cup Stadium (line 6, ex. 2). 7 am – 8 am. mapo.go.kr, 02-3153-8354 Acha Mountain Sunrise Festival Get off the subway at Gwangnaru St. (line 5, ex. 1) and follow the winding path up the hill for about 15 minutes till you reach the Sunrise Pl

더 가든 야외에서 펼쳐지는 New Year Count Down Party로 여러분을 초대합니다. 연예인 MC가 진행하는 키스 & 프로포즈 타임, 카운트다운 이벤트 등 다양한 볼거리가 제공됩니다. 사랑하는 연인에게 잊을 수 없는 2009년 마지막 밤을 선사하시기 바랍니다. 패키지 1. New Year Count Down Party 2인 입장권 + 슈페리얼 디럭스 1박 (조식 2인):₩ 340,000 패키지 2. New Year Count Down Party 2인 입장권 + 더 가든 디너 2인: ₩230,000 패키지 3. New Year Count Down Party 2인 입장권: ₩100,000 기간:12월 31일 (Dinner 21:00 – 22:30 New Year Countdown Party: 22:30 – 23:30) 장소: 더 가든 야외 *상기 금액에는 세금, 봉사료가 별도 청구됩니다. *문의 및 예약: 02-3451-8271 New Year Celebration Party 리츠칼튼 서울에서 새해를 맞이하시는 모든 고객님을 위해 New Year Celebration Event 를 선사합니다. 리츠칼튼 모든 임직원이 함께 하는 샴페인 타워 축배 이벤트, 행운을 상징하는 복 돼지 잡기, 행운의 종이 비행기 날리기 등 행운 가득한 프로그램으로 뜻 깊은 2010년 새해를 맞이 하시기 바랍니다. 기간:12월31일 23:30~ 장소: 1F Lobby

TABLE RESERVATION 테이블 예약 / BOTTLE PACKAGE (10pm-5am)
  includes free entrance & seats for 4 guests + anju. 4명 무료 입장 + 테이블 + 안주

    * Sparkling Package 스파클링 패키지 - W 250,000
       2 bottles champagne: VOGA Extra Brut Sparkling

    * Platinum Package 플라티늄 패키지 - W 300,000
       1 bottle champagne: VOGA Extra Brut Sparkling
       1 choice spirit: Absolut, Cuervo, Bacardi, Jack Daniels

    * Yellow Label Package 옐로 레이블 패키지 - W 425,000
       2 bottles champagne: Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label Brut 샴페인

    * Tutti Package 투티 패키지 - W 450,000
       1 bottle champagne: Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label Brut 샴페인
       1 choice spirit: Absolut, Cuervo, Bacardi, Jack Daniels

    * Black Package 블랙 패키지 - W 700,000
       1 bottle champagne: Dom Perignon
       1 choice spirit: Grey Goose, Ciroc, 1800 Tequila, Bacardi, Johnnie Walker Black

    * Gold Package 골드 패키지 - W 1,500,000
       1 bottle champagne: Armand de Brignac "Ace of Spades" Brut Gold Champagne
       

You can have the thigh. This is the best part of the turkey and if I don't at least one turkey leg a year, my year will be ruined. I cannot-- and will not-- share the leg. While I eat it I like to act like a barbarian. I tear off bits of meat with my teeth, grunt, fart, and drink beer. Now if I only liked football, then I could really have the true American experience. I remember watching my uncles act this way during our Christmas gatherings and they always stole the legs...bastards. It's nice to live in a country where the turkey is a new concept. Happy Holidays everyone! Dan

photoblog part 3: local eats and markets of Junju Pickled Pepper... The best tteokguk (rice cake soup) ever. This was ah~ah~ah~mazing!!!!! Not just your regular bibimbab (비빔밥), bibimbab with yukhwae (육홰)..... crazy amazing! Then the master-mixer! skillzzzzz~ Best "dessert" ever! Soongnoong (숭늉). One of the open markets in downtown Junju, Nambu Market. Before heading out to the market we stopped by to get our fill of morning goods.... Enter, redbean porridge with noodles (?) odd, I know, but not half bad. Version 1: red bean porridge with noodles Version 2: Red bean porridge with rice cake and sugar. Now time for some shopping! Radish with blanket~! Michelle Min is a freelance graphics designer and photographer based in Seoul.  You can see her design website here.