This is a preview of what will be in the January Issue of the Groove magazine. This article is by Brian Dye of Kissmykimchi.com Let’s be honest. When it comes to Mexican food Seoul is a wasteland of dried shriveled jalapenos. I had resigned myself to places that serve up burritos that look the part but taste bland or other restaurants that dazzle you with colorful sombreros and piñatas or fruity margaritas in a desperate attempt to distract you from the food. Well, that was then. Today I’m pleased to inform everyone that I’ve found the real deal when it comes to Mexican food in Seoul: Taco Rico. Jong-Sun and Allen are the co-owners and lifelong friends behind Taco Rico. They’ve known each other since their middle-school days in Korea. Adulthood took them in separate directions. Allen spent years studying in Bogotá, Columbia. Meanwhile, Jong-Sun studied in France before securing a consulting position with a top Korean company. The two kept in touch over the years until an opportuni...

Via Di Napoli By Brian Dye  Http://kissmykimchi.com Via Di Napoli is a Napolitan Pizzeria smack dab in the middle of Gangnam near the Coex, just across the from the Lucky Seven Casino. Via Di Napoli caters to the Italian in all of us (or the part of us that loves Italian food.) It's nice to know you don’t have to go all the way to Italy to savor a piping hot pizza pie. Once you enter the restaurant, despite its subterranean depths, it feels as if you’ve stepped into an Italian palazzo. You’ll find a wide open space with Romanesque arches and a tiled mosaic floor. The décor marries the deep browns of the furniture with the eggshell colored walls. A big open kitchen showcases the cooks prepping meals for the scurrying waiters that are continuously crisscrossing the floor. I was impressed with the authentic wood fire Italian brick pizza oven manned by a chef. A glance at the menu reveals that pizza is the way to go at Via Di Napoli. I played it conservative and wen...

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...