It’s probably too early to talk about Bing-Soo or Bingsu (빙수 – Shaved ice), but it’s hot enough in Tallahassee!

Shaved ice is really popular summer treat in Korea. It is usually made with sweet red bean paste and various condiments – toasted grain powder mix (Misu-garu, 미숫가루), toasted nuts and seeds, some rice cake, jelly, fruits, ice cream, etc. Red bean is called “Pat” (팥), and it’s the most important ingredient for making this icy treat. Therefore the most common name for this dessert is actually “Pat Bing Soo” (팥빙수). During the early 2000s, Pat Bing Soo with a lot of different toppings was very popular. Also different kinds of Bingsoo made with sweetened fruit compote or green tea, coffee, black tea became popular. But during the past 2-3 years, I have observed the return of original simplicity: shaved ice with just sweet enough stewed red bean, a few pieces of well made rice cake, little bit of condensed milk or milk, and a few drops of pine nuts.

Photo below was taken at “Dong Bing Go” (동빙고) in Dongbu Ichon-Dong. It’s one of the very popular and famous bingsoo places in Seoul.

There are many places now famous for this dish, including “Gabae” (가배) of Samchung-Dong; Bing Bing Bing and Ok Roo Mong in Hongik University area and so on. One of the oldest and most popular place to taste this is “Mill Top” in Hyundai Department store Abgujung branch. You have to wait easily 30 minutes to try this, and they only focus on this dish. It’s the very simple version – red bean, shaved ice, a few chewy rice cake pieces, and condensed milk. For that, the price might seem a bit high. (Most of these famous and popular places charge $6-7 per small bowl) But it takes great care and good ingredients to make a really good bowl of Pat Bing Soo. One must start with Korean grown/ house made red bean that’s not too sweet or flavorless. The ice should be shaved very finely so that it doesn’t have a coarse texture in your mouth. The amount of milk or condensed milk should not be too much, otherwise it will overwhelm the balance of the dish. The rice cake should also have a good texture and freshness.

I really liked the version at Gabae, Samchung-Dong. Unfortunately it’s almost impossible to explain how to get to this place. But Samchungdong is a very popular date course with many precious restaurants and shops, so you might want to just take a walk in that area and ask around for this place. (Gabae is located close to the Samchung police station, but it’s tucked into a very small alley way, and the sign is not too obvious. It’s right next door to the popular cafe-chain called 5 Ci Jung).  The bottom right one is Strawberry Bing Soo. Gabae freezes and stores a huge amount of strawberries when they are in season, and use them as a base of this dish. And then they garnish it with fresh fruits and some nuts. Very delicious and refreshing! I took some of my American friends to this place last summer, and they all liked the Strawberry version more.

The most expensive and luxurious version of Bing Soo can be found at the Hotel Shilla’s lobby “The Library.” They make it with in-season apple mango shipped from Cheju island. The price? Whopping $34 + tax + service charge! Probably the most expensive dessert I have ever eaten. But it was actually worth it. They use 2 whole apple mangoes for one bowl of this. The ice is shaved so finely and thinly, it melts in your mouth. It also has slight yogurt tang. And the apple mango – it is so much better than the bland and flavorless mangoes found in a lot of American supermarkets. It’s even better than the in season mangoes I had in Taiwan. The flesh is a bit firmer, and it has a lot more fragrance and a lot more flavor. There are a few other places that serve similar version of this, but the Hotel Shilla’s version is a must try.

So, there. I think I am already longing for a trip to Korea during the summer time!

If you ever see “봉피양” (Bong Pi Yang) in Seoul, you must go inside and eat their cold noodle and dumplings. If your wallet is full, then try their grilled pork rib (galbi – 돼지갈비). If someone’s treating you, go for the grilled beef rib. (소갈비)

It’s one of the favorite chain restaurants among restaurant bloggers in Korea, and is rightfully so. Some branches are better than others, but overall the food quality is really high. It’s not a cheap place, but you will feel that your money was well spent no matter what you order here.

Mool naeng myun (Buckwheat cold noodle with savory cold broth, 물냉면) is a winter delicacy as the buckwheat is in season during the late fall-winter time. Photo below was taken in July 2012 at Bongpiyang, Hoja-dong branch.

Photo below was taken in November 2011 at Seorae maul Byukje galbi, which is a higher end franchise of the same company.

Mool naeng myun needs a few essential components: noodle made with lots of buckwheat that is not too sticky or chewy, but rather soft and fragrant; broth made with beef (originally it was made with pheasant, but now beef is the most standard ingredient) and some white kimchi broth (usually Dongchimi, which is a radish kimchi without the red pepper); and a few toppings such as sliced radish kimchi, slice of the beef that made the broth, sliced Asian pear, and sliced egg omelet or a hard-boiled egg.There are a few really famous and popular non-chain spots for this dish in Seoul – Woo Rae Ok (우래옥), Eulji myunok (을지면옥), Eulmildae (을밀대),  Pyung-Yang myunok (평양면옥), Pyung ga ok (평가옥), Pil dong myunok (필동면옥), Seobuk myunok (서북면옥), etc. (“Myunok” means a restaurant of noodles.) But Bongpiyang is always on the top 5 list of “The Best Mool Naeng Myun Places in Seoul” along with these famous places, and their naengmyun rarely disppoints. It is also a little bit easier and friendlier version than some of the other purist version of this dish – more beef flavor and a bit of tangy-ness in the broth.

Photo below was taken in November 2011 at Bongpiyang, Bangyi branch.

I know it is a bit strange for a lot of foreigners to eat noodle with cold broth, but once you get used to the idea, there’s nothing like it! The depth of the flavor is really subtle, and there is so much nuance in this simple, non-aggressive dish. Also the faint fragrance from really good buckwheat is very attractive.

Another popular dish at Bongpiyang is the grilled pork rib. As far as seasoned and grilled pork meat goes, this is one of the bests in Korea. Not too heavily seasoned, not too sweet, and the meat is juicy and tender. But it’s also one of the most expensive – about $25 per person for not a lot of pork!

And Bongpiyang doesn’t give a lot of side dishes. (At any other grilling place, you would get at least 4-5 different side dishes.)

They use really good wood charcoal for grilling, too.

Service can be very indifferent or slow, though.

If you like spice food, try the Yang Gom Tang (spicy soup with beef intestants).

The easiest location is probably Bangyi branch. Take subway line 5 (purple line), get off at the Bangyi station/ take exit 4. Walk straight and turn left at the first side road. Hyojadong location is also easy. Take subway line 3 (orange line), get off at the Gyungbokgung station/ take exit 3 and walk straight for about 3-4 min. It’s on your right side. There are many fun little cafes, cloth shops and markets around this station, so it will be fun to spend an afternoon here after eating lunch at Bongpiyang.

Enjoy!

Ike and Jane, where you can get an “Elvis Presley Donut” – yeast donut with peanut butter glaze, banana slices and a piece of bacon. It sounds strange, but it’s quite a great combination! (Although I can let go of the bacon part.)

Ike and Jane is a cute and charming bakery-cafe in Athens, Georgia, where one can get a cup of decent coffee along with their fun variations of donuts, cupcakes, breakfast items, and really good freshly squeezed orange juice. I stumbled upon this place while I was in Athens for a rehearsal, and a concert a few weeks later. Their sign was so cute that I had to go inside and check it out.

Breakfast biscuit was delicious, and the cappuccino was decent enough.Pistachio-caramel glazed yeast donut was also yummy!

Atmosphere: Casual charming. Fun to look at the showcase!

Service: Friendly and apt

Website: www.ikeandjane.com

Hours: Monday-Friday, 6:30am-5pm/ Saturday-Sunday, 8am-2pm

Address/ Phone#: 1307 Prince Avenue/ 706-850-1580

Tip: Parking can be pretty hard! And it seems always crowded. It might be easier for the driver to stay in the car, and take a to-go order during the busy hours.

They also have quite large lunch options, but I have not tried it yet. A good reason to go back to Athens, I suppose!

I do not trust Google reviews or even Yelp these days, but once in a while I do find places I like via those online sources. Angelette’s was one of the few restaurants I found through my random google search right after I moved to Tallahassee.

It’s not a fancy restaurant (and it doesn’t try to be). It’s not organic or local. It’s a casual place with pretty “normal” food-stuff, but things are done just right for what they are.

Angellette’s claims to be a Cajun restaurant. So you can expect what they serve – Po Boys, New Orleans style shrimp salad and crab cakes, etouffe and gumbo. But I like their breakfast items more than the Cajun items. It’s the classic diner style American breakfast.

My favorite Food here: buttermilk pancake (on the photo below). Fluffy and soft. Nothing upscale or fancy about it, it’s just plain and simple. I usually like more fancy kind of brunch items, but when it comes to pancakes I prefer just old fashioned, un-fussy kind, even if they are made with not the top notch ingredients. (unless it’s something extraordinary like the cottage cheese pancake I used to love at The Uptown Cafe in Bloomington, IN!)

The best part is that you can order just ONE pancake for $2.59! And one is enough for anybody, really. Their egg dishes are a little too rich for me, but the sausage and gravy is tasty and side eggs/ bacon option is also very good.

Also good is their Beignets, fluffy and warm, dusted with plenty of powdered sugar. Too bad their coffee is not as good..(it’s pretty institutional.)

Below is a photo of their crab cake appetizer and an order of one buttermilk pancake. At the back, there is a cajun omelet. Crab cake was OK, but it had a bit too much mayo/ spices for my taste. I prefer crab cakes at the Kool Beanz. Grilled bread served alongside is also somewhat industrial. There’s nothing French about these breads. You can’t call this a baguette just because it’s shaped like one.

Photo below is their seafood and sausage gumbo. I was not a big fan because it had too much spices and I could not taste much seafood or sausage. Maybe this is the authentic style, but I prefer gumbo with a bit more clear flavor components that come through with complexity that’s not too overwhelming.

Atmosphere: Open kitchen. Really casual. Nothing fancy.

Service: Good. Not sophisticated or too attentive when they are busy, but still friendly and apt enough.

Hours: One of the most weird operation hours ever! I was craving some beignets today and was defeated by the “Tuesday specialty night”

Wed – Fri 7:00am – 2:30pm, Sat – Sun 8:00am – 2:00pm
(Specialty Nights – Tue & Thu – regular menu not available)

Website: www.angelettescajunkitchen.com

Location/ Phone: 3551 Blair Stone Road Suite 124, Tallahassee. 850-656-1772

I think it’s genius that Danji called their kimchi fried rice as “kimchi chorizo paella”. It sounds so much more interesting! Kimchi fried rice has so much potential and variations – basically you can put any kind of meat you want in it. My favorite is with bacon or with some rib-eye steak in the fat from the steak. (I sometimes grill steak just to eat the kimchi fried rice afterward.) Chorizo is also good as well as andouille sausages. Canned tuna is next in line. If you can get your hands on pork belly, that’s always a great choice for any kimchi dishes.

Since bacon is available in every grocery store in the U.S.A., here is a recipe for Bacon kimchi fried rice. It’s so easy, and it’s so yummy. But remember, you must have good kimchi and good rice to begin with! (See my previous post for some store-bought kimchi options.)

For 2 hungry adults:

3 cups of cooked rice

5 slices of bacon (or more, if you like) – remove excessive fat and chop finely

1/2 yellow onion or Vidalia onion – finely diced

1 TB Korean style chili oil [Gochu-girum: You can find ta recipe for this among my old blog entries] OR Japanese La-Yu + 0.5 TB Canola oil

2 Green onion stems, green parts only – finely sliced

1.5 cup kimchi – finely chopped (about same size as the bacon and onion)

Salt, Pepper

Optional, but highly recommended: Fried egg, sunny side up

How To Make

1) In a wok, fry the bacon

2) Add the chili oil – then add chopped onion and green onion. Then stir fry until the onion is translucent. Add more Korean chili flake [Gochu-garu], if you like it spicier.

3) Add chopped kimchi and mix well/ stir fry until kimchi starts to cook. (color will become less vibrant)

4) Add rice and mix well. Try not to break the rice too much/ use the edge of a wooden spatula.

5) When everything is mixed well and rice is warmed through, it’s done! Top with sunny-side up fried egg and enjoy!

Enjoy~

There was a lot of buzz about the Vertigo Burger during the late summer of 2012. I usually don’t eat much red meat, and I rarely order a hamburger for myself at a restaurant. However things were slightly different in 2012 as I was pregnant with a precious little boy. The meat craving was almost ridiculous – I ate more amount of hamburgers and Chipotle’s beef fajita burrito than I ever ate in my life during my second trimester!

Anyways. Back to Vertigo – this is a new burger joint that was established by the same people who own the 101 in downtown. I am not a big fan of 101, but somehow the logo of Vertigo was exciting to my eyes. Also I was craving hamburger like crazy in August. So I went there alone (!!) and ordered the “Straight Up” with some sweet potato fries..then went back a few more times with my husband.

Atmosphere: Minimal, simple, casual, modern, functional, a bit chic

Menu: Simple but varied enough. A few salad options.

See their website for full menu – http://www.vertigoburgersandfries.com/menu/

Food: I like the flavor of their hamburger patties and the texture/ flavor of the buns. I also like their sweet potato fries – crisp outside, not too salty. I am not a big fan of the accompanied Vertigo sauce, though. It has little bacon pieces, and they sometimes taste a bit rancid. Plus bacon+mayo doesn’t work too well with either potato fries nor sweet potato fries. Their onion rings taste as though they are fried in good/ clean oil and are seasoned well. But I prefer beer battered kind of rings with more spongy-ness inside. Vertigo’s onion rings are a bit too floury.

So far we have tried the “Straight Up” (Burger with red onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, American cheese, mustard, and ketchup), “Triple Throw Down” (beef burger, applewood bacon &  blue cheese, horseradish sauce, caramelized onions), and “Vertigo” (beef burger, fried egg, applewood bacon, griddled jalapeños, sharp cheddar, vertigo sauce).

Triple throw down comes with a lot of blue cheese, and my husband liked it very much. Straight up is really straight up, but very clean and refined flavor. I don’t eat a lot of hamburgers, so I can’t compare it to other burger joints, except for Five Guys. I think it is somewhat unfair to compare this place to Five Guys.. Five Guys serves good enough burger (for a franchise) at a very good price, but I think overall quality of ingredients is better at Vertigo. (And it should be!)

Service: It’s straight forward. You order at the cashier, get a number for your table, and they deliver it for you. Servers here are mostly young college kids, and they have been all very friendly and competent. We visited four times, and every time our orders came exactly the way we wanted.

Price/ Portion: A lot of people complained on Yelp about the size of Vertigo’s burgers. I don’t have a problem with it. I actually like it that it’s not too humongous, but I can see that it might be too small for others. Also many complain that the burger doesn’t come with fries. Maybe that is a problem, considering the relatively “high” price tag. (about $8.5-9 average for a burger/ $2.95 for full order of fries/ $1.95 for half order of fries) Portion for their fries is a bit more generous than the burger.

Now that my little boy is out, and I have lost the meat craving, I don’t think I will go back there voluntarily. But probably my husband will want to go back there for some blue-cheese loaded burger. The only problem I have with Vertigo is that I smell like grilled burger after I eat there – somehow the ventilation system doesn’t seem to be working so well..!

Louisville is one of my favorite cities in the U.S.A. – It has a bit of the southern charm, a bit of the college-town coolness, and a bit of the urban-ness without being too crowded or too big to browse around. I first visited the city in 2005, and have been going back there for concerts. But whenever I am there, I am as much interested in the new restaurants and cafes as in my performances. I used to frequent the Heine Brothers Coffee for espresso drinks and desserts, as well as Blue Dog Bakery for breads, North End Cafe for brunch, and Dakshin for Indian food.

The most recent visit was in October 2012, and a friend of mine who is a coffee afficionado told me about the new cafe in L-ville: Quill’s. Quill’s has 2 locations in Louisville and 1 location in New Albany, Indiana. I visited the Cardinal Blvd. location near U of L and the one in New Albany.

They only focus on the coffee – meaning, not a lot of other drink options or baked items. I like the industrial look and the spaciousness of both locations. Coffee tasted better at the Cardinal location, though. They have something that has a bit more milk than the traditional macchiato, and it was velvety+sweet with just right amount of acidity and deep flavor.. but I forget the name!

I liked the drink above better than the traditional macchiato.

They roast their coffee beans in-house. They also have nice selection of beans and coffee related merchandise items on their website at https://quillscoffeeco.squarespace.com.

There were other cafes I visited – Sunergo was nice, but I prefer the flavor and the texture of Quill’s more. (Also the atmosphere is different: Sunergo is a bit more hippy and free/ Quill’s is more urban and cool.)

I didn’t care too much for Vint, though. The store felt not too clean or friendly and the espresso macchiato tasted a bit burned and too dark for my taste.

Next time I visit Louisville, I will check out the Java Brewing Company and La Grange coffee. I hope the good stuff keeps coming in Louisville!

It is always hard to find a satisfying cup of espresso macchiato in mid-sized towns in the USA. Sometimes one can find small gems like Cafe 116 in Fergus Falls, MN, but usually one gets stuck with big chain cafes or local stores that serve not-so-desirable shots.

I have been living in Tallahassee for about 6 months now, and I almost became serious about opening a cafe myself. This is a college town with a big student/ faculty population, and there is not one good cafe that’s open past 10pm. (Plus there is a perfect location empty right across the street from the music school.) There are 2 cafes that are charming and popular enough, good for occasional visits and spending time with friends (Black Dog Cafe near Lake Ella and Killer Coffee near the New Leaf market). But still, there was no place that served espresso with good body, chocolate color, and golden crema. Or a cafe that would serve pour over. Or even freshly roasted beans. Nothing to provide the “great college town cafe feel” such as Gimme! Coffee in Ithaca or Tunnel City Cafe in Williamstown.

But! The wait is over (and so is my wish to open a coffee shop in Tallahassee) – a man with an ambition and a clear vision opened “Atomic Coffee” on Tennessee as of January 27, 2012. I made my first visit on February 1.

First of all, the equipment. My husband went to check this place out on January 31 as it’s close to his school. He texted me right away saying “hey they have La Marzocco” This is the machine. If you see this or Synesso in any cafe, you can see some seriousness. This is not a cheap machine. This also requires certain skills to use well, as I hear from my barista friends. It’s just a very serious investment. Robert told me that he trained with Counter Culture/ Intelligentsia in Atlanta, and they wouldn’t let someone to open a cafe using their beans unless the cafe is equipped with quality materials.

Atomic La Marzocco

They also have Hario pour over system, which is my (and my husband’s) favorite method for brewing coffee.

Hario stand at Atomic, Tallahassee

And the beans – I was so happy to see bags of Counter Culture beans (mostly single origins) and the red bag of Intelligentsia’s Black Cat!

I ordered Kenya Karatu pour over (12oz) and espresso macchiato. Robert (the owner) used a timer for exact extraction time, and this cup was really yummy. I shared it with a friend visiting from Brazil, and he was very pleased with the quality as well. (he said “even without sugar, I can feel a bit of caramel”

And the macchiato – I just ordered “as is”, not adding a shot.

Macchiato at Atomic, Tallahassee

Ah. The earthy and edgy flavor of the Black Cat. ! I have missed it so much.

Menu and atmosphere: The countertop near coffee station is granite, they use good quality ceramic cups for the “for here” orders. There is not much decoration going on, but a very clean feel to the whole place.

They also have a few selections of sandwich items and baked goods, which they make by hands in their kitchen. Everything is priced reasonably, and I am sure I will try them out soon. There’s a good selection of refrigerator items such as coconut water, smoothies, etc., and even breakfast items.

The service: It was a bit slow when I visited, and a lot of people were waiting for their orders to come out. On my second visit, it took me 13 minutes to get a cup of cappuccino. I think it is mostly the first-week issue. I do hope this will improve. Maybe it’d help if they had 2 baristas working – one for espresso drinks, one for other drinks.

From next week they plan to sell some beans from Intelligentsia and Counter Culture as well. I regularly order my espresso beans from Counter Culture, but I am really excited to get some Black Cat beans through the Atomic Coffee. (Shipping cost from Intelligentsia’s website doesn’t work for an individual consumer.)

Location: 625 West Tennessee Street/ Phone: 850-727-8744

Open: Monday through Friday, 6am till Midnight (might expand during final weeks)/ Saturday and Sunday 8am till Midnight

Caution: Parking is tricky. Students and faculty memebers of FSU can park in the garage and walk here, but I don’t honestly know how non-school population can visit this place.

Update: As of mid-April 2012, this place is still packed. It always seems that half of the campus comes here to hang out, talk, write paper, eat, and drink coffee. I still like their coffee and sandwiches (try the French toastie or smashed and dashed), but there is almost always a long line. (And some of the people who work here are not the most efficient..) However things move faster than when they just opened, and the quality is still good. If you don’t mind waiting or young& loud crowd, this is still the best place for good coffee and some light lunch in town.

I also tried out the All Saints Coffeeshop that a lot of people seem to like. Their espresso was surprisingly good – not the same kind as Counter Culture or Intelligentsia, but with a bit lighter body and more “impact” on the first sip. I really liked it. But! The place itself was a little too “in their own world” for me. (And a bit smelly, too.) Probably a good hang-out place, for a slightly different crowd..

Update as of January 2013: Still the best in Tallahassee. I like their espresso macchiato, and some of the muffins (pistachio) and sandwiches (waffler/ hangover helper). It gets so crowded with college students during the school year; service can be slow; it’s usually loud, but still their espresso beats all the other cafes in Tally. Here’s a better photo of their drinks. Enjoy!

Again, I introduce a gem in a very busy area without decent coffee culture – that is Myungdong. It’s always jam packed with young couples, tourists, and shoppers of all ages.

Of course there are a lot of coffee shops in Myungdong, but they are mainly chain cafes such as Starbucks, Beans Bins, etc. There is an old fashioned cafe called “Gamu,” but it’s a place to visit more for the nostalgia not for excellent coffee. (They serve “Vienna Coffee” which is strong coffee with lots of whipped cream, not made from milk fat)

For someone who’s looking for a decent single-serve coffee or a good cup of macchiato using the micro-roasted beans, Jeonkwangsoo coffee is a safe choice. Mr. Jeon is one of the so-called “2nd generation coffee people,” and has almost 20 years of experience in the coffee business. Well trained baristas work here, and the price of the “hand-drip” coffee is between 5000-6000 won ($5-6), which is pretty good for the location and the style. They roast their own beans, and there is a coffee academy next door. Their espresso machine is Dalla Corte.

It has become a bit too famous during the past 1-2 years, and they have a few branches all over Seoul and one in Wonjoo. Sometimes the cafe is just too busy (especially when there is a large group of middle-age women. Oh boy they are loud.) But still it’s a cafe where you can be assured of a decent cup of coffee.

They also serve “Thick-Faced Toast” (낯두꺼운 토스트) with butter and jam, but the toast is a bit too thick and dry. Nice jam, though!

Location: Namsan-Dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea (Take the subway line #4/ get off Myungdong station/ Go out via exit #3/ Take the left fork in front of the Pacific hotel and walk for 1-2 minutes. You will see a small coffee shop with a big window on your left.)

Hours: 10am to 10pm

Website: http://jeonscoffee.co.kr/next

Phone: (82) 2-778-0675