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i second kang suh, arirang, seoul garden, mad for chkn and gahm mi oak. also reco shilla and madangsui on 35th.

hyo dong gak's jja jang myeon & jjam ppong have gone downhill in the past months and there's better mandoo at seoul garden or kang suh than mandoo bar. i've also been disappointed by wonjo's jjigaes.

putting my chips on jennifer to win it all

their sandwiches are so good. don't forget the tater tots.

good eye, ernie. there was another chunk behind this one that appeared a lot crispier.

i'd love it if porchetta offered cracklins in a paper cone, almost like a bag of chips. now that would make everyone's stomach weep.

bibim = mixed & bop = rice or meal.

it's pronounced bee-bim-bahp.

you don't stress any syllables but BAHP naturally sounds emphasized b/c of the P sound at the end. technically it's between a B and a P so no need to pop your lips.

once korean syllables are written out in english, you'll encounter numerous ways to spell the same sound; sometimes by stringing three vowels in a row, which only makes the word illegible. consonants are often overcompensated. for ex., kimchi is actually pronounced gim-chee.

you can do better than butter. casa mono, lupa, babbo, little owl, kyo ya, degustation, ippudo, blue ribbon brasserie, bacaro and perbacco are in the same (if not below) butter's price range and offer a more memorable dining experience. i second momofuku ssam, l'ecole, jlob and the spotted pig. corner bistro also serves good burgers but not sure if they allow anyone under 21.

bruni recently gave ko and matsugen three stars (also in his 2008 top 10) and szechuan gourmet, two. on the other hand, he gave ago a horrible review. i find him pretty fair and not necessarily biased toward a certain cuisine. i can't say the same about platt. readers also have to remember that just bc lee is huge in toronto doesn't mean his cooking will translate in nyc.

having worked in downtown kc as well, i recall the aroma of the folgers plant. but somedays there would be an unpleasant odor near the downtown airport, like from an animal rendering plant or something. depended on which way the wind blew.

the mcrib makes me think of the simpsons episode when krusty burger offers the ribwich.
"the animal we make the meat from is extinct."
"the cow? the pig?"
"no, think smaller and more legs."
i do love the mcnasty.

i'm not a fan of kidneys either, but i agree little pepper's version is by far the best i've had.

i've heard it's both high in protein and fat. i've also heard that beef marrow is high in cholesterol. when you cook it at home, you'll see a considerable amount of fat around the bone so i only eat it once a month.

if you're in nyc, try spicy korean fried chicken at bon chon, chicken skin and balls at yakitori taisho, cockles at casa mono and house chicken at congee. otherwise, chicken sucks.