Chicken (and More!) in Hell's Kitchen

I've always loved snarky restaurant names. Hell's Chicken (641 10th Avenue) has to be one of my favorites. Their food was pretty darn good also.

I was invited to visit the Hell's Kitchen Korean eatery last week and sample some traditional dishes as well as their highly-rated fried chicken. I visited South Korea about 2 years ago and love finding menu items that remind me of my trip. Instantly, I saw makgeolli ($14)--an unfiltered rice drink similar to nigori sake--and knew how we had to start our meal. It may look weird, but makgeolli is cold and refreshing with a crispy finish. Perfect for a summer evening.

Makgeolli

The friendly owner Sung Jin Min walked us through the menu and advised that we start with the Kimchi Jeon ($10), a Korean-style kimchi fried pancake, and the Mussam Mari ($7), pickled radish wraps with vegetables. The pancake was one of my favorite items of the meal. It reminded me of the scallion pancakes I've ordered from many a Chinese dumpling restaurant, but the kimchi made it a bit heartier. It was served on a sizzling hot platter with a soy-based dipping sauce. The Mussam Mari was cooling yet tart and was a great palate cleanser between the Kimchi Jeon and what was to come.

Kimchi Jeon

Mussam Mari

Then came the chicken from Hell! Just kidding. Well, kind of. We ordered drums (you can order wings or a combination of both) because I find they are easier to eat ($12-$50). Then we had a wide array of sauces to choose from arranged on the menu from mild to spicy. We went with soy ginger (a take on the traditional soy garlic) and spicy Hell's (the house sauce).

I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to spice but the spicy Hell's was totally manageable. If you like ginger, the soy ginger will be your best friend. The chicken itself was cooked to a perfect crisp and each piece beckons you before you even finish the last.

What's interesting about the fried chicken is that it's gluten free. It's made with an all-rice flour batter and fried in canola instead of soybean oil. Celiac's rejoice!

Soy ginger (left) and spicy Hell's (right) fried chicken drumsticks

Lest we forget the rest of the very authentic Korean menu, we finished up with the Dolsot Bibimbap ($16). A classic hot stone bowl mix of vegetables, rice, beef, hot sauce and an egg, this bibimbap cooks as you mix it up (don't worry, I'm not into eating raw egg!). I apologize for not taking an after pic, but I highly advise you go to Hell's Chicken and get this dish yourself. You'll find the rice puffs and crunches a bit more than it would in a regular bowl and that makes this bibimbap that much more incredible.

Dolsot Bibimbap

You may have to walk a couple blocks further west to get to Hell's Chicken than you would normally, but it's worth the extra steps (your FitBit will thank you). Try the chicken that matches your tastes, share a steaming bowl of bibimbap, and wash it all down with some makgeolli or soju. Oh and tell Sung I said hi!

Disclosure: Hell's Chicken provided a comp'd meal in exchange for this review but all opinions are my own.

Awesome Goes Gagnam Style

After visiting Seoul, South Korea last year, I've been itching to try an authentic meal in NYC's Koreatown. However, since I got pretty sick after my last excursion there 4 years ago, I've been a bit hesitant. However, the friendly folks at Madangsui invited me and a friend to check out their Korean BBQ last week, and oh man am I hooked.

My place setting

Empty tables waiting to be filled with hungry people

We arrived at 6pm on a Thursday evening, fairly early for NYC, but I my mom was flying in later that night and I needed to be home early. By 7 the restaurant was jam packed, and by 7:30 I'm not sure there were any open tables available. David, the welcoming manager, explained the menu to us and recommended a wide variety of their specialties. Whenever I see different country-specific beverages on the menu, I have to go for it, so we ordered the Saeng Makkoli (14% alcohol), which came in a giant bowl with a ladle ($17). I would highly recommend this as an accompaniment to any spicy dishes because it's milky texture (note: there is no milk in it, just unfiltered fermented wheat and rice) helps balance the heat.

Saeng Makkoli ($14)

For an appetizer we ordered the pan-fried seafood pancake, Haemul Pajeon ($14.99), which I could have eaten and called it a day. The pancake had the perfect crispiness and the seafood wasn't 'fishy' like I often find it in lower-class restaurants. Two thumbs up on this one!

Haemul Pajeon ($14.99)

For our main course, we ordered the marinated beef combo for 2 ($82.99) which included: short rib (galbi), jumuluk (boneless short rib) and bulgogi with vegetables and mushrooms. Thankfully the waiters were helpful and basically cooked our whole meal (I was extra thankful for this because I almost burned down a Korean BBQ joint in Seoul when I was there...NOT KIDDING). When the meat was cooked, we were instructed to wrap it in a lettuce cup along with pickled radish and spicy bean curd sauce taco-style. Yum!

Along with our meat, we received 8 different small dishes called banchan, which are very characteristic of Korean dining. In addition to that, we received a large bowl of steamed egg (way tastier than I ever thought eggs could be) and a spicy soup meant to be shared around the table.

Marinated beef combo for 2 ($82.99)

My meat "taco" pre-wrapping

Steamed egg and spicy soup

We also sampled the hot pot bibimbap ($15.99) and OH MY KOREA this was amazing. I learned that I've been eating bibimbap wrong this whole time. I always would pick out the different vegetables and meats along with the rice. However, when our server mixed everything up, magic happened and all the flavors of everything combined to take me to my happy place. This is a must-order.

Hot pot bibimbap ($15.99)

So can you tell I loved my meal at Madangsui? Not only was the food amazing, but the service was impeccable. My friend who has been to a wider variety of restaurants in Koreatown than I have even said this might be her new favorite. I can't wait to go back!

So you know, Korean BBQ is 10% off from 4-7pm every day and Madangsui has some great lunch specials including: kimchi with short rib in a spicy broth ($9.99), dumpling Soup ($10.99), kimchi casserole with pork, ham, sausage and vegetable in a hot spicy soup ($10.99), as well as a selection of bibimbap and bulgogi ($11.99-$17.99).