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Dining in New York's Koreatown [New York]
via Gridskipper by Debbie Lee on January 22, 2008
In the New York Times' first-ever review of a Korean restaurant, former critic Ruth Reichl asked, "Why Korean food hasn't become more popular in New York City?" The finger was pointed at menus, which were deemed too hard for American diners to navigate. Almost fifteen years after posing the question, Korean cuisine has a gained a higher profile, but menus remain as encyclopedic and overwhelming as ever. English translations have been added but rarely help (at least there's no pretense in "gelatin of cow knee"), pointing to pictures on the menu is a crapshoot, and innocuous offerings like mediocre sushi and barbecue can become tiring after your first trip.If Koreatown's restaurants seem indistinguishable from one another, allow me to help. There's a general consensus among Koreans that each restaurant makes one item better than its neighboring competitors. So the next time you're in the mood for something new, don't bother rifling through that tome of a menu. Trust this map to be your handy crib sheet for eating as the locals do. If you notice your favorite restaurant missing from the list, it was probably intentional. There are a number of 32nd Street spots that I, the picky eater, refuse to patronize. Agreement and dissent are welcome in the comments and tips.
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