Korean BBQ at Koreana

Koreana

154-158 Prospect at Broadway,

Cambridge, MA

617-576-8661

Food: Korean, including Korean BBQ

Atmosphere: Social, lively, simple, casual, clean

$$$$$ Average for a night out in the city. Apps start at $5 entrees avg $20-$22

www.koreanaboston.com

Just realizing how inconsistent I can be with my posts. Sometimes I am so official, I write about what type of food, the atmosphere of a restaurant the price... Not lately though. I even keep forgetting to label my posts so they fall into categories.

Oh well, you want to know the atmosphere on a post I don't specify it on? Look at the pictures and figure it out! Price? Click on the website! and for now, unless I have my own bambino or talk about my friend with a four year old coming out with me, you can assume, these places probably aren't kid friendly.

I am just being a wise ass. I will try to be better.... but tonight I am lazy, and I just want to write about my fun time at Koreana.

Koreana is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Cambridge. This type of dining is great for people who like to share dinner. Also a great conversation piece, great for large groups. It is very social.

There are individual dishes on Koreana's menu for anyone who wants something a little different than the BBQ, or for someone who doesn't like to share like Joey from friends. The dish below is one of those that our friend Carolyn ordered. I am not saying Carolyn doesn't like to share though. She got this so we would have the full experience of BBQ and a tasty dish. Unfortunately, I don't remember what it was called! haha, so I am going to say it was Bokembop! Korean style fried rice with a vegetable variety, your choice of beef or chicken, and kimchee! Honestly I don't think it was Bokembop, but it sounds good, and it looks good too! Whatever you choose at Koreana, you are going to get variety that's for sure.
The BBQ dishes all come out the same way. Beef,chicken, pork, shrimp or tofu are delivered to the table and placed on the BBQ by the server. The start the cooking process but leave the tools for you to finish it off. The BBQ is served with 9-10 side dishes which include various small salads like the most popular KimcheeKorean BBQ is also served with slivers of garlic, peppers, soy paste, a bowl of rice and large sesame leaves to place the items in and eat with.

Koreana is located in Cambridge on the corner of Broadway and Prospect. If you are in a car, you aren't too far from Harvard Square and can check out the area.

The atmosphere is social but it was a little cold the night we were there. If it is cold outside, I would request to sit away from the door. The staff is nice, and efficient. If you like to interact with your friends and not the wait staff, this is the place for you. We did wait for a table for a few minutes, there isn't a great area to wait in and again it is by the door, so it can be a little cold.

In all Koreana is pleasant, unique, and social for large groups. The food is good, and our friend Carolyn tells us it is some of the most healthy cuisine around.

J.P. don't call me "House of" Seafood Cafe

JP Seafood
730 Centre Street
Jamaica Plain, Ma 02130
617-983-5177



Menu: Japanese/Korean mix of items, sushi, tempura, noodles, grill
Kid Friendly: Sure if your kids eat this stuff
Atmosphere: Laid back, fast service, clean
Prices: Very reasonable for the amount of food and quality

Lou and I hit up JP Seafood this past weekend. If you read my review on Pino's Pizza, you know Lou brought me there early on in our dating life and it was tell tale sign of how he felt for me. I guess the same can't be said for me sharing one of my favorite restaurants, JP Seafood. I made Lou try JP Seafood over the summer. We love sushi but we don't seem to get it that much. JP Seafood is, by far, my favorite sushi place. Not only is their food awesome, but the price is right too. The menus is not only sushi, but noodles, rice, tempura, and grilled items. They also have plenty of dishes for vegetarians.


This visit we opted for a variety of items on the menu. Two Maki rolls(the dragon and New England), the scallion pancakes, and vegetable tempura. Our entire meal was $35 with tip, and there was plenty to take some home.


We started with the scallion pancakes, or should I say pancake. It was basically one very large scallion pancake, about 8 inch diameter cut into smaller pieces. This was the best scallion pancake I have ever had. It was light, fluffy, and flavorful. I had to keep myself from eating too much to save room for our other items. I wish I had taken a picture.


Our second course was our Maki. The dragon roll was shrimp tempura covered with eel and avocado. It is one of my favorites. I love the eel, but I think I also like that it looks like a big caterpillar. Our other roll was the New England Maki. This was lightly battered and fried white fish. Both rolls were very good.


Our last course was the Vegetable Tempura. It was a lot and we took most of it home, but I think there are two things that make Vegetable tempura good. A light batter, and a good variety of vegetables. This dish had both. The Veggies were asparagus, broccoli, onions, sweet potatoes, and peppers.


The first thing you want to remember about JP Seafood is, don't let the awning fool you. It is big, it is blue, and it looks a little cheesy. I always thought it was just me, but a good friend of ours, Jesson, from Salmagundi (http://www.salmagundi.com/) said the same thing. He slept on JP Seafood for a long time because of that terrible awning. Once you get inside though, the service is friendly and efficient, the interior is minimilist and perfectly asian inspired, and the food is outstanding.


As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I held out for a long time on bringing Lou to this gem in J.P. I have to honestly tell you he raised his eyebrows accusingly several times throughout our first meal here. His accusing look was saying one thing, "Why would you keep this place from me???" After this trip, we decided, JP Seafood is so good, you want to keep it to yourself. You may not even want to tell your spouse! I guess with this post though, the secret is out!