Young Dong Garden

So I know this particular blog doesn't exactly fit the title, but after a chat with a fellow coworker of mine, I decided to take a different route and share my experiences of eating out, since I do that most often.

Even though I am a pastry cook and don't technically "cook" at work, I find that I'm usually too tired to come home and plan a meal, run to the grocery store, cook, then clean everything up. Its not that I don't cook at home ever, I just can't muster up the strength to do it on a daily basis. That is why my boyfriend, also in the "biz", (and codename Flip) and I tend to eat out so often. Another major factor is that we live in a part of town where an abundance of restaurants and establishments have sprung up that has been appropriately called Restaurant Row. After 1+ years of living in this area, Flip and I have already singled out our favorite eateries, as well as the best places to go that cater to my odd cravings.

Tonight Flip had a craving for korean bbq. Instead of going to our usual place in Arcadia, we decided to try its 'sister' restaurant down the street from us called Young Dong Garden. Interesting name, and perhaps even more interesting was the building this restaurant was in. As we sat down in the extremely large booth, I stared around the room and began thinking "This looks more like it could be someone's house than a restaurant". Service was quick, but it being a Tuesday night, it didn't look like the place was booming either. I ordered the Galbi (flavorful korean shortribs) and Flip ordered the Bulgogi (marinated bbq beef). Our meal came with the appropriate accoutrements...some kelp, kimchi, pickled cucumber, marinated beansprouts, and some strange thing I had no idea what it was flavor or texture-wise. This, to me, is the best part of having korean bbq, getting a variety of pickled and marinated items that cleanse the palatte. I absolutely loved the beansprouts and pickled cucumber and ordered more right away. My shortribs were amazingly flavorful and tender and I gobbled the entire plate up almost immediately. Flip's bulgogi, however, looked quite dry, which to me, translated to unappetizing.
Total bill for the 2 of us came out to $39 with tip...a bit pricey, especially since our usual korean bbq place we like to go to is around $25.

Another thing I noticed at our table, was a notice stating that you had to ask for water because of California's Water Protection Act. This was the first time I've seen something like this at any restaurant and I couldn't help but think that maybe it was just an excuse to save on their water bill. Anyway, on a scale of 1-10, I'd rate this place a 6 and think I'll just stick to my usual korean bbq spot.