Back Stateside -- Honey Pig
Last night I ventured with friends (and Living Social voucher) to the Honey Pig in Ellicott City. I'm still in the afterglow of a great four months in Korea, so of course, I was a skeptic.
Before we walked in, the groups of people waiting were bursting out the door! Me having #gradstudentproblems, mumbled, "If this was Korea, we'd just walk to the place next door." Of course it was because Honey Pig sold a ridiculous amount of discount vouchers, but also because Honey Pig is now known for THE place to eat BBQ in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area.
Verdict: the place was delicious. I will always love a place with delicious pork belly. I was in great company with two good friends, so the time was well spent on eating meat and dishing dirt.
The Pros:
1) MEAT. Grilled. Duh!
2) It's open 24 Hours.
3) There's Korean beer! Yay, more Cass!!
4) the exhaust system seems to work more than the ones did in Seoul. I did the sniff test on my clothes after, and it wasn't too bad!
But... being fresh out of Korea, there were some cons:
1) They don't let you cut and cook your own meat! (I do understand it's probably better this way since some people don't know how to properly man the griddle...but still.... i would have liked the option to DIY)
2) The line was horrendous. We waited like 40 minutes for a table (Ok, they made bank doing that living social deal... and apparently they give 25% off the entire bill if the Redskins win.)
3) The location is in a strip mall. The great thing about the BBQ places in Seoul were that they were smack dab in the middle of the city, so you can stumble out of dinner and down the street to a bar afterwards.
4) The sparse banchan... left so much more to be desired. what happened to the mounds and mounds of kimchi and seasoned bean sprouts! They don't serve their korean peppers whole -- they're sliced.
5) No wet naps?! Koreaaaaa, come back to me. Those were the best things ever / no-brainers for a restaurant where you eat with your hands.
Again, I am being too critical. It was a delicious BBQ meal, and just makes me reflective of the awesome culinary times I had. Can't wait to do it again. I need to brush up on my korean food words again!
