I didn’t get it
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First visit to Baroo https://www.baroolosangeles.com/ , a fine dining Korean restaurant in the Arts District in downtown LA was really impressive - ranging from the high quality cooking, pacing, service to the laid back ambience. Also, in many restaurants non-alcoholic pairings are often an afterthought but here they might be more interesting and thoughtful than the alcohol ones. If this restaurant would be in SF we would be visiting once every month.
Watermelon, lemon verbana, kombucha, seed puff
Black sesame sool bang, nduja, gouda, pichuberry
Hokkaido scallop, minari, gim, wild rice puff
Lobster tuigim, doenjang, job’s tears, corn & beans, lovage
Soy braised wild black cod, dongehimi, lemongrass, buttermilk, green papaya
Flatiron wagyu steak, layers of potato, watermelon radish, black bean reduction
Wild mountain green rice, lotus sunchoke gaennip jangajji, xo sauce, gamtae bugak
Andy’s orchard peach sorbet, almond & sikhye, peach snow ice, black sesame crumble
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I did not enjoy my meal at Baroo. It felt sterile. The portions were incredibly small. None of the dishes were bad, and some were quite good (the short rib and rice dish, and lobster tempura), but even these dishes had me just wishing I was at Soban. I also just did not find it to be a fun place to eat; the service was robotic, and the soju cocktails were awful. This is no more a top 5 restaurant in LA than I am a top 5 sexiest man alive.
Thankfully, we drove over to taqueria frontera after and had the best dish I had of the night for $8.50.
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I unfortunately felt similarly to this on a repeat visit. I’ve complained about the menu being same-y on this thread before and it’s starting to get me to think this place is not for me anymore. Even in the video (bon app or eater, I forget) they did where they were testing a new dish for the menu I didn’t believe it was real and was just for show.
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It’s really gone downhill. Service is sterile, drinks are worse, menu never changes. Just another success story of the hype machine at this point.
I have a take: Korean alcohol isn’t good. E.g., makgeolli is just junk sake IMO. Soju is awful. I do like Baroo though.
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Good makegolli can be delicious.
Industrial soju is cheap and consistent. The artisanal stuff can be good but it’s hard to find.
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Agree. Jilli in KTown has a a few pretty good Makgeollis.
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I enjoy straight soju, I just basically hate soju cocktails.
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Would just keep in mind that the craft Korean stuff is very much in its first wave. The good stuff has only been in California for like 5 years now, and there are only two very small importers at the moment. The first craft makgeolli brewery in America is like 3 years old. Also Japan interrupted/wiped out centuries worth of traditional production when it occupied Korea.
That said, probably more of an acquired taste! Nobody really likes/gets shochu either, even though Japan is pouring money into trying to popularize it stateside.
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Join JBF Greens for modern Korean cuisine at Baroo in the Arts District.
Run by husband-wife duo Kwang Uh and Mina Park, Baroo has been a long-standing project for them, appearing first as a 16-seat restaurant in East Hollywood (Baroo 1.0) and then as a pop-up in a flea market (Baroo Canteen).
Baroo specializes in innovative tasting menus with thought-provoking dish names like, “life begins” and “finally realize?”, complemented by a robust bar program featuring Korean beverages. The mission, in Kwang and Mina’s own words, is “to serve food with a beginner’s mind.”
For the occasion, Kwang will prepare a three-course menu that highlights whimsical Korean dishes with familiar, yet elevated flavors.
What is JBF Greens?
It’s an entry-level cost event from the James Beard Foundation.
Officially “JBF Greens is designed for food lovers under 40 who want to engage with the culinary world through exclusive events, tastings, and networking opportunities.” But the events are open to all.
I think there are only ten seats left or so. I’ll be there so say hi if you pickup a ticket!
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“Designed for food lovers under 40,” huh?
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I love when something is an abbreviated version of the regular menu for more money. Really screams exclusive
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I went to the one at Xuntos and did not regret it. Keep in mind this pricing is all-in including taxes, tips, drinks. It’s a great illustration why restaurants really struggle with all-inclusive pricing, the comparison to those who don’t isn’t favorable. I will say that an abbreviated version of the already small Baroo menu should give one pause. We left stuffed from Xuntos though.
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Dinner at Bar0o last night was fantastically great. They changed many things on the menu since my last visit 6 months or so ago. Execution and balance of every dish were perfect. Great service and atmosphere. Truly a gem of a restaurant. Can not wait to come back in a few months.
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