#7: Toad House
Posted on February 16, 2007
Filed Under Barbecue, Best of the Best, Extra Hard Core, Korean | 8 Comments
Three words. Black. Pork. Belly.
Yes, it’s bacon, glorious, thick, fatty, DELICIOUS bacon.
John S recommended this place to me months ago (see blog entry here) and I’ve only gotten around to it today. Thanks, John. This place was SPEC-TA-CU-LAR, I can’t wait to come back.
It doesn’t look like much on the outside…
That is so cute, and the irony is not wasted on me either. “YEAH! PORK BELLY!”
So here’s the deal. It’s Korean Barbecue, so of course it’s got a grill in the middle of the table. It’s not all you can eat, but you can order ridiculous combinations. They specialize in black pork belly, alledgedly it’s imported from Canada, and when I asked the waiter, he said that the pork was marinated with a secret wine sauce. I say it’s got crack in it. It’s downright addictive.
The combination also included steamed eggs, ribs for grilling, etc. All the combos also come with alcohol, which, looking back now, is the greatest idea since eating pork belly. We picked combo #5 and the soju.
Anytime you have a chilled glass, I’m a happy camper. The glass noodles were also very good.
The stars of the show, ribs and pork belly.
As always there were a few side dishes, I must say, the kimchee was particularly good.
The weird thing is, the waitress would bring it out and cut the kimchee with a pair of scissors at our table. Does that mean it came right out of the pot or something, so it’s extra fresh? I don’t know, but it sure tasted good.
The victims were memorialized by this poster on the wall, the irony is overwhelming.
This place was a real special treat. It’s a bit on the expensive side, and the place is a bit small, so large parties probably wouldn’t do too well. Bring 3 friends to make a table of four, I had Combo #5 ($54 after tax) with Matt and felt I could’ve eaten more, not because I was hungry, but because I couldn’t get enough of that bacon, it was addictive.
Special thanks to John S for recommending this place, it was so awesome. Please do keep your recommendations coming, I’d certainly appreciate them.
Toad House
4503 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90189
(323) 460-7037