
"On the fringe of Koreatown in midtown Manhattan, this Korean barbecue brings family recipes from Busan to New York with a very traditional approach: owner Bobby Yoon uses his grandfather’s exactly as-written recipes for the short rib and bulgogi offerings and rejects the current trend of French-style fusion in favor of “100 percent Korean food.” A signature is placing potato-starch noodles in the well surrounding the grill so they soak up and cook in the sauce, something uncommon at KBBQ spots in NYC. Chef Anna So (formerly of Danji and O Ya, from a family that cooked for royalty) adds her own spins on classics, including a shrimp-and-bulgogi pancake popular in Busan that is turned red with chile; other menu items include mushroom bibimbap and mussel soup. The 136-seat space (formerly Kristalbelli) has a 5-seat bar downstairs and a 15-seat bar upstairs, a design echoing the family restaurant with iron, wood, and ceramics brought from Korea, and a full bar focused on rice-distilled soju. It is open Monday–Saturday 5:30 p.m.–11 p.m., with the bar staying open until midnight Thursday–Saturday." - Stefanie Tuder