Baekjeong San Jose Is Now Open. Here’s What to Know Before You Go. | Eater SF

"As the Bay Area's first outpost of Baekjeong, the San Jose location at Westfield Valley Fair finally fired up its grills on Aug. 16 and served hundreds of diners on opening day. I appreciated its pedigree — Kang Ho Dong started the brand in Korea in 2003 and Michael Chon brought it to the U.S. in 2011 — and the restaurant leans into that reputation with USDA prime meats and staff who cook the meats at your table (the round grill also comes with cheese, corn, and an egg omelet that cook on the side), while a powerful hood tucks down to whisk away smoke and foster the boisterous, Korean night-market atmosphere. Reservations are available via Resy (this is the chain's second U.S. location to take them), though walk-ins are accommodated with long waits; combos for two-to-three or three-to-four people run roughly $66–$142, a la carte meats are $33–$61, and the bar offers wine from about $13 a glass and $14 cocktails. You’ll be greeted with an array of salads and banchan — green onion salad with gochujang, an iceberg salad with mustard dressing, apple salad, pickled cucumbers and radish wraps, rice paper wraps, pickled jalapeños and tofu, kimchi, and a house dipping sauce — and the popular Hodong’s Favorite Combo ($76 or $126) includes thinly sliced beef brisket, boneless short ribs, pork belly, and marinated pork steak; we ordered a la carte and the off-the-bone short ribs were grilled at the table (the marinated bulgogi, by contrast, is not). Appetizers like seafood pancake and japchae are popular, and the beef tartare — tossed tableside with pickled onions and garlic, Asian pear, pine nuts, raw egg, and a sesame-oil backbone — is a surprisingly light counterpoint to the grilled meats. Finally, don't miss the San Jose–specific brisket cast-iron stir-fried rice ($30), cooked tableside with thin brisket, mushrooms, garlic chives, bean sprouts, sesame oil, lots of black pepper and salt, and a touch of truffle oil." - Lauren Saria