Back in the states, but...

not yet back in SoCo. Had one day back in the hood - ate some great crayfish (thanks Eric) - but then had to head to Ithaca, NY first thing Monday morning. Drag! So since I wanted to do a new post, I figured I'd do one highlighting a really good little Korean place here in Ithaca (specifically Collegetown) called KoKo.

I've been there a few times now and always look forward to sinking my teeth into one of their sizzling hot pots. But, before you get to your entree, KoKo - like many other Korean restaurants - provides a few different panchan (small dishes served gratis before your entree). Tonight, I got kimchee, some pickled zucchini, bean sprouts, some interesting cold potato cubes, and a sizzling egg. Yum! I wish I could add sound because this bad boy was really sizzling when it hit the table. First time I ever had anything like it. I waited a few minutes before I ate it and the egg had pretty much cooked and was surrounded by a wonderfully seasoned broth.

And since I don't eat Korean all the time, I typically forget about the panchan. Tonight was no different and of course I had also ordered an appetizer. I don't really regret it, but all total it was a lot of food. The app was a wheat flour pancake filled with kim chi. Again really nice, served with a soy-style sauce. Add some hot sauce and I was in good shape. Fortunately I had plenty of water and another reason I like this place, I was able to bring in my own beer. I walked down the street from Ko Ko to a kinda dumpy little convenience store, but they really have a good beer selection. Maybe 'cause it's a college town? Maybe 'cause I'm used to the ultra-lame selection at our County stores? Either way I walked out with a big bottle of Blanche de Chambly, a white ale from Quebec. Tasty.

Once done with my pancake, and some of my panchan, I was ready to dig into my sizzling hot pot. You can choose from 3 kinds - seafood, meat, or vegetarian. Given the amount of meat I had consumed on my vacation, I opted for the veggie route. Two days in a row for me now. Not bad. So this one was filled with tiny cubes of tofu, carrots, zucchini, onions with a raw egg dropped in the middle. Of course since it's a hot pot, the egg does get cooked. Don't worry. All the veggies are sitting on a mound of rice which because of the sizzling hot pot stays warm and the rice on the bottom gets this nice crispy texture. You actually have to jab the rice with your chopsticks to pry it off the bottom. Love it when you need to do that.

So if you have reason to be in Ithaca - it is pretty this time of year - and you get a hankering for Korean try Ko Ko. I'm not saying it's the best, because it is a bit of a dive, but I have certainly found they serve some tasty dishes. Once you're done you can walk down the hill a bit to the Chapter House and get your beer on.

And I will give a plug for the DC Korean vendor on the corner of L and 14th streets (SE corner). Try them out; you won't be disappointed. I know there's plenty of good Korean places in No Va, but if you don't feel like hauling your ass over the Potomac and you're already in the city, try out this mom and son vendor.