One Latte, One Lunch, One Beer - 2018 California Travel Wrap-Up

Well, the recap of a wonderful tour of California comes to an end with this blogpost. As usual, there were places that didn't quite conveniently fit in with any of our previous posts, but are definitely worthy of your consideration if you're in the neighborhood. And now, without further adieu...

Spearhead Coffee: Opened up a couple years after our first visit to Paso Robles, Spearhead Coffee has provided locals an elevated cup of coffee for their day's duties since 2015. Similar to many spaces with that modern industrial look, the interior of Spearhead used plenty of reclaimed materials from around the area as well as from space itself in its initial construction.

Let Your Fingers Do The Eating: Bonifacio's APAHM Kamayan

Subo (Su-bo; Tagalog) - Verb

1. sumubo', isubo' (-um:i-) to get into trouble. 

2. to feed or put food into the mouth

Subo - that was a word I was quite familiar with as a child, more so the second meaning than the first. Often times, it was a request from my parents, grandparents, or other adult relatives, who wanted me to feed younger members of the family whose focus was intent on playing, not eating. This was fraught with its own dangers: catching one of my younger siblings or cousins was not unlike grabbing a chicken in its pen at times, and spilled food and liquids on the floor were fairly common.

Another implied meaning of this word for me lay in the method of feeding. For all but the youngest, feeding involved using my fingers to grab just the right-sized morsel to fit inside the target's mouth. Often times, that target would be my own mouth, and this process felt natural and instinctive to me.

Food Truck Dossier: Ajumama

Food Truck: Ajumama

My First Thought: "I haven't ventured into Korean food too much, and for no particularly good reason, but that truck looks promising."

Reality: In many ways, this is an elaboration and reaffirmation of this previous post I had written well over a year-and-a-half ago in relation to two of Columbus' most prominent food trucks, Catie Randazzo's Challah! and Laura Lee's Ajumama. Challah! itself warrants an update post in the near future as they have expanded their horizons, but for now, we concentrate on Lee's venture.

Fried Chicken Bender (Pt. 3): Bonchon

Bonchon's new location in Northwest Columbus

As I have mentioned in a previous post about the Ajumama food truck, Korean cuisine was something I just didn't pursue too much when I was living in San Francisco. There really was no good reason for it except I just didn't. That also probably explains why I never even attempted to pursue the dish that local Bay Area food-oriented types seemed to be always on the look out for in the years before I left for the Buckeye state: Korean Fried Chicken, often referred to informally as "KFC."

Since I have moved to Columbus, my pursuit as well as appreciation of the cuisine has slowly and steadily increased. My spouse and I have both started exploring the local scene and cooking up some Korean dishes at home (my spouse inadvertently created the absolute most tongue-burning Korean-style beef and regularly mixes up a homemade kimchi for consumption at dinner.)

I had seen signs announcing the opening of a restaurant up in the highly-retail-oriented area of Northwest Columbus at Sawmill and State Route 161. I took note of this what appeared to be a Korean-oriented eatery but didn't pay it much mind at the time; little did I know it was going to be the newest location of Bonchon, an internationally reknowned purveyor of a fried treat known in Korea as Yangnyeom Tongdak, or what most state-siders refer to as Korean Fried Chicken or "KFC."

The Korean style of preparing fried chicken results basically is a twice-frying/twice-flavoring affair. Twice-frying the pieces gives the bird an eminently crackly crust, while the twice-flavoring (usually done via marinading or a dry rub on the bird before frying followed by a coating of the finished pieces in sauce) gives the bird a unique blend of flavor profiles.

Well, geez, we can't let this opportunity go to waste, can we?

Bonchon's interior space is dominated by red and black tones and
reminders of their global and major media reach

Founded in 2002 in South Korea, Bonchon has expanded internationally with numerous locations throughout Asia, with additional franchises in Bahrain and the United States (the first location was opened in Fort Lee, New Jersey in 2006) and much notice in numerous media outlets throughout the world. The new Columbus location is now one of 30+ franchises within this country.

Bonchon has transformed the interior of the former Asian Go home into a cool, clean but not overly busy space dominated by red and black color tones. The large mural displaying famous landmarks and the city names where Bonchon franchises reside is perhaps the most prominent outward display of its worldwide recognition factor for visiting diners.

Yes, the chicken is good: for us, we got as much pleasure from the sensation of the biting into that crackly thin skin as much as the taste of the chicken. I am betting there are better versions of Korean Chicken out there, but Bonchon's wings have set a pretty nice control score for future explorations. Being the spiceheads that we have evolved into, we did slightly prefer their Spicy over their Soy Garlic wings, but we found them both quite delicious.

Bonchon offers select draft beer and other Asian/Korean standards
like Bibimbap, but their fried chicken is the star of the show

After tasting how good the chicken was, Bonchon's other mains in my almost seem relegated to side dishes in my mind. We did sample their Bulgogi Bibimbap, which I thought could've used a little more bulgogi in the mix; it did have plenty of rice for diners to balance their protein intake with a starch. Other Korean and Asian standards available on their menu include Japchae, Tteokbokki (a stir-fried dish combining cakes of both rice and fish with glass noodles, onions and Korean red pepper sauce) and Takoyaki (octopus balls, familiar to fans of Columbus' Freshstreet.)  The actual advertised side dishes, including the pickled daikon radish and kimchee coleslaw provide a tangy-enough change-of-pace for diners' palates.

Beverage offerings are a fairly standard-issue affair, with the usual pop choices and a small draft beer list, including Columbus Brewing's base-model IPA, available.

In an experiment, I wanted to see if that textural experience with the regular chicken would translate over to their chicken strips. Based on this sampling, the flavor profiles match up, but I found that unique crackly texture found in their regular chicken only spottily duplicated on the strips.

Bonchon
3586 W Dublin-Granville Rd. (Northwest)
Columbus, OH 43235
(614) 389-4026
Facebook     Instagram     Twitter     Website

Kansas Quick Bites: Seoul USA (Salina) and Gella's Diner/Lb. Brewing (Hays)

The front of Salina's Seoul USA Korean Restaurant

Interstate 70 scrapes the northern edges of the town of Salina, KS; if you want to drive into the downtown or the more populated south side, you will have to dip southward on to old US Route 40 or venture down on Interstate 135 towards the regional airport and Central Mall. The latter is the detour we took down to find the modest strip mall eatery that is Seoul USA.

Seoul USA offers tasty Korean basic dishes and
friendly a friendly demeanor to Salina diners.

I'll start off immediately by saying the food here are mostly the basics (bulgogi, kalbi, etc.) and the somewhat toned-down flavor profiles probably would disappoint hardcore aficionados of Korean cuisine. With that said, our visit to Seoul USA was enjoyable - the staff behind the counter were welcoming and friendly, with numerous regulars in house or stopping by as during our time there.

The banchan was a serve-yourself affair, allowing customers to try a little of everything and/or focus on their favorites. And our food overall (we ordered ordered japchae and bulgogi) was pleasantly tasty and priced reasonably.

We try our best to vary our cuisines on our longer road trips, and finding something that wasn't traditional "American" style eats isn't too easy smack dab in the Heartland of America. Seoul USA proved to be a nice little culinary diversion on our journey to Colorado, and it seemed to us that this eatery has established itself as a neighborhood destination for the residents of this Kansas town.

Seoul USA
2100 South 9th St. Suite A
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 404-2114
Facebook     Google Plus     Twitter     Website

Hays, Kansas, has emerged from a wild west frontier existence (the Army established Fort Fletcher, later Fort Hays, nearby to help protect stage wagons on a nearby trail) and several notable natural and man-made disasters to become the largest town in the region with a population of around 20,000. Hays also qualifies as a college town - Fort Hays University, founded in 1902, boasts an enrollment of 11,000 students.

We have learned in our craft beer pursuits that a brewery need not be located in an area with a large populace, nor does it have to be a fancy setup (an impromptu tap system in an light industrial space serves as the tap room area for quite a few microbreweries.) We knew Gella's Diner and Lb Brewing was a slight step above that level, but we didn't realize how many steps they were above that level until we actually stopped in for lunch on our return to Ohio.

Gella's Diner/Lb. Brewing offers beer and pub-style food favorites
inside a space featuring a modern rustic feel with hints of nostalgia.

Gella's/Lb. Brewing sports a fairly substantial interior, falling fairly close in size to Dublin, Ohio's 101 Beer Kitchen or Columbus' expanded Wolfs Ridge Brewing. Their current brewery space, opened in 2005, is actually the conglomeration of four storefronts in the town's old Chestnut Street district, itself the focus of continued revitalization efforts. Painted murals, based on old historical photos and businesses in the area, and unique uses of implements like egg baskets as decor, add a nostalgic touch to the rustic-modern feel of the interior.

Of note also is their beer - a few Lb. (the Lb. is short for "liquid bread") Brewing's takes on traditional styles have won their share of medals at both the Great American Beer Fest and the World Beer Cup. My spouse decided to go that route with a pint of their 2013-GABF Gold Medal Winner American Hefeweisen; she detected some lager-like characteristics but found it to be quite enjoyable. No medal winners on my side of the ledger, but the Brownell Brown Ale was something I could drink on a daily basis, with a nice balance of hops and malts and a hint of chocolate.

Gella's/Lb. presents a fairly traditional pub/American-style menu for the diner, with perhaps a little more non-meat oriented offerings than typical and a nice half-and-half lunch special pairing up a half-a-sandwich with various sides for a good price. We decided to go with the standard issue Club Sandwich with Gella's potato chips and a Falafel Pita for our orders - they were nothing earth-shattering taste-wise but more than adequate in this little bastion of satisfying beer offerings on the northwest Kansas plains.

Gella's Diner & Lb. Brewing Company
117 East 11th St.
Hays, KS 67601
(785) 621-2739
Facebook     Instagram     Twitter     Website

Food Trucks to the Second Power: Challah and Ajumama

Continuing my double food truck posts, and with the season winding down for the year, here are two more mobile vendors who I have grown familiar with during my time here in the Buckeye state:

Challah: This food truck's offerings are advertised on their Facebook page as the owners' reinvention of the childhood Jewish comfort food they grew up with. Indeed, a glance of their typical menu offerings fit that motif perfectly, with items such as the Reuben Burger and their Potato Latkes.

My spouse and I have sampled their menu separtely at various locations around the metro area and have found all their offerings quite tasty. My spouse's favorite so far has been their Smoked Salmon Sandwich ($9), with nicely smoked fish topped with cucumbers, tomatoes and a pleasant herbed cream cheese spread. Meanwhile, Shoshi's Chicken Salad sandwich ($7) has turned out to be a personal favorite of mine, with a nice blend of herbs in a creamy chicken salad filling, topped off with red onions and pickles.

In addition, I found their just-released seasonal Beef Brisket Sandwich with Brown Bourbon Apples special ($9) quite delectable, with plenty of tender chunks of brisket and apples that is especially well-served by its soft challah roll.

Their new seasonal menu also includes their Matzo Ball Soup ($6; weather dependent), which might prove to be the perfect solution to battle the chilly temps. I think I just might have to test that notion sometime in the near future.

I must note one more informational thing before finishing: in our experience, Challah's main food items are generally on the saltier side of the ledger. This may be an issue for folks with salt-intake issues or whose palates are adverse to saltier food items. However, we have never had anything that's veered into the too-salty range for us, and we look forward to sampling more of this food truck's offerings down the road.

2019 Update: Challah!'s Catie Randazzo has been one busy gal, as she has now expanded her food truck offerings into a brick-and-mortar kitchen (Grandview's Woodland's Tavern.) In addition, her efforts with chef Matthew Heaggans has the Brewery District's Ambrose and Eve providing top-ranked comfort food classics.

Challah!
Various Daily Locations
(614) 579-0601
Facebook     Twitter      Website

Ajumama: I have admitted in the past that, for no particularly good reason, I haven't really actively sought out Korean food, despite all the indications that say it would become a favorite of mine if I gave it a shot. Based on my first encounters with Ajumama's offerings, I may be getting my butt in gear in short order.

The first thing one might notice about this truck is the display of shiny trophies along side the order window. In Ajumama's case, they are a sign of the excellence this mobile food vendor has produced for local food truck customers since their debut as a food truck in 2012. In fact, a nice chronicle of Chef Laura Lee's hard work to perfect her offerings can be found at this series of posts over at the Seoul Eats website.

Ajumama's offerings line up with the popular Korean-American fusion theme started with food trucks like Kogi in Los Angeles. Unlike other similar trucks (I was familiar with the similar Seoul on Wheels back in San Francisco,) Ajumama has stayed away from the Mexican food motif and focused on Korean street food basics with some American-based twists, as in their very popular Bulgogi Cheesesteak Sandwiches ($8; Korean BBQ with "kimcheese" and onions on a hoagie roll) or a Kimchi Hot Dog ($6; served with spicy mayo, cucumber kimchi and a vegan or beef/pork hot dog from The Good Frank.)

As tempted as I was by those, I was determined to try out the more distinctly Korean street food items on my first visits, all around some variations on the old reliable pancake. The Pajeon Dak, an egg-based pancake which reminded me a bit of my dad's Filipino egg-based beef and potato tortas. These beauties, filled with green onions, zucchini, soybean sprouts filled with sesame soy chicken with mushrooms, provided a unique and scrumptious blend of flavors that was accentuated well by the soy and vinegar dipping sauce. The bag of specially-blended OH! Korean BBQ flavored chips ($2) was also quite good, and I spent the rest of the day finishing off my bag.

On a return visit, I went with the Hodduk, which closely resembles a traditional breakfast pancake. Their Bulgogi Hodduk (2 for $7) reminded me of when I would wrap pancakes around my sausage links as a kid. Except in this case, the bulgogi was stuffed within the pancake itself, making this pleasantly savory item the bonus feature of being preeminently portable.

2019 Update: Instagram was added to the social media links below.

Ajumama
Various Daily Locations
(614) 859-6119
Facebook       Instagram     Twitter      Website