It’s hard to overstate the importance of loaded French fries to the Los Angeles dining landscape. Matthew Kang, lead editor Loaded brisket fries at Maple Block Meat Co. the bossam, slightly sweet and extremely tender, will cater to tamer palates). Dip into the fermented shrimp sauce (saeu-jeot) and wrap with a few raw garlic slices and a piece of jalapeno for a blast of crunch, umami, fat, and flesh. New Koreatown restaurant Wangbal’s version is exemplary, melding juicy steamed meat with pleasantly chewy, seasoned pork skin. Cooked in a similar way, the gelatinous, meaty sliced pig’s foot is always served in a mound larger than one could fathom at the center of the table, with sides of pickled daikon slivers and blanched napa cabbage. Think stinky tofu for Taiwanese, or natto for Japanese, or escamol for Mexican, or Rocky Mountain oysters for…American? Anyway, with the point made, I would submit jokbal for one of Korean cuisine’s hardcore dishes, certainly less intimidating than sannakji (chopped still-alive octopus) or hongeo-hoe (fermented skate wing), but definitely more challenging than bossam. Matthew KangĮvery cuisine has a kind of “approval” dish, a lesser-known or somewhat intimidating dish that, if eaten, often earns the approval of fans of that cuisine. Virali Dave, editor Jokbal at Wangbal in Koreatown Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Unit F, Westlake Village, CA 91362. If you can manage to wait to finish your leftovers until the next day, the reward is pasta with even more potent flavors and plenty of creaminess and umami. Served fresh, the dish is tender and comforting.
For those avoiding wheat, the gluten-free version is truly just as good.
The dish is rich and hearty and served in portions generous enough to take some pasta home for later. The pasta at this bistro is always handmade and al dente, and served with plenty of tomato and cream sauce that clings to the noodles. Of the four times I ended up ordering stellar pasta dishes last week - from Uovo in Studio City, Posto 896 in Encino, and Made in Italy and Farfalla in Westlake Village - Made in Italy’s penne alla bettola, with tagliatelle subbed for penne, was by far the best. Virali DaveĪs someone who spends quite a bit of time in the Conejo Valley, Westlake Village’s Made in Italy is one of my go-to spots for any night when I’m craving pasta.
Tagliatelle alla bettola at Made in Italy in Westlake Village.
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