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Bulgogi

The Corner Place: Korean B.B.Q.

Great Food, No Frills Atmosphere.

I remember the first time my dad took my brother and me to The Corner Place. It was small, hot, smoky and packed, and it had only about 10 things on the menu. And believe me — since our first bite of the barbeque short ribs and slurp of cold noodle soup, we became hooked.

As the years went on, The Corner Place couldn’t keep up with the demand for good, authentic Korean food, and the wait for a table was unbelievable. Despite the less-than-glamorous interior consisting of beige, vinyl booths, barbeque smoke-sucking fans that barely worked and hurried service, The Corner Place endured the test of time.

In fact, The Corner Place in Los Angeles expanded its space to accommodate the demands. Business has been so good at the James M. Wood’s location that the owners opened up a second restaurant in Cerritos — another heavily Korean American populated, Southern California locale.

Now about 15 years later, I took a nostalgic trip down to Los Angeles and visited the restaurant that my family has been patronizing for years. The food is exactly the same as I remember it, with the beef still cooked in the middle of the table on an open grill.

There was no wait during lunch hour on the Friday afternoon we chose to go. The customers were seated immediately and there were no menus handed out — merely a plastic stand that held the list of 10 dishes. We ordered kalbi, short ribs, and bulgogi, thinly sliced beefsteak. The waitress returned shortly with the customary layout of Korean side dishes, which included kimchi, bean sprouts, cold cabbage broth and other treats. The waitress also brought a small dish of sesame oil for the meat, beef broth soup and a helping of rice in a traditional metal bowl.

The all-you-can-eat, famous onion condiment also accompanied the meat dish. The green onion was freshly sliced in slivers and marinated in salt, sesame seed oil, chili pepper flakes, pepper and other unknown ingredients. The taste of the green onions was very subtle and not sharp by any means.

Then came the main course. The short ribs were ready to serve without bones — red and swimming in their juices. We barbequed the meat in the middle of the table, adjusting the flame to our liking. The bite-size portions were aromatic, juicy, tender and mouth-watering. The side dishes with the rice and beef broth topped the flavors as well.

After gorging myself with the food, I felt our $13 - $15 per person meal was worth the price. It was hearty, and I didn’t have to eat another meal all day.

Take it from a person who grew up in Koreatown, you won’t find a restaurant anywhere like The Corner Place. If you’re ever in the area, check it out. They don’t take reservations, but they do take credit cards. Stand in line if you have to, reek of barbeque afterwards — all the discomfort is worth a mouth-watering experience.

The Corner Place: Korean B.B.Q.

Los Angeles
2819 James M. Wood
Los Angeles, CA 90006
213-487-0968
Hours: Mon. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Cerritos
19100 S. Gridley Road
Cerritos, CA 90703
562-402-8578
Hours: Everyday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Price: $13.00 - $15.00 per person