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Koreana BBQ

What kind of food reviewer hasn’t eaten Korean cuisine? That would be me, guilty as charged. Which is why I recently made the trek to Koreana BBQ on Macleod Tr. and 74th Ave. S.E. After hearing good things about the Japanese-Korean eatery, I thought it would be the perfect spot for an introduction to bulgogi, Korean marinated beef.

Rolling into Koreana on a snowy Saturday night, my boyfriend and I were greeted by an expansive space, tastefully renovated from its time as the Metro Café. To my surprise, a familiar face from my good ol’ days at the Ship and Anchor and Broken City was at the front desk, manager Stu Connor. Connor opened Koreana with his mother-in-law, Susan Ahn, in May. Together they have transformed the space into a mecca of Korean barbecue. It features 13 natural-gas barbecue booths (where the cooking is done on the table), a sushi bar and six large private rooms constructed with cedar-and-paper screens (sorry, no barbecues in here).

Seated in a comfortable dark wood booth accented with a lovely floral cutout, my lesson in tabletop cooking began. We came to Koreana with bulgogi in mind, but the menu is bursting with dining options, featuring a myriad of noodle dishes, sushi, hot pots and à la carte choices.

It was recommended that we try combination A (small, $49.99) from the barbecue menu. Small it was not. A feast big enough to feed a small village was placed in front of us, which included a massive platter of raw marinated pork, bulgogi, chicken bulgogi and la kal bi (short ribs) with a side of steamed rice and giant lettuce leaves for wrapping. To spice up our barbecue we were given a selection of mushrooms, onion, garlic, jalapenos and a mildly spicy red bean paste. In addition, we received a selection of seven kimchee dishes (radish, potato, cabbage, beans, etc.) and a piping hot bowl of soon tofu chi gae (spicy seafood, beef and tofu soup). It was overwhelming.

Our server started us off by tossing the ribs, onion and mushrooms on the grill. We helped ourselves to some soup and tended the meat with the provided tongs. The soup was tasty, with a nice spicy kick, and was chock full of yummy ingredients.

As we stared down at the ribs cooking on the grill, we realized we didn’t have the foggiest idea what to do with them when they were ready. Our server’s uncanny ability to sense distress brought her to the table to show us what the scissors were for. Using the tongs she expertly cut the ribs. Breathing a sigh of relief we began to assemble our lettuce wraps. The result was, as Connor says, one tasty Korean “finger taco.” The meat was sweet and tangy and went well with the spice of the accompanying kimchee dishes. Eventually, we found ourselves beyond full, and we had only made it through three quarters of the platter. Next time, I’m bringing friends.

Koreana BBQ, 17, 7400 Macleod Tr. S.E., 403-452-1020.