![]() The blissful spirit is aided by an impressive wine list and ice buckets of Hite beer and soju. Join the perpetual party of local families, salarymen and the city’s hipsters as they talk over the open grills centered on each table where hyperkinetic waiters cook, for example, bulgogi beef, shrimp and octopus accompanied by a dozen side dishes of kimchi, chile paste, pickled roots and other tasty additions. Cross the courtyard for a stylish Korean gray skirt with leggings ($49) or a white sweater with animal print ($68) at Collette, or watch the Plaza’s fabulously incongruous Korean water wheel while you indulge in a Korean-style egg roll ($7.99) and kimchi egg omelet ($8.99) at Toe Bang.Īngelenos debate endlessly about where to find the best Korean barbecue, but judging from the celebrity photos on the wall and the crowds of Asian cognoscenti who crush into this strip mall restaurant, Park’s is a winner. Take it all in on the terrace of the Lighthouse Waffles & Cake cafe with rose petal tea to match a slice of velvet cake ($12). Old Los Angeles and new Korea collide in Chapman Plaza, a riot of Asian coffee shops, boutiques, cafes, discos and karaoke joints, all within a 1929 complex of Spanish-revival towers, stained glass, Moorish grillwork and one of the funkiest courtyards in town. With the influence of three generations of Korean and Latino immigrants, these once-mean streets have become a picturesque and prosperous “Blade Runner”-ish warren of ethnic culinary hot spots imbued with an East-meets-West sense of fun. As the most densely packed part of Los Angeles, it’s also one of the city’s most strollable, with Art Deco buildings and palm-lined boulevards. Moreover, K-Town never sleeps, given its strong Asian and Latin work ethic and its clubs, bars and restaurants that have become urban night-life hubs. ![]() Today this sprawling, three-square-mile community just west of downtown has become one of the city’s hippest areas thanks to the continuing renovation of its rich architectural heritage, a new subway traversing its Wilshire Boulevard hub and recently opened boutique hotels like the Line and Normandie. It’s hard to imagine that two decades ago, K-Town, as it is known in local parlance, was a flash point for the Los Angeles riots: a low-rent district engulfed in flames. The antidote to Hollywood’s seasonal Academy Awards fever is just a few blocks away, in Koreatown.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |