California: Los Angeles (Contributor: MK)
Korea Town in the Wilshire area of LA is the largest Korean population outside of Seoul and there are plenty of places to get great Korean food (duh). But since I don’t live there, I had to ask someone in a local store for a restaurant suggestion and was enthusiastically pointed to Chilbomyunok Korean BBQ at 3680 West 6th Street (90020) at the corner of Kingsley and 6th. Got there a bit before the dinner rush but they were already busy. Our waitress was happy to walk us through the menu, made suggestions and then showed us the proper way to eat the dishes. Maybe she would not have been so helpful if they had been busier, but still, the extra attention was much appreciated and it speaks volumes about the hospitality. And the food was AWESOME! Very tasty, big portions. I am going back to LA in a few months and will definitely eat there again. Get the Maeum Gabiujim (entree), Youn Su, and Golf Golbitang. Nearest subway stop is Normandie & Wilshire on the purple line.
LA is also home to the largest Thai community outside of Bangkok and Thai Town Los Angeles also has many good places to eat. I stopped in a Thai grocery and using my limited Thai asked for a good place to eat. The manager was amused and sent me down the street to Ruen Pair Thai, ignoring several other Thai places that were actually closer. But as I went by them I noticed that the menus posted in the windows were in English and most of the customers were, shall we say, not Thai. Not the case at Ruen Pair…and the food was smokin’ good! Afterwards, went across the parking lot to Bhan Kanom Thai Deserts and there was great selection of Thai sweets. When I got back to NYC, a Thai friend saw the BKT bag and exclaimed “Why didn’t you tell me you were going there? I would have asked you to get me some stuff!†She said BKT is a famous chain in LA and one of her favorite places to grab Thai treats when she is in LA.
Ruen Pair Thai 5257 Hollywood Blvd, 90027. Take the red line on the metro to Hollywood & Western. When you exit, face the Starbucks, look to your right about two blocks and you will see the Thailand Plaza sign on left (there is good Thai bookstore there with DVDs, etc). Just past this is Thai Patio and then Ruen Pair and BKT are on the left.