Thursday, April 1, 2010

Korean Spicy Chicken Bowl

There are a thousand places in New York that are lunch delis, food stores, buffets, etc. And I like one of them, Cafe Duke.  I am skeptical about all of these places, figuring it is low quality food kept in unsanitary conditions. (A side note. In a building I was once lived in, there was an inexpensive and popular Chinese restaurant on the ground floor. They kept their food in the basement of our building, where our laundry was. It was disgusting. Bins of raw chicken and fish just laying out.) If you visit New York, do not think I am urging a visit or that you eat at Cafe Duke. If you live in New York, make no effort to find this place or eat here.

They have everything to eat here.  EVERYTHING.  A grill, sandwiches, salad, pizza, pasta, sushi, a buffet (which I have not sampled), noodles galore cooked to order (ramen, udon, soba, rice, etc.).  Every kind of energy bar imaginable, including every Cliff Bar flavor known to man.  British candy bars, which even the NY Times agrees are much better than American ones. Japanese Hy-Chews.

My dish of choice here is the deceptively simple sounding Korean "Spicy Chicken Bowl." One day I was a little under the weather and wandered in here and thought, what the hell. It is mushrooms, onions and scallions tossed in a stir fry pan. Some precooked chicken bits. And then some magic red sauce and one minute later, spicy chicken, served with rice, pickled daikon radish, ginger and sesame seeds. A picture:




I was blown away.  It is wonderful, really.  The secret is the sauce, spicy, flavorful, and I don't even know what.  I asked the guys what was in it and they said:  Korean pepper paste, chili oil and garlic.  It is spicy in a way that is different than Chinese or Mexican spicy.  I can't describe it really.  I have tried to duplicate it at home by hunting down Korean pepper paste and experimenting.  I have not even come close.

And this place is efficient.  The service is not polite or friendly; just brutally efficient.  They serve hundreds of people at lunch, and they have people ready at the food stations and at the cash registers.  I think they should be put in charge of the US health care system.

So, a shout out to one place that does something deceptively simple incredibly well.  

And no, I haven't been to the doctor yet.  What is he going to tell me?  Stop running, ice and rest.  As the Paper of record said today, tough it out.

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great dish. (I don't see the picture, but the description has made me hungry...THANKS!)

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  2. Sounds yummy. I do envy New Yorkers for all the great choices (and not so yummy from what you are reporting) in restaurants. Hmmm, tough it out? Maybe try another run or two and see where you are.

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  3. Hi NY Wolve,
    Oh great, now after reading this I am hungry:) You are so lucky to live in NY and have all of these great dining options!! I hope that you and your family have a Happy Easter:)

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  4. Korean's make their hot sauce a certain way...it's awesome. I think they dry their peppers first. But try rooster sauce...I think it's pretty darn close.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce

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  5. Mmmmmmmmmm :)
    Maybe the doctor will say, ahhh I see the problem, do this and you'll be good to go...maybe :)

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  6. I agree, I don't think I'll ever go to the doctor for a running injury. There are too many smart people out there who know a lot about running and they will keep me on my feet, doing what I love to do. Everyone I know and it happened to me too, has had cortisone shots thrown in their face at the first visit and it just doesn't make sense! I know you can work through this, good luck!

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  7. Remember what Bismarck never apparently said about laws and sausage.

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  8. Oh, bummer. I'm sorry about your foot and can soo empathize. I hope it is just a little bit of nothing and you are over it quickly. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. I'm glad that you got the peace of mind knowing that you are for sure in the NYC Marathon. YEAH! I'm already so excited for it and it is so far away. I'm so glad you are doing it and will be able to give the local perspective.

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  9. That dish looks great and now I'm hungry too. If I ever make it to NYC, eating will consume most of my time there, so many good choices. Sorry to hear about your foot. Hopefully, RICE will get it back to normal soon. Have a good weekend!

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  10. that looks really good. Do you ever use siracha to season or chili garlic paste? I toss it on everything.

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  11. Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday. Good luck on my Ryder eyewear giveaway! I look forward to following you.

    I also LOVE the title of your blog, very inspiring.

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  12. Sounds good. Also sounds like your foot is still bothering you. I completely get not going to the doctor for running injuries. In my younger years, I'd go to sports medicine doctors and I'd always get the same "blah blah it's an overuse injury you need to take time off blah blah." They get paid a lot of money to tell people to stop running.

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