Bowl’d BBQ (Alameda County, California, U.S.A.)

Being back in the United States, I’ve begun to miss Korean food more than one might expect. And while I love going to Korean restaurants in the US, a number of these spots, when compared to restaurants in Korea, hold reputations for being expensive and not serving large-enough portions. But when a friend told me that he would be interested in Korean cuisine, I was more than happy to try out Bowl’d BBQ in Alameda County, California.Read More »

Mi Casa (Norwich, CT, U.S.A)

When reading my review of lackluster Tequila’s of Old Saybrook, CT, my friend Mr. J told me that my “mistake was trying to find good Mexican food in New England.” While I appreciate his sense of humor and snark, he is dead wrong about this assertion! As I found when I went to Mi Casa in Norwich, CT on April 12, good Mexican food can indeed be found in the northeast.Read More »

Toss Noodle Bar (Berkeley, California, U.S.A.)

Berkeley, California is one of the best-known communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, largely due to the University of California Berkeley. Having never been to the campus before, I decided to head to the city during a particularly warm summer afternoon. I had not eaten lunch, but I was pleased to find a number of different restaurants clustered downtown. On July 7, I checked out Toss Noodle Bar.Read More »

Dawg House Bar and Grill (Meriden, CT, U.S.A.)

According to Wikipedia, a 1961 edition of Webster’s dictionary defined dive bars as, “a disreputable resort for drinking or entertainment.” In the subsequent 57 years, some dive bars have certainly earned this reputation, but many have managed to keep the grungy aesthetic while serving high quality alcoholic beverages and sometimes even good food. On April 10, I checked out a new dive bar in Meriden, CT called Dawg House Bar & Grill.
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Sseubu, Gangseo-gu

When I have written about Korea-based restaurants on Masjib Mania, I have tried to avoid writing about other Asian countries’ cuisines. This is not to say that there are not delicious pan-Asian restaurants in Korea–far from it! However, due to the general lack of knowledge toward non-Han Chinese and, to a somewhat lesser degree, non-Honshu Japanese Asian cultures in the West, I wanted to focus on Korea. That being stated, Korean-Chinese food is delicious in its own right, and deserved some attention. On February 25, I went to Sseubu (쓰부) in the Gangseo-gu district (강서구) of Seoul.Read More »

The Monkey Farm Café (Old Saybrook, CT, U.S.A.)

My great-great-aunt lived in Old Saybrook for her whole life and, according to family lore, she never touched a drop of alcohol. In homage to her, we always joked that she spent countless days tossing back brewskis in the town’s local bar, The Monkey Farm Café. In addition to serving alcohol, it also serves traditional American fare. As I frequently visited it during my childhood, I returned on March 30 to see if it retained its original luster.Read More »

Gusto Taco, Sangsu-dong

Gusto Taco is not a new restaurant, nor is it one without a plethora of other reviews. In fact, it has been so successful that it has expanded from its original location near Sangsu Staton (상수역) to a Hongdae (홍대) location and a branch in the U.S. Yongsan army base. I made the decision to cover this restaurant for one reason: Gusto Taco is one of my favorite restaurants in Seoul. On February 27, I returned with a friend for dinner.Read More »

Madison Cheese Shop and Café (Madison, CT, U.S.A.)

Living in South Korea, I was treated to some of the best food in the world and I felt incredibly lucky to be able to experience such a diversity of high quality cooking. There’s one major exception to this: cheese. While you can go to Korea to find any number of dishes or ingredients, cheese is still an expensive import item. You’ll either find yourself emptying your wallet or having to suffer with bland cheese. Being in the United States again, I knew I had to satisfy my craving for cheese. On March 30, I visited Madison Cheese with a friend.
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Seven Luck Casino, Gangnam

Connecticut, USA is home to two of the world’s biggest casinos: Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. These two casinos featured not only gambling, but also restaurants, shops, concerts, and athletic events. When two of my hometown friends visited me for Chuseok vacation, one of them really wanted to go gambling. Not enjoying gambling, I pushed back on his requests until the last day of their trip, when I realized that it would be very interesting to blog about. Therefore, on October 8, we went to the Seven Luck Casino in Gangnam.Read More »