Near King of Prussia for the Weekend

[AnnaC]

The boyfriend and I will be at the Marriott Philadelphia West (West Conshohocken, PA) next weekend, Aug 6-8, for three nights. Saturday night is devoted to wedding festivities, but other recs for awesome food? We'll be in the city Sunday hitting the usual suspects (Capogiro, etc), but looking for things Friday night that are not too far away.

Props for anything Korean, especially nearby noraebang .

[philadining]

You're staying right in Conshohocken, which is home to one of our better BYOB restaurants: Blackfish. Cuisine is that hard-to-define modern/creative/seasonal whatever, it's good. (You have to bring your own wine or beer if you want it, they don't have a liquor license.)

You're close to King of Prussia, but there's sadly not too much interesting there...

You're not far from Norristown, which has some interesting Mexican, the best known is Taqueria La Michoacana at 301 East Main Street, but there are a few more in that area too.

No Korean food very nearby, there's a place called Korea Garden & Restaurant in the town of Blue Bell, which has gotten mixed reviews. It is only about a 20 minute drive, so if you're really jonesing for Korean, it might fit the bill, but if you're up for driving that far, you might as well go the other direction to downtown Philly, where you have many more options.

The best Korean food isn't in Center City Philly, it's up in Northeast Philly, which is not a bad drive if you have GPS, but can be a little dizzying if you don't... There are a couple of decent places downtown if you're really craving that. Let us know if you want more details on either of those options.

I don't know of any places, in any neighborhood, with noraebang, but if you're willing to shift cultures a little, Yakitori Boy in Philly's Chinatown has karaoke rooms upstairs. There's decent yakitori, sushi and izakaya-style snacks in the downstairs bar/restaurant area, singing upstairs. I'm not sure whether one needs reservations...

But the short version is that sadly, there are not many interesting dining options right near where you are staying, you're probably going to have to drive a bit.

Edited July 30, 2010 by philadining (log)

[cwdonald]

There are two other Korean options to consider. One is a restaurant called August Moon in Norriston that is across the street from Tacquiera Michoacana. It has both a sushi bar and the tables where you can cook Korean BBQ. In Blue Bell in addition to Korea Garden, you have GAYA, a relatively new addition to the dining scene in the area. It has the bbq tables as well as good hot pots. http://www.gayarestaurant.com.

In addition to Blackfish in Conshohocken, which I second Philadinings recommendation, there is also the Fayette Grill. Food is a bit more traditional than Blackfish, but is very nice.http://www.fayettestreetgrille.com/ . Compare it to http://www.blackfish.com.

Blackfish is the closest to your hotel of all the restaurants, none of the ones mentioned are more than 20 minutes from the hotel.

Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy greater Philadelphia.

[philadining]

Oh, right, I was actually thinking of Gaya, not Korea Garden in Blue Bell. And thanks for that August Moon tip, I forgot all about that place (Norristown is pretty close to Conshohocken).

I'm sure those places will satisfy an urge for some Korean flavors, but I'll hold to my earlier opinion that if you really want the best Korean food, you'll need to take a run up to Northeast Philly. And I doubt the suburban places have karaoke, at least not private booths. I'm sure there are some of those spots up in the northeast, but I can't vouch for them...

[wkl]

is taqueria la michoacana related to the ice cream people? if so, is the taqueria as agood as their ice cream?

[philadining]

I don't think so, I think both places are just run by folks originally from Michoacán.

And now you've gone and made me crave some sweet corn ice cream! Might have to drive to Kennett Square! (Although there's a new little Mexican ice cream place on 9th st in the Italian market that might carry their popsicle-ish things... )

[Eatmywords]

Are the N.East Korean places in Olney?

anything you like in this list?: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=&ns=1&find_loc=Olney%2C+pa#cflt=korean

[wkl]

I don't think so, I think both places are just run by folks originally from Michoacán.

And now you've gone and made me crave some sweet corn ice cream! Might have to drive to Kennett Square! (Although there's a new little Mexican ice cream place on 9th st in the Italian market that might carry their popsicle-ish things... )

quite possibly the best ice cream i have ever eaten. already crazy good, and then they sprinkle mexican cinnamon atop it. just outta this world good!

[philadining]

we're drifting topics a bit here: just to be clear, these places are nowhere near King of Prussia, but the OP asked about Korean, so here we go...

Are the N.East Korean places in Olney?

anything you like in this list?: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=&ns=1&find_loc=Olney%2C+pa#cflt=korean

We like most of those places on that list:

1. Jong Ka Jib Soft Tofu Restaurant

This is THE place for Sundubu Jjigae or other tofu stews.

2. Café Soho

The best spot for Korean Fried chicken - mostly wings - but done in that super-crispy twice-fried style. Good regular or they have a variety of sticky sauces... There's a larger menu too, and crazy bubble tea drinks, but the main attraction is the wings. Is set up more like a lounge than a restaurant, with low tables between couches.

3. Young Bin Kwan

Haven't been here, it's a bit out of the area... but might need to check it out sometime!

4. Seorabol Korean Restaurant

This is a very good all-around Korean restaurant with good BBQ, stews, savory pancakes, even sushi. Excellent banchan.

5. Kim's Restaurant

Probably my fave for barbecue. It's a little run-down looking, but their charcoal fires with cast-iron grills make for the best grilling experience. People are super-nice, and the other dishes are good too, we like the mandu, and the haemul pajeun especially. Good banchan.

6. Bobo's Sports Bar

This is another basic spot, the seating is basically picnic tables, but with grills in them. They use charcoal too, but gas-assisted, at least to get them lit, and the actual grills themselves aren't quite as nice as Kim's, but the results are still pretty tasty. They have some really awesome combo platters that offer a wide variety of meats to grill. They also have KFC, but whole chicken pieces, not just wings. It's pretty tasty... We liked the pajeun and the cold buckwheat noodles too. Weirdly, the bar doesn't seem to have any Korean beer, but thankfully, Yeungling goes pretty well with KBBQ! The restaurant is behind the bar, if you walk in from Castor ave you might not even realize that there is a restaurant - go through the wood doors at the back, or there's an entrance directly to the restaurant from the side street.

7. Koja Grille

This is a truck that parks near Temple University. Probably fine if you're in the area, but I wouldn't try to hunt it down.

8. Tae Hwa Kwan

Been meaning to try this place, but haven't made it yet, Supposedly really good noodles.

9. Han Chon Korean BBQ Restaurant

Don't know this one, must investigate!

10. Everyday Good House

Another fave - it's very good all-around. We were calling it Everyday Awesome House for a while... The barbeque is very good, but less saucy, less marinated than many others. The spicy kalbi is excellent though. Haemul Pajeun might be the best I've ever had. They have a pretty big menu with stews, soups, etc. Good selection of beer and soju. It's a little hard to find, it'a on a weird dead-end spur of north front street, and the only sign is in Korean, but if you can get close, and you see a big building with a deli selling beer on one end, and a sign in Korean on the other end that looks like it could be a restaurant, that's it.

I'm stopping there... those are our faves anyway, although Pan Dol Re is good too...

As for your first question, I'm hazy about the neighborhood borders, but basically yes, most of them are in the Olney/Cheltenham/North 5th st area, whatever that's called, it probably changes block by block.

I used to get lost in Northeast Philly all the time, it's not quite as logical and grid-like as downtown, but with GPS, I feel much better...

Edited July 30, 2010 by philadining (log)

[Eatmywords]

Phila, you're a wealth of info! Thx much, I'm hitting your blog after this post. One more slightly off topic (and I appologize, I did post in the 'Non-Tourist Trap' thread for places near Festerville-Trevose or near Sesame Place but no one replied). Are there any good bbq spots in or near the area? Do you know Sweet Lucy's Smoke House? Thx again

[philadining]

Yeah, sorry, I'd seen your Sesame Place post, but I really don't know that area very well, and couldn't think of anything to recommend.

I'm one of the very few around here that isn't much of a Sweet Lucy's fan. It's not bad by any stretch, and probably was the closest we had to real smokehouse barbecue for a while, but in doing some back-to-back comparisons, I came away disappointed. It was partly a texture thing: I thought the ribs were hammy, probably had been brined, which some folks like, but not me... Brisket and pulled pork were damp - tasty but more saucy than meaty. In the end, it's not a bad place for a tasty meal, but depending on what one is expecting, it could be a big thrill or a bit disappointing.

If you felt like hauling yourself all the way into the city, I feel like Percy Street Barbecue has been getting in a good groove. They've done a pretty awesome Texas style brisket all along, but I'd been ambivalent about the other items. Then I got some ribs a few weeks ago that were really good. haven't checked-back on the sausage or chicken. Sides are generally pretty good.

But I suspect you were trying to avoid the city...

[Eatmywords]

It seems the Koreans and Lucy's are only about 10min from the hotel. And yes, if we didn't have the baby the city would be a no brainer. It's more about proximity to the hotel, parking and kid friendly.

Sorry to hear about Lucy's. We might give it a shot and ask for any addl sc left on the side. We've found that some places ruin good que by over saucing. Anyway, thank you for the recs.

[philadining]

Wow, my geography is way out of kilter, I didn't realize you would be that close... it's certainly worth a 10 minute drive to check out Sweet Lucy's. It is indeed VERY family friendly, and I should say that the prevailing opinion is that it's great, so I might be an outlier with weird taste!

The Korean spots would all be kid-friendly too, except for the inherent potential hazards of in-table grilling. I'm a huge fan of charcoal, and of doing it right at the table, but there often are some flying sparks especially right at start-up. You can ask them to cook anything in the kitchen (some places insist on doing it in back unless you're having at least two orders of meat), or just sit the baby as far away as possible from the grill and be ready to be a human shield right at the beginning! If you're not doing barbecue, just getting stews and stir-fries and pancakes and the like, you're fine.

[Jeff L]

If you are staying near Sesame Place in Langhorne, I'd allow at least 20-25 minutes to Sweet Lucy's. I live about 10 minutes south of there and from my house it's 20 minutes.

Sadly, there really isn't much in the immediate Sesame Place area with the exception of Christine's on Oxford Valley Road just 2 minutes from the park. It's a very nice upscale Italian BYO with excellent and unusual dishes served by a competent staff. It always makes me wonder if I'm really in Langhorne (actually that might even be Yardley)The only weird thing is that it is literally in an office complex full of Dr's offices.

Edited July 31, 2010 by Jeff L (log)

[AnnaC]

Thanks for the thorough recommendations! So far, I've made a reservation at Blackfish for Friday night, and if we're in town early enough I think we'll take a swing at the taqueria first.

We'll look into the yakitori place you mentioned as well, possibly, and report back . Thanks for taking a look at the list that eatmywords posted, philadining - if Saturday night goes as well as expected, we may be up for the drive to Jong Ka Jib for soondubu jjigae to get Sunday morning started!

[Eatmywords]

So, we didn't make it to one of the Korean places Philadining rec'd or Sweet Lucy's for bbq. (But we'll be returning to the area given we bought an unlimited Sesame Pass good for the rest of this year and next : ).

Upon returning to our hotel in Trevose Sunday night we were craving something ethnic and close by. Fortunately I'd read a few Indian places were within 5 miles. We thought we'd try one. Since this place is in Bensalem and not in close proximity to King of Prussia, I'm going to post my review of Food Castle Express in the 'Non Tourist Trap Restos Near Tourist Traps' thread. Thx again for all your recs and looking frwd to coming back and sampling more of the area's eats.