SIV must be on vacation since she doesn't share a review this week, but J.Gold is at it as always. Today the restaurant of discussion is MoKo in Culver City, the newish modern Korean spot that replaced Gyenari. "[Chef Gary] Robins is riding more of a neo-Korean groove at Moko. He's inspired by but not particularly faithful to Korean flavors and structures," and one of MoKo's standout plates, or assortment of plates, is its banchan:
Banchan, the parade of small courses accompanying a Korean meal, often is ignored by dudes intent on plowing through all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue, but it may be the latest frontier in Los Angeles cooking: highly flavored, exquisitely seasonal, infinitely varied, capable of accommodating any number of farmers market vegetables but spicy, fresh and almost without weight. It may be worth going to Moko...for the banchan alone — even if the basic cabbage kimchee is just OK. There are braised artichokes with pea shoots to contend with.Some dishes feel tame, but don't miss the foie gras-stuffed dumplings. [LAW]
The Elsewhere: The Find picks Otis Jackson's Soul Dog, gastronomy tries The Spice Table, kevinEats at Fat Spoon, Midtown Lunch dines at Oiwake, and Refined Palate visits Villetta.