Momofuku Fried Chicken Dinner

Yum!!! I don't know if you've been to Bonchon or tried Korean fried chicken, but man, the Momofuku Fried Chicken Dinner is fabulous. My friend Alice made the reservation about a month ago (you have to, they fill up fast) and we went for dinner last night. It's $100 for 4-8 people - definitely get a group of 8 because it's plenty of food. It's also great because you get to avoid the extremely long line. One draw back is that the times are a little weird - our reservation was at 6pm. But having an early dinner is nice because even if you go out after, you'll probably be home by 10.

Included in the dinner is two whole chickens worth of fried chicken, one Southern style and one Korean style. The Southern style is a buttermilk fried chicken with some Old Bay in the batter and the Korean style is sweet and a little spicy. They were both delish, but I liked the complexity of the Korean. You also get 4 sauces: scallion ginger, jalapeno-garlic-soy, some kind of red pepper puree, and Hoisin, and there's Sriracha on the table. You also get a bowl full of lettuce and herbs and veggies - pieces of bib lettuce, sprigs of mint, basil, and cilantro, and little carrots and radishes. And pancakes (think moo shu). I cut up some of the chicken, spread the pancake with a little of each sauce, and topped it with the chicken, herbs, lettuce, and some slices of the veggies, and a bit of Sriracha - amazing!

The flavors are unreal. The heavy, spicy and sweet chicken with the fresh sauces, the plummy hoisin, the heat from the sriracha, the freshness of the herbs, and the crunch of the veggies...just delicious. And I did another with a mix of both chickens which was great because the Southern style has more crunch so the mix was good. Then I wanted more but was getting full so I did my last wrap in a lettuce leaf - also great.

I definitely want to try it again, and recommend it for anyone looking for a fun place for a group. It's a lively atmosphere and it's fun to have a communal table - it's all served family style. We brought our own wine and there's a corkage fee of $15 per bottle, but I think it saved us a little money.