By Tessa Green
I have never been a huge fan of meaty dishes and have always avoided all-you-can eat buffets, so when my roommates dragged me to try the Korean barbecue joint D92 I was not thrilled. When I tasted my first bite of bulgogi, however, my taste buds exploded with flavor. I have never tasted meat so tender.
Justin Lee opened D92 on Baxter Street back in February of this year. This is Lee’s second location of the restaurant as he opened the first in Decatur in order to bring his Korean cooking expertise to Georgia. When we walked into the restaurant we could tell it was brand new with a modern and trendy feel to it. The restaurant was open and although there were sounds of cooking and K-Pop we could still hear each other talk, which is important to me when I enjoy a meal.
Glancing over the menu I noticed it is pretty expensive for a college town. There was not much under $20 except for appetizers, however, if you order the all-you-can eat it’s worth the price. There is also an extensive wine and beer menu and a full bar in the restaurant. They serve Korean cocktails and specialty drinks including rice wine for those looking for a little indulgence.
After checking out the menu we decided on the all-you-can eat special, which gave us the chance to try the chicken, pork belly and bulgogi meat. The price came out to around $30 per person but we ate our money’s worth. The way Korean barbecue is laid out the meat is brought out to the customer raw, and then the customer cooks it themselves on a hot plate in front of them. I have never been to Korean barbecue restaurant so I was a little intimidated but it ended up being a fun experience.
The chicken was the first plate brought to us, and I have to admit it was a little dry and could have been marinated more. It was the easiest to cook though. Next came the pork belly, which my roommates said was delicious but a little on the fatty side. I don’t eat pork because of religious reasons, which was slightly inconvenient since we had to change the grill everytime we cooked pork on it.
The best plate was saved for last: the bulgogi. The bulgogi was a thinly sliced steak marinated in soy sauce, sesame sauce, green onions, minced garlic and ground black pepper. It was so tender and juicy. It was the best slice of meat I’ve ever had, and don’t tell my dad who thinks nothing compares to the steak he grills. I’m not sure if it was my body telling me I needed more protein or not, but we finished a total of four plates of the beef itself.
After we had all we could eat of the all-you-can-eat, we decided to try the vegetarian option on the menu just for kicks. The one option they have is a portobello mushroom cap marinated in fruits, vegetables, soy sauce and brown sugar. Let’s just say this Korean barbecue joint will never be known for its vegetarian option.
While this place is not friendly on a college student’s wallet you can get the most bang for your buck. Just make sure to stick with the all-you-can-eat special and come with a huge appetite. Even if you’re not super hungry their marinated bulgogi beef will leave you craving for more.
Photo courtesy of Yelp.
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