On the Lunar New Year, after we had worked our way through prime rib-eye and brisket, beef tongue and skirt steak, tripe and special pork belly that was not that day the prized Tokyo X, as well as a crisp seafood pancake and the cold noodles called naengmyon, the waitress came over to the table with a big bowl of mandoo guk, special dumplings in soup, because she didn't want us to miss out on the holiday. Even through our meat comas, we knew that was a nice thing to do. There are hundreds of Koreatown restaurants specializing in barbecue, and some of them even have bigger followings, but there is an odd consensus around Park's, a gleaming theater of grill-it-yourself, where the waiters resemble members of a martial arts team more than they do restaurant workers, and the chefs source the meat as obsessively as they do at Spago. At more than $30 for an order of sliced Kobe-style beef and near that for short ribs, this is probably the most expensive Korean barbecue in town, although it's never quite as expensive as you fear. And the restaurant does not hold back on its panchan, the little egg pancakes, puréed squash, tiny fish, kimchi, spicy roots, broccoli and a half-dozen other things that are the measure of a Korean restaurant. 955 S. Vermont Ave., Koreatown. (213) 380-1717, parksbbq.com. Sun.-Thurs, 11 a.m.-mid.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Beer, wine, soju. Valet parking. AE, MC, V. Korean.

99 Essential L.A. Restaurants 2011:

Jonathan Gold's Introduction
Anne Fishbein's Photos
The Google Map

The List:

A-Frame
Akasha
Alcazar
Angeli Caffe
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Antojitos Carmen
Attari
Babita
Bludso's
Border Grill
Bottega Louie
Bulgarini Gelato
Cacao
Campanile
Casa Bianca
Chang's Garden
Chego
Chichén Itzá
Chung King
Church & State
Ciro's
Comme Ça
Cut
Dae Bok
Din Tai Fung
Drago Centro
El Huarache Azteca
El Parian
Elvirita's
Euro Pane Bakery
Eva
Fab Hot Dogs
Father's Office
Fig
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Golden State
Good Girl Dinette
The Gorbals
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Huckleberry
Hungry Cat
Ink.
Jar
Jitlada
Kiriko
Kobawoo
La Casita Mexicana
Langer's
Larkin's
Lazy Ox Canteen
Le Comptoir
Little Dom's
Lou
Lucques
LudoBites
Lukshon
Mantee
Marouch
Mayura
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Mezze
Mo-Chica
Mother Dough
Mozza
Musso & Frank Grill
Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa
Newport Tan Cang Seafood Restaurant
The Nickel
Night + Market
Oinkster
101 Noodle Express
Palate Food + Wine
Park's Barbecue
Picca
Playa
Pollos a la Brasa
Providence
Ray's
Red Medicine
Rivera
Rustic Canyon
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Sea Harbour
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
Spice Table
Street
Tacos Baja Ensenada
Tasting Kitchen
Terroni
Tsujita L.A.
Vincenti
Waterloo & City

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