New wor(l)ds, old flavors

First of all, a brief "Hello" to all of Mike's readers. Mike has graciously allowed me to fill in for him in his absence, so I hope to prove a worthy successor. Enjoy your posh ski bunnies, your fat European benefits, and your sickeningly sweet beer, Mike. At least I've got a roti shack around the corner ...

Now, on to the stuff you came here for.

A lot of you might have been hearing about tongdak, or Korean-style fried chicken, particularly after last week's food page in the New York Times. It was a story that brought great warmth to my (so far) relatively unclogged heart, as fried chicken and Korean food have been two of my great loves, ever since childhood. The two had seemed separate in my mind--fried chicken seeming like a quintessentially American food--but I was happy to see it evolve in my trips to Korea. It became wildly popular in there in the late 1980's, died down quite a bit after a health food craze kicked in, and then made a pretty nice comeback in a lighter, more refined form.

Unlike Southern or (another one of my favorites) Dominican-style fried chicken, Korean fried chicken is pretty minimal on the saucing/seasoning. The skin has, at most, a bare dusting of batter, and the relatively small bird is dipped quickly into a deep fryer. The Times seems to think that the secret to its crisp skin and relatively juicy meat is that it's fried just a little bit (not completely cooked), then refried after it cools. (Oh, and there is a variety that's made with a sweetened red pepper paste [yangnyum tongdak], but that seems a bit like overkill to me.)

I can't speak for any cooking techniques, but I can certainly vouch for the tongdak at Baden Baden, in Manhattan's Koreatown. Baden Baden is one of many businesses above eye level on 32nd St.--if you look around, you'll see karaoke parlors, other bars, a bathhouse (legit, mind you), and a lot more karaoke parlors. You'll find Baden Baden on the second floor of 28 W. 32nd St., through what's pretty much an unmarked door. There's a sign inside that says Restaurant Forte (which, incidentally, is also what will show up on your credit card slip), and once you make it upstairs (just use the stairs, the elevator is maddeningly slow), the sign on the door just says BBNY, and looks like it's hiding some old gambling parlor or something else unsavory. Once inside, though, you'll find what's essentially a pub-like atmosphere.

I think the tongdak there is cooked on the rotisserie first, then deep fried. The skin is crispy and perfectly seasoned, and slides off the wonderfully moist meat. The thigh pieces are definitely the way to go here; the white meat, alas, is not quite as satisfying. A whole bird is close to $20, but it easily feeds two. My companion and I couldn't actually finish it, and neither of us are shy about our appetites. It comes served with mul kimchee, or "water kimchee." It's made from daicon radish, and free of the pepper powder and garlic that most kimchees have--leaving a crisp, slightly sweet flavor that's a nice palate cleanser and a good introduction for those who are normally squeamish about kimchee. Pitchers of beer run about $14 each.

Baden Baden also has a range of anju, which is basically just a pretentious, Korean way of saying "snacks for drinking." Most of them are grossly overpriced, and unless you're feeling nostalgic for nights of drunken Seoul street food, I strongly recommend that you skip them. The same goes for the soju--the infused versions taste pretty good, but they really don't complement the chicken at all. Besides, soju is cheaper than soda in Korea, it's criminal to pay twenty bucks for it just because it's been sitting in a few slices of mango.

Baden Baden (map)
28 W. 32nd St., 2nd Floor.