Gyu-Kaku

Gyu-Kaku in East Village is my favorite Asian BBQ joint. Despite Takashi having better cuts, and crazy places in Queens being cheaper per pound, Gyu-Kaku has the best balance between value and taste.

And Happy Hour rocks my socks. Always.

Coco-Mo - A hybrid between a pina colada and a mojito - two of my favorite drinks. It's light and girly and goes well with smoked meat.

Chuck kalbi, Harami hanger steak, Brisket, Ribeye... yum yum yum. They now have 3 sauces (in less attractive plastic bottles that are hard to pour vs. the old ceramic teapots... but what can you do) spicy, regular (?), and ponzu. My fav is the spicy. It's more tangy than spicy.

The super thin cuts of marinated meat allow for maximum flavor and optimal cooking time.

I love their bibimbap with lots of that red spice. They mix it at the table and leave it in a hot bowl so that a nice crunchy crust forms around the edge.

Umm.. this is what I wanted for dessert, but it was no longer on the menu. So, we had to trek to the Sunrise Mart in St. Marks hoping to find something similar.

This will have to do!! It turned out to be possibly even better than the red bean-filled fish for this 100 degree heat. I wolfed one down right after we checked out. The rest made it home surprisingly well during the 30 minutes or so of scorched earth. It was a great way to end a heavy meal.