2012 is the year of the red pepper paste.
Back in January Baum+Whiteman, a food consultant company, declared that Korean cuisine would be the next hot flavor trend in restaurants. Meanwhile in-the-know foodies predicted kimchi and kalbi as the “new Thai” to sweep American taste buds.
Everyone in favor, raise your spoon and chopsticks.
Thankfully Sacramento is on trend and houses a pocket of outstanding Korean restaurants. If you’re looking for a family-friendly venue with minimal wait times and good food, opt for Mo Du Rang on Folsom Blvd. near Bradshaw.
Dinner at Mo Du Rang started off with a delicious and complimentary scallion pancake. We gobbled it up so quickly I forgot to snap a picture!
For those unfamiliar with Korean dining, an assortment of kimchi (pickled and seasoned vegetables) is central to the meal and serves as a flavor accent for the various dishes. Our small army of kimchi sides arrived promptly, and we happily nibbled as we waited.
Mo Du Rang features a do-it-yourself tabletop BBQ and you really can’t go wrong with bulgogi, a Korean classic featuring thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic. The sweet meat is delicious, especially when enfolded by fresh lettuce, garlic, jalapeños and a swab of miso-chili sauce.
We came ready to sweat through the spice, and sweat we did with this next dish: tofu soup with seafood!
The grilled mackerel was a great idea but was a tad too salty, yet easily solved with a bite of rice.
One of my favorite Korean dishes is bibimbap, a mound of rice topped with veggies and an egg, all mixed with red pepper paste. This dish satisfied perfectly.
We left stuffed, carrying with us the lingering scent of garlic—proof of a perfect ending! Trend or no trend, Mo Du Rang is worth a visit in 2012.
Mo Du Rang
9545 Folsom Blvd. #2
Sacramento, CA 95827
(916) 363-8505