Before lunch at Miss Korea BBQ, I stopped by The Garment District Alliance information kiosk to see how it had been transformed into a giant pin cushion composed of 50+ bales of curly willow, nine wisteria bales, and hundreds of silk flowers and butterflies. There’s also an enormous bronze needle and large button in this public art sculpture, one of the many ever-changing art installations on the streets of Manhattan.  The giant pin cushion, created by Patricia Gonzalez and Carlos Franqui of Floratorium, will be there through the summer. The 8-foot bronze “Garment Worker” by Judith Weller nearby is currently a permanent installation.

 

 

 

If you go see it at lunchtime, nearby Koreatown had many choices to dine. We stopped in at Miss Korea BBQ where diners design their own meals. To create that  meal,  you combine the ingredients from the many small bowls that accompany the cooked meat.

We ordered our cocktails — me a Manhattan ($12), my dining partner a vodka with yuzu and seltzer ($15) — while perusing the very long menu. We ordered then were told that the menu we had chosen from the 12-page menu was not being currently served. So COVID.

Our cocktails arrived, each with a pulsating light that changed colors.
As a starter, we chose a kimchi & scallion pancake ($18.95) that resembled a round pizza, cut into small triangles.  The steamed eggs that they brought us complimentary were amazingly light and ethereal.

We selected the Seng Mokdeungsim ($16.95), pork neck sirloin, as the meat for our BBQ cooked at our table.  Sadly, our server overcooked the lean unmarinated meat. We ate it by wrapping the cooked pork in the large lettuce leaves and making it palatable by adding some of the many accompaniments.  Those included monkey dishes filled with broccoli, fishcakes, bok choy, large lettuce leaves, all-cabbage kimchi, cooked greens and our favorite: a scallion salad in a sesame vinaigrette.

We also requested a spicy version of their  codfish stew — Daegu Maeuntang ($14.95) — with assorted vegetables and tofu.

Miss Korea BBQ
Koreatown
10 W 32nd St
New York, NY 10001
212-594-4963