Barn Joo

We can't ever order bibimbap without also saying "mmm . . . bop," which gets that terrible Hanson song stuck in our heads. Is it in your head now too? If so, sorry. Also, did you know that the youngest member of Hanson is almost 30? Must everything in the world constantly conspire to make us feel old? 

Blame the light-on-flavor bibimbap (far below) we got at Barn Joo, a pricy Korean gastropub in Union Square. Not that it made us feel particularly old, because it didn't. It didn't make us feel much of anything, actually. Too innocuous, too lacking in the telltale crispy crust. But it did get us started on the above rant, so it does warrant some scorn. 

Better were the LA galbi fried udon (above), like a saucier lo mein, with juicy short ribs. Better still were the chicken wings (below), with a nice, thick batter --- perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that the best thing we ate at a gastropub tweaks typical American bar food. And yet isn't the capacity to be surprised a sign of youth? Eh, sonny?