Savor the Sounds 2.0: Starry Kitchen @ DTLA

I finally went to Starry Kitchen the first night they began their dinner service and was surprised to see so few people there, especially after hearing about their unbelievably long lines (Nguyen Tran, the PR portion of the husband and wife team, mentioned lines that would stretch out the door during the lunch rush).  They expect it to get busier once the California Plaza free concerts begin.

Here's what I had:

1. Protein - Spicy Korean Pork Belly I thought it was a little on the dry side, but all the spicy flavorings were good.  I also got to try some of the Nebraska Angus Japanese Meatball Curry.  I kind of wish I had ordered that instead because the meat was so soft and juicy and the curry was delicious. 
2. Vessel - SK Lunchplate I had this with pineapple fried rice, which was awesome, but maybe that's because I'm partial to pineapple.  I loved the SK Asian Sesame Slaw.  Sesame just makes everything taste better... that's why I used to use it to cook instead of corn oil (me != good cook for those out there who have ever programmed :P )    
3. Side - Korean Glass Noodle / Japchae was some of the best I've ever had.  Perfect noodle consistency.  Not too mushy, not too hard.  

The energetic Nguyen was walking around the restaurant, talking to people and sharing funny stories.  He mentioned that he was becoming famous for yelling at people and slamming the chalkboard if they didn't know how to order.  So famous, in fact, that customers were requesting the act for their newbie friends' first experiences.  To think, I was almost a victim when he was at the register, asking me if I knew how to order.

Turns out Nguyen and his wife, Thi, are also big fans of Glee.  They were disappointed they couldn't make it to the LA concert, but he was pretty excited to talk about it and asked if the cast performed Run Joey Run.  They did not, but I couldn't help but laugh because Nguyen is the only other person I know, besides Wing, who actually likes that song.  He mentioned how awful the original song was.  I just listened to it and it's pretty bad.  It sounds like a 12-year-old boy is singing in the duet.  We talked about how a lot of the time Glee's covers sound better than the original songs.  So true.  We both agreed that the Lady Gaga covers were amazing.  I still think that piano duet of Pokerface on Glee is way better than the one Lady Gaga did herself.

I will definitely be returning, especially since there's a limited edition dish every week, which I think is clever because it keeps people coming back for more.


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