Bud Namu House restaurant review

Bud Namu House is a Korean BBQ restaurant that sits on the corner of 8^th Street and Ardmore Avenue in Koreatown. The two-story restaurant, that seats 150 to 200 people, is one of the better lower priced AYCE Korean BBQ restaurants around. The prices for the AYCE specials are $10.99, $16.99 and $24.99. The meals include a free salad bar, choice of steamed egg or browned rice, and several meat options.What sets this place apart from other economically priced Korean BBQ restaurants is the quality of meat and clean establishment.

On Fridays and Saturdays, it gets busy around 7pm, so prepare to wait 20-30 minutes if you arrive after. Parking is tough to find during peak hours but luckily they have a $2 valet.

The place is modeled in a trendy fashion and the only link to Korea you see is in the waiting area (e.g. small fountain with vegetation, Korean masks along the stairwell, Korean trunk). The first floor seats roughly 70-80 people and is very well ventilated. Upstairs, the more lively room has more TVs and dining space. The self-serve salad bar is only on the second floor and has the same items found at other Korean BBQ restaurants (e.g. kimchi, cooked bean sprouts, Korean salad…etc).

The $10.99 AYCE menu choices are: Beef brisket, prime pork belly, beef belly, skirt mean, beef bulgogi, chicken bulgogi, abomasum, large intestine and pork skin. The two items that stood out the most were the beef brisket and beef bulgogi. Beef brisket is very thin and taste great. The beef bulgogi is stringy meat that is marinated with a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper. The prime pork belly was the next best item on the menu and comes in big long juicy strips. The chicken bulgogi was my least favorite item on the , but it was still good. I washed down my meal with hot sake ($11.99) and a Korean beer ($5.99). The drink selection is limited to beer and wine.

My first visit I received a bad seat and a bad server, which nearly ruined my experience. The server seemed to disappear after setting down the initial plates. I found myself waving my hands a few times or having to wait an extended period of time just to get some more water. I have returned several times since and found that my poor service was limited to that one bad server. I was also seated at the table closest to the exit door on the second floor, which made the smoke from the grill fly into my face.

The Good: Good food and below average prices. $2 valet service. Clean establishment. Trendy ambiance. Well ventilated first floor.

The Bad: 30 minute wait during peak hours. Closes at 11pm and last call for food is at 10pm. The self-serve salad bar is only located on the second floor.

Price: $ 1/2
Food: $$ 1/2
Drinks: $$
Ambiance: $$ 1/2
Service: $$

www.budnamubbqla.com

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Family and Baseball

"As long as you live keep smiling because it brightens everybody's day." - Vin Scully

With my arm around my girlfriend we looked at each other while my son, sitting on her lap, stared at the field. I took a picture of my girlfriend as she picked up our son making him laugh and I just thought about how beautiful they were. To this day I cannot imagine a more beautiful moment than that one. We were at a baseball game and the memory is rich in my brain.  

My baseball off season consists of keeping up with the team’s off-season moves and discussing with other fans what the team’s strategy should be for the upcoming year(as if that would help the team). I count the days for spring training so my family and I can catch a glimpse of our team. Baseball season foments an excitement within all of us and I am grateful for what it has given me.

I was probably 5 years old the time the first time my father took me to a baseball game. Although there is much I don’t remember, I do remember getting lost and my parents picking me up from the security desk.  Attending games subsequent years, I always imagined bringing my own kids one day. I would speak of my favorite players and why the team meant so much to the city. Meanwhile we would scarf down hot dogs and I would have a beer(or two). That is why taking my son to his first game was a big deal for me.

My son was not even a year old but I knew he was cheering on the team with his mother and me. We ate hot dogs, peanuts, had beer (not the baby) and really bonded. Family and baseball has always gone hand in hand with me.  

The following season we took our first family road trip to spring training. I drove all night and we finally arrived as the sun was rising up in the distance. It was a beautiful sight and one that I will never forget. The following day we explored the city by doing some sightseeing and enjoying some local eateries. Arriving about an hour before game time, we finally experienced what we had been missing for so long. I still remember the smell of the grass, the bright sun that hovered over us, beautiful weather and a smile on my son’s face like I had never seen. I don’t remember if we won that day, shoot I don’t even remember who we played, but I do remember how I felt.  

I snapped the picture of my son and girlfriend feeling like I had captured the sentiment of the weekend, grace and happiness. Over the next season we would attend several games and have many memorable moments, but for me none more memorable than that one.