Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Travel Channel Star Calls Shin Chon "One Of Top Ten Korean BBQ Experiences In America"

Shin Chon Garden got a big time visitor tonight from the Food Channel when Andrew Zimmern and a crew from Bizarre Foods showed up to eat and film.

In a comment, Recent NoVa Transplant reported stumbling on Zimmern's crew while trying to go out to dinner.  Plus, Zimmern has been tweeting about Shin Chon with photos and the statement: "Shin Chon in Ellicott City Maryland is one of top ten Korean BBQ experiences in America. A must for anyone who loves food. Major discovery"  (Seriously, this is the tweet.  Look through his tweets for the photos -- like this.  He filmed in Lotte as well.)

Oh, dear.  I'm trying to plan dinner at Shin Chon, and Zimmern has 386,499 followers on Twitter.  That's going to fill up the barbecue tables.

Seriously, I'm a huge fan of Shin Chon -- and I'll emphasize that it isn't really bizarre food.  I mean Zimmern may have eaten bizarre stuff, but you can eat really well and enjoy everything even if it's your first Korean meal.  Try my "Korean 101" suggestions.  Or all my Shin Chon posts.

The crew told Recent NoVa Transplant that the Shin Chon episode won't air until January or February.

6 comments:

EastCoastMatt said...

shinchon's good and all, and I've enjoyed it many times...but seriously? top 10 in america? I don't think he's been to enough Korean places in america.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you, EastCoastMatt. As a Korean, I prefer Honey Pig or do it myself at home. I honestly haven't been too impressed with the Korean BBQs in Maryland though. I've been to better.

Mrs. HowChow said...

Just curious...what do you feel is not as good at shin chon compared to other places?

Anonymous said...

I agree that he must not have gone to many K BBQ places. Also, SCG's overall quality has gone down. Lots of places in VA and West Coast--even MD-- that are tastier. What about Arirang in Rockville or even Woomi in Silver Spring?

Anonymous said...

To answer your question Mrs. HowChow, I found Shin Chon's marinade kind of bland. That's usually the issue with the Korean BBQs that have disappointed for me.

Mich said...

Just came across this blog, so my response is a bit dated. I discovered Shin Chon online. On the Internet, there seemed to be a battle between Shin Chon and Honey Pig. I chose Shin Chon because the reviewers mentioned "family" atmosphere. The restaurant had been dinged for service and attitude toward non-Korean. I love a challenge, so off I went with my daughter (who is a K-Pop, K-variety show addict and who wants to study in Korea, possibly live and breathe in Korea, and is taking Korean classes at community college etc.)

Summary: I love the restaurant. The staff are wonderful. They are attentive, especially since my chopstick handling sucks. They laugh when I butcher just saying thank you in Korean. I go there at least once a month. And have taken four friends/relatives to the restaurant on separate occasions.

Yes, I'm sure there are better. But for me, it's a wonderful all-round eating experience. One day, I'll pry myself from Shin Chon and try Honey Pig...maybe