restaurant review: dokebi

had dinner at dokebi last night and i must say, i'm a convert. i love to cook, so the interaction of actually cooking your own meal while seated at the table was a total thrill.

the menu is exhaustive, but my partner and i settled on the "veggie-shrooms" and "bulgohki" options, as well as an appetizer.

the selection of mushrooms alone was impressive (if my memory serves me correctly, and it rarely does, there were at least five varieties of mushrooms). and the laundry list of "appetizers" that precedes the actual grilling phase of the meal was a meal in itself (squid, kimchi, pickles, seaweed, bean sprouts, rice cakes). i also shared the tuna sashimi with avocado salad, both of which were buttery smooth and dressed with a light citrus-ginger dressing. not to be overlooked, dokebi's own purple-colored rice (i don't know what they do to achieve that color) and the duo of dipping sauces that came with our veggies and meat: one their own spicy bbq sauce, the other a "tangy dipping sauce."

there's a simple pleasure about being able to control how your food is prepared. and there's also a certain ownership one assumes if the food doesn't turn out perfect. but really, how hard is it to grill? it's a dramatic departure from the typical meal where you just sit and wait to be fed, in this case, you actually have to participate.

let's not forget a pitcher of beer to wash it all down.