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Recession Obsession: KyoChon Fried Chicken
Amazing Chicken, Lousy Salad
A Recession Obsession is, 1) a meal so great that it stays in your mind long after digestion's end, and, 2) plays nice with your sensitive wallet. Is there a better place than Los Angeles to eat a wide variety of amazing food that so happens to be inexpensive? Probably not. We're as lucky as we are well fed. We last obsessed over fan favorite, Bay Cities Italian Deli, and Thai Town's Ruen Pair. Today, we obsess...
Korean Fried Chicken results in tastebud confusion. Through delicious overload and a rarely-paralleled flavor density, KFC is a unique treat. (LAist has been a fan.) I’d say “move over Colonel, there’s a new feaux-military chicken-slinging hero in town,” but that’s just not the case. It’d be like alerting Italy to the mounting non-threat that is California Pizza Kitchen ("CPK," if you dine there on the regular.)
Find a friend who hates typical fried chicken, bring him/her/shim to KyoChon, and watch a conversion. The two of you can have this religious experience for about $10 each. That’s why it’s LA’s latest Recession Obsession.
Finger Licking Amazing
KyoChon’s chicken isn’t monstrously fried the great American way -- where one’s first bite in doesn’t include chicken flesh -- it’s crispy but its skin isn’t a chore. They have wings and “sticks,” a.k.a. chicken legs. While the sticks are meatier (and more expensive,) I find the wings to pack the right mixture of meat, skin, and fantasticness.
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Their two flavors are terrific. The Garlic Soy Sauce features its titular ingredients, and seemingly dozens of other complimentary flavors which make these wings unforgettable. The Hot Sweet Sauce brings that taste and addictive mouth-fire. Some bites are so hot you’d swear the chicken was North Korean. Those keep me coming back, and awake some nights, my longing mind fixating over
These wings are made fresh, to order, for you, dear Recession Obsessionist. Whether you like it or not, you’re in no hurry. Hopefully your swelling hunger pangs don’t cause you to utter “another round” before your initial round arrives (I did once when the economy wasn’t in the crapper.) Next thing you know, your wallet is empty.
Garcon...
Like a lot of places in K-Town, KyoChon’s tables feature those cheap-looking plastic buttons. Press, and your server appears. Make sure you don’t use this waitress-summoning pleasure to order anything else off the menu. The rest of their offerings are surprisingly weak.
A self-serve ice cream machine spits out cold desert in shot glass-sized denominations. It’ll help your burning mouth, and won’t further lighten your wallet.
- KyoChon Chicken Koreatown | 3833 W 6th Street | Los Angeles 90020 | (213) 739-9292
- Other locations: Torrance, Garden Grove and Rowland Heights
Photos by Caleb Bacon (Twitter) for LAist
Where do you get your "KFC"? Comment Below (or else)!
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
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Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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