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"Knocked Up" Knock-off Travel: LA's Koreatown

June 25, 2008 at 9:45 AM | 0 Comments

"Knocked Up" must have seeped into our sub-consciousness more than we'd like to admit. While re-watching it on a flight to LA this weekend, we were shocked to realize our lunch and dinner reservations for the next day were at the same two restaurants the protagonists visit in the film: hip sushi joint Geisha House and cheesy classic Miceli's.

While both restaurants served their very mainstream purpose, this coincidence left us feeling waaay too unoriginal and in search of something off the beaten path. Near the end of the movie--after Katherine Heigl kicks Seth Rogen out of her car in a fit of pre-labor rage--he yells in outrage "I had to walk through half of Koreatown!" We didn't want to walk through half of it, but we were intrigued.

Unlike most of LA, Koreatown is an interesting and accessible 'hood to take a stroll through. While the scenery features the same high rises and palm trees that mark most of downtown, the foodie scene is hard to beat. The few blocks around Wilshire and Western are a hub of Korean BBQ joints; we followed The New York Times' advice and got the all-you-can-eat option at Tahoe BBQ.

Aside from the BBQ, Koreatown's other omnipresent offering is the cluster of tea and coffee houses, ranging from hole-in-the-wall traditional spots to trendy lounges hawking $7 cups of green tea. Hwa Sun Ji Tea and Coffee is a relaxing, bamboo-clad tea room with options that go way beyond the green stuff--you'll find chrysanthemum, apricot and plum flavors, plus free rice cookies and a tempting dessert menu.

Related Stories:
· Tahoe BBQ [Yelp]
· Hwa Sun Ji Tea and Coffee [Yelp]
· A Writer's Escape to the Other LA [Jaunted]

[Photo: LWY]

Where: Los Angeles, CA, United States

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Author Photo: BS by BS

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