Reservations Are Open Now For Splashy New Korean Barbecue Spot Baekjeong

The Korean barbecue scene is only getting bigger in the Bay Area, and an exciting new entrant is debuting in San Jose: The uber-popular KBBQ chain Baekjeong is set to debut on Wednesday, August 16 at Westfield Valley Fair mall.

It’s a popular restaurant from Korean celebrity Kang Ho-dong, who launched it in 2003, but after debuting in Los Angeles in 2012, it became popular stateside — and later expanded to eight U.S. locations total. Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Gold praised the restaurant and its “well-marbled prime ribeye” and pork belly.

Those looking to taste the Korean barbecue chain for themselves can snag a reservation at the new restaurant via Resy as of this morning. The San Jose restaurant is one of only two locations to offer reservations — stay tuned for a full look at the new space next week.

Why aren’t our summer tomatoes...tomato-y?

Those who follow tomato season may have noticed that summer tomatoes haven’t been quite right so far this year, and the San Francisco Chronicle dug into the reasons why. It turns out the big storms of the winter weren’t the issue; instead, a colder spring forced the later planting of tomatoes, delaying tomato season from two to four weeks. But don’t despair, Dirty Girl Produce owner Joe Schirmer guesses that tomatoes will hit in late August or early September.

The love of Dutch crunch is spreading to NYC

As a Bay Area native, when I moved to Los Angeles, I learned the hard way that our beloved Dutch crunch is a local delicacy, nowhere to be seen in sandwich shops outside of Northern California. Now it seems the bread is taking up residency at three spots in New York, and it’s finally getting its shine outside of the Bay Area: Mission Sandwich Social, Mischa, and Gramercy Tavern are all highlighting Dutch crunch on their menus, according to Grub Street.

Denver bar Yacht Club cocktails it up at True Laurel

Local cocktail enthusiasts already know the mastery of the drinks at True Laurel, but now comes a chance to sample the wares of Yacht Club, the Denver bar that recently landed on North America’s 50 Best Bars. True Laurel is hosting Yacht Club from 7 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, August 10 (that’s tonight) for epic cocktails, a battle of patty melts versus hot dogs, and — if the Instagram announcement is to be believed — maybe a fog machine. Reservations are all out on Resy, but they’re welcoming walk-ins as space allows, of course.