This is a work-in-progress but I decided it’s time to get this going seriously, so I’ve created a Google Map that combines both the general listings from Google and added my comments for the places that I have checked-out. I will keep updating this as I have time but I wanted to post this and get some reactions.
View Washington Heights Dining - Doug Levy’s WineAndFoodWorld.com Guide in a larger map
If the location is indicated by a regular blue pointer, I have not yet added comments. I have tried to use the fork-and-spoon to indicate sit-down options, the sandwich and drink for fast-food or carry-out, and the coffee cup for, er, coffee.
Washington Heights and the area immediately around the Columbia University Medical Center has dozens of places to eat, but the diversity of choices remains somewhat limited - and predominantly Dominican. Thus, the opening of a Korean carry-out is welcome news.
Gogo-Gi, on Broadway near 164th Street, is a tiny sliver of a restaurant that maybe has room for three people to sit down. It’s really all about the bustling kitchen that cooks authentic - and inexpensive - Korean barbecue dishes on the fly. Wisely, the owners have limited the menu to just a few items. There’s no way a kitchen of this size could handle more than five or six different main ingredients.
The menu consists of five different rice bowls, each available as a small portion for $4.99 or a large portion for $7.99, except for kal-bi, Korean beef short ribs, which are $10.99. Other items are grilled or fried chicken, Korean dumplings, and side dishes such as kimchi, the garlicky spicy fermented cabbage that is perhaps the best known Korean food item in the United States.
On several visits, I have found the service to be friendly and efficient, and the portion sizes are quite reasonable for the prices. Orders take between 5 and 10 minutes for preparation.
The bul-go-gi, thinly sliced marinated beef, was tangy and sweet. The spicy pork had a tinge of fire on it, as it should (the menu indicates it with three chile pods.) Definitely more lively on the tongue than most of the other food in the neighborhood.
Gogo-gi, 3908 Broadway, New York, NY 10032; 212-543-0922; www.gogogibbq.com. Delivery in the neighborhood is free for orders over $8. Open for lunch and early dinner except Sunday.
