Hey you! Yes you! You guy. If you are in the Los Angeles area, be very smart and leave your Monday night dinner plans open for a very special pop-up. I am mashing up my wacky fried chicken and everything cage-free poultry dishes with one of my favorite down-to-earth chefs, Chris Oh. For all who haven’t trekked to Sawtelle for modern Korean “dude-food” eats, Seoul Sausage is what put him on the map. Chris Oh earned his kitchen stripes winning a couple of high profile national competitions. He received a nifty sponsorship by Scion from annihilating his competition in the Great American Food Truck Race. He also got a Scion car out of it all that has a retractable BBQ in the trunk (check it out HERE from the time they visited The Hundreds Homebase)! Chris really put the final seal on the envelope with his triumph on the Food Network’s Kitchen Wars. And the best thing about it all? The man is self-taught – he failed to attend culinary school.
Now Chris bops around town consulting on menus like some sort of western outlaw. He is the Korean Wyatt Earp, who just comes and goes, leaving behind a trail of delicious crumbs having launched the BBQ program at ‘70s themed cocktail joint Good Time at Davey Wayne’s as well as having opened a highly ambitious Latin-inspired restaurant, ESCALA.
Having been friends of friends who have friends who know friends that are friends – you know how it is – a legendary people connector in my little circle, Brian Kim, proposed that Chris Oh and I connect and throw down together. I instantly said yes. Chris and I had met for the past month, brainstorming and having fun with concepts and dishes, and landing on the simple and exciting idea of having a Monday Night Football-inspired menu that has a twist on Free Range and the flavors and nuances from the immediate neighborhood that Escala is located, Koreatown.
Look out for variations of Buffalo wings – not made with any chicken – Korean Bossam, a crazy savory mushroom queso dip with egg, and a donut ice cream sandwich – I may have said too much! With a little help from my main meng, Shoe Wolf, we got his son right out of photo class to come snap some food porn pics of what we will be serving this Monday night. Please be sure to stop by and say what’s up to Chris and me. We are happily accepting shots of whiskey from anyone who is buying!
Escala x Free Range is a one time only Monday Night Football Pop-up Dinner. September 15th, 5:00pm-9:30pm.
Escala
3451 W 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90020
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