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| - I was happy to find this place on Yelp while desperately trying to avoid having to dine at the usual chain-y places in CityNorth (which my g.f. wanted to go to) last night. It's been almost a year since I last had Korean BBQ with clients and although I love Takamatsu, it's just too far away from where I am in NE Phoenix and not in the bestest of areas.
Anyway, although located in one of the small retail spaces along the eastern (AMC) end of Desert Ridge Mall, the space is thoughtfully designed and laid out. They don't accept reservations, so that was a bit of a challenge on a Saturday night, but fortunately the S.O. got there and put our name in while I was still busy getting lost looking for it. At 7:00 p.m., the place was bustling and, judging by all of the passers by looking into the floor to ceiling windows like we were fish in a bowl, it probably has no reason to take reservations. I took it as a good sign that there were Koreans also dining there! My girlfriend got seated at a wall table for four. She ordered the berry mojito, which she said was a bit watered down, while I ordered a CASS, which came out in those big 40 oz. bottles I do love so. For our entree, we went with the safe bet and ordered the beef bulgogi to share. Unfortunately, our very nice (and, I must assume, Korean) waitress was a bit hard to understand, and so we kind of stumbled our way through on our own before realizing that she was telling us that we also had to order a side in addition to the entree. I almost ordered an extra entree by mistake, thinking that's what was required.
One of the things I like about Korean BBQ (in my very limited experience with it), are all the cool little salads and condiments that are laid out in front of you before the main event even begins. And Sizzle did not disappoint on that score. There were probably nearly a dozen different things laid out on the table in advance, from your staple kimchee, to pickled chilis, bean sprouts, radishes, stewed potatoes, and even just a basic mixed greens salad, oh and this egg soufle type thing, which my date really liked. In short, there is a bit of sticker shock, however there was a lot of food. The bulgogi portion itself was pretty decent and had good flavor and was plenty for the two of us (and I can put it away, mind you). My only gripe with it was that it was a bit too fatty for my liking, certainly in comparison to Takamatsu. Had I been cooking it myself (which I will next time when the waitress' back is turned), I would've spread it out on the grill a bit more and let some more of the fat get rendered off but, all in all, it was good. Dinner was pricey but, it is KBBQ and it is Scottsdale, after all.
So is Sizzle my fave Korean BBQ place that I've been to? No. Is it convenient to get to and a fun evening for something exotic and different? Absolutely. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sizzle was a franchise. The place gets high marks for its very trademark-able name, decor and design aesthetics (the individual drop down hood/fans are genius), and solid organization in churning out product in a very busy and high-paced environment. I saw a few female customers fanning themselves due to the heat, but I didn't feel uncomfortable temperature wise and thought there was enough A/C going. I joked with the girlfriend beforehand that we should both wear something disposable since we would both reek of KBBQ by the night's end, however, the place and table was well ventilated and I think I can hang on to my favorite shirt for now.
As far as suggestions go, while both my parents are immigrants, and I have nothing but respect for people who come over to a new country and have to communicate with natives in a foreign language AND in a demanding retail setting, I would maybe recommend perhaps having some sort of instruction sheet or card on each table for newbies or perhaps assigning someone who is Korean American or even just fluent in English to quickly give patrons a run-down of how things work. Other than that, I look forward to trying the pork dishes next time!
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