Gangnam Style

While Psy is galloping rapidly toward the end of his 15 minutes here in the US, Korean food promises to have a much longer shelf life.

Its rising popularity is driven by a confluence of factors, like the impact of globalization that has lowered barriers to culinary entry and stoked consumers’ interest in Asian cuisines. The extraordinary success of the Kogi Truck, which launched the unlikely Korean taco craze and fueled the burgeoning new-age food-truck movement, is also a key factor. And then there’s a young generation of extraordinarily talented Korean-American chefs who are shaking things up around the country. David Chang in New York City, Bill Kim in Chicago, Roy Choi in Los Angeles, Corey Lee in San Francisco and Edward Lee in Louisville combine fine-dining bona fides with an eclectic approach to modern menu making.

Kimchi has cropped up as a burger topping at The Counter and as a pizza topping at California Pizza Kitchen. There’s a Grilled Sweet Korean BBQ Beef appetizer at Yard House and Korean Fried Chicken Pizza at Claim Jumper. TGI Friday’s offers Korean Street Tacos with ginger-lime slaw, and Pei Wei Asian Diner features a Spicy Korean signature entrée. Special props go to Freshstreet, a pop-up restaurant run by husband-and-wife chefs in Columbus, OH, which has pushed the fusion envelope with--wait for it--bulgogi cheesecake crepes.

Looking ahead, while Korean cuisine won’t displace Chinese as the Asian cuisine of choice for most diners, Korean ingredients like kimchi will take their place in the American pantry. Chefs will experiment with fermentation, a technique typical of the Korean kitchen, and easy-to-like Korean barbecue will gain purchase in the mass market. The net result will be a slow, steady crossover of Korean foods and flavors that promises to be more than simply a one-hit wonder.

Photo: Korea.Net/Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons license.