Above, Kimchi fries from Casa Choi are big enough to eat as a meal, but they also make an excellent appetizer if you're in the mood to share. Try it with a fried egg on top. Below, Tteokbokki is a spicy Korean snack food made from thick, chewy udon noodles and strips of fish cakes that resemble tofu in texture. Daily Record photos by Celeste Hollister

Foodie Friday: Casa Choi

Fri, 07/10/2020 - 12:05am

Celeste Hollister

chollister@sanmarcosrecord.com

Thursday, July 9, 2020

In Korean, the word daebak means ‘jackpot,’ but in recent years it’s become a popular slang expressing happiness or amazement. Casa Choi, San Marcos’ Korean/Mexican fusion restaurant, is a perfect example of daebak: an awesome and welcome surprise.

Fusion food takes the most distinctive elements from two cultures' cuisines and blends them together, creating something bold, brilliant and uniquely its own. Nowhere is this more true than at Casa Choi, where savory, spicy Korean dishes meet that beloved, versatile staple of Mexican food: the tortilla. Toss in generous helpings of street corn, Sriracha, spicy mayo, and avocado, and you have the best that fusion has to offer: dishes that are even greater than the sum of their already delicious parts.

Casa Choi’s owner, Jason Choi, was born in Korea so he knows his way around a Korean grill. “I knew how to cook Korean food,” he said, “But living in Texas where we have a lot of Mexican food, I wanted to combine the two together. I’m proud of Korean barbecue, so the idea was really kind of simple.”

Choi said that anything with bulgogi on it is the number one seller, but every type of protein on the menu has a special flair, so it truly depends on the customer. “My personal favorite is the spicy chicken,” Choi said. “I mix it up taco-style.”

What to order:

Kimchi Fries

You cannot go wrong with kimchi fries. Casa Choi starts with thick-sliced french fries served up golden and crispy, piled with kimchi and torched Mexican cheese, with sour cream, spicy mayo and Sriracha drizzled on top. By itself, kimchi is an extra-spicy fermented cabbage with radish, carrot, garlic, and gochujang – Korea’s most popular pepper. The Mexican cheese, mayo and sour cream perfectly counterpoint the heat of the kimchi and Sriracha, giving the fries a crunchy, creamy, multi-layered taste. Definitely go for the runny fried egg on top for added color and flavor.

Tteokbokki

A traditional Korean snack food, tteokbokki consists of thick, chewy rice noodles called tteok and fish cakes tossed with an even coating of gochujang paste. Though at first you might be wary because the words fish and cake don’t typically go together, fear not. In this case, the fish cakes resemble tofu in texture and have a salty, garlicky flavor. Tteokbokki tastes best served hot, so it’s best to order early. They only make one batch a day, so when it sells out, it’s gone.

Bulgogi Tacos, Burritos, or Rice Bowls

Bulgogi is peak Korean comfort food. It’s thinly-sliced beef cooked to tenderness in a rich, slightly-sweet sauce, with shredded carrots and sliced green onions for texture. On plain white rice, beef bulgogi makes for a satisfying, savory home-cooked meal. Wrapped in a toasty tortilla with a fried egg, Mexican street corn, and sliced avocado, bulgogi transforms into the ultimate street food.

People of Korea and Mexico alike love abundant color and a variety of flavors in their dishes, so a pairing between the two feels just like it was always meant to be.