Arirang Garden ****

Korean BBQ on par with anything in NYC's Korean Street (34th between 5th & Broadway), AG serves up generous helpings of tender bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef) & sweet & savory pork, among other things, at reasonable prices. The $25 dinner buffet is good deal if you can really put it away. Otherwise, bring some friends, order a few BBQ items, some jop jae (sitr fried noodles), pajun (pancake) and, for bonus foodie points, yuk hwae (raw beef w/ raw eggs in sesame oil sauce). Service can be slow but once your raw meat comes out, you set the pace cooking at your own table.

Kobe ****

With fresh, delictable sushi and steak for the pescaphobic, Kobe scores high for food. Carnivores will love cooking up their own meat (steaks, shrimp or a tender pork tenderloin) on a superheated stone while regular sushi lovers could get their own roll named after them. The best seat is at the bar where you can watch Alex's nimble hands deftly crank out plate after plate of Japanese delicacies.

Joe's Crab Shack *** RIP

Ever wonder what Red Lobster would be like if they didn't ruin up the food? Here ya go. Maybe I just have a shellfish addiction, but the fair-to-middling preparations of shrimp & crab here keep me coming back. You can't really screw up steamed crab (unless you're Red Lobster) and JCS does a decent job of preserving the crusteaceans' natural tenderness. And just when you thought you were over them, here comes another coupon in the sunday circulars. Damn You!

Closed Summer 2006

Bella Notte **

Fazoli's "fancy" cousin, Bella Notte delivers fair to middling Italian fair. The portions are huge (yes, I do realize I've moved back to KY) and the prices reasonable... let's just say it's better than Olive Garden. Though the olive oil & herb bread dip concocted tableside just may lure us back.

Portofino **

I were looking forward to trying the "Best Restaurant in Lexington," so it pains me to say it was quite the disappointment. Maybe it's having eaten at the likes of The French Laundry, Le Bernadin and Per Se, but Portofino simply didn't live up to its hype or justify its prices. The food wasn't bad, mind you, but a lot of little things nagged me. Several of the entrees featured the same sides (mashed potatoes to be exact). My sun-dried tomatoe risotto was finished with an incongruous garlic wine sauce and topped with a huge piece of tilapia, making it three dishes that don't go great together. The salads were pedestrian and the starter of fried calamari and rock shrimp was only a few steps above your average bar & grille. And for $20-$30 an entree, someone ought to sweep up the table crumbs between courses.