Lifestyle: Gen Korean BBQ House
By Richard Eber
When the magic words “all you can eat” are spoken, one often thinks of “Baron of beef” a salad bar chock full of mayonnaise, and overcooked steam table offerings that make it difficult to select items palatable enough to put on your plate.
An exception to such mundane cuisine this side of a first class Las Vegas buffet we have, Gem Korean BBQ House at 2721 Seaglass Way in Oxnard.
Once inside this small Southern California chain eatery, one is transformed into art deco environment where blue lighting sets the mood for an extraordinary dining experience. At each of the tables and several rows of counter seating, can be found an indentation where food is grilled Ban-chan style by patrons in a kind of do it yourself Benihana kind of way.
Every diner is given a menu which is encased in a hardbound book. For lunch there are 27 choices of assorted beef, pork, chicken and fish to choose from. There are 8 additional items for dinner.
While trying to determine what meats are to be selected, a large family style salad is served with tasty ginger-sesame vinaigrette one finds in many Asian restaurants. In addition small plates of traditional Korean Kimchee and cold glass noodles (Jap Chae) are served.
Then the good stuff comes. To start with we tried Gen’s special blade steak and Angus brisket along with Sweet Teriyaki with pineapple slices. While this was being cooked along with seasonal fresh vegetables, we ordered some white rice to refresh our pallets.
Our attentive waiter was very good at turning the large pieces of meat and cutting them with scissors that each table is outfitted with. With many other patrons to care for, we hard to do most of the cutting ourselves after being tutored in the Gen way in operating their grills
When the first tasty morsels of steak reached our plates, we were given a large selection of sauces to dip the cooked pieces in. Green Tea Salt, Chadol, Cajun, and Gobchang were my favorites. Between courses they also served fried chicken buds which proved to be addictive to a 12 step gourmet glutton such as myself.
Gen is not a place for a “bun and run” kind of meal. To savor all that they have to offer, it is best to allocate at least an hour and a half for lunch or dinner. There is a lot to try and not to be missed.
There is no limit on what amounts can be ordered. Menu exploration is encouraged. After our party had our fill of steak, we continued to a couple varieties of pork belly (samgyubsal) we especially liked the meats marinated in red wine and with Cajun flavorings. Then came different types of calamari (squid), chicken, and shrimp to complete our dining experience with the grill.
If one is still hungry they have an assortment of mochi ice cream sandwiches or as they call them Macarons. They looked great but we were to full to try one of these tasty looking treats.
After consuming all of these gourmet offerings, of what can normally considered high priced entries, no guilt exists. Everything thing we ate was included in the all you can eat tradition. Now, the bad news. With exception of soft drinks and alcohol, the price to gorge yourself at Gen Korean BBQ runs $ 16.95 for lunch and $ 24.99 for dinner.
On a positive note, the meal is an excellent value considering the high quality ingredients that are utilized. In fact, when I chatted with the affable manager of the restaurant, he said they depend on volume to make a profit at Gen BBQ. Even now, there are lines out the door, especially on weekends with patrons waiting to enter this trendy venue.
Gen BBQ is open from 10am till 11pm each day except Friday and Saturday when closing time is an hour later. Reservations for parties of 10 or more can be made by calling 805-485-8800.
Richard Eber studied journalism at the University of Oregon. He writes about politics, culture, education restaurants, and was former city and sports editor of UCSB Daily. Richard is president of Amerasa Rapid Transit, a specialized freight forwarder.
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