01/25/18
Korean fried chicken is one of my favorite bar foods, so when I was in downtown LA for work I knew I had to take the quick trip to Koreatown to find a place with some legit KFC - and that place was OB Bear. This spot is just like neighborhood dive bars you'd find across the country, but instead of burgers and potato skins, OB Bear has stir fried octopus and sliced pig's feet on the menu. There are, however, two items that you might find on a typical American bar menu. The first is beer. The second was the reason I was there... chicken wings. But these bad boys put your typical buffalo wings to shame. To me, there are a few things that set Korean fried chicken apart from buffalo wings - they are crispier, lighter, and more moist - and these wings had all of these elements. And then there's the addicting sweet and spicy sauce they are covered in. The word "perfect" gets thrown around pretty often, but this sauce was pretty darn close to perfect. The heat was intense enough to make my eyes water, but not too intense that I ever contemplated throwing in the towel. Add in a subtle sweetness, and you've got a dynamite wing sauce.