Northridge: KBBQ at Pine Tree Korean Restaurant

 

My best friend asked me what I wanted for dinner while I was visiting her in the Valley. I said I wanted either Korean, Japanese or Mexican food. She decided to take me to Pine Tree for Korean BBQ.

Being a fan of KBBQ, I have been to some charming hole-in-the-walls to posh spots with K-pop videos playing non-stop. I like them all and I particularly like a good banchan selection. Pine Tree had the usual suspects though I was a little surprised rice was already set out for us.

We ordered the steamed egg and soup with the all-you-can-eat meals.

 

Our server said we could up to four meats at a time. We started out with three non-marinated meats and the marinated beef was recommended to us. I like to start off with non-marinated because it keeps the grill slightly cleaner.

The ribeye was thinly but quite the big portion when it’s just the two of us.

 

We also got brisket and pork belly.

 

I know some people could just eat gobs of brisket which is a good thing because it cooks so quickly.

 

I had never seasoned the non-marinated meats before as they grilled preferring to dip the various meats in the sauces but I could see merit in it. We experimented with the salt/pepper on the table on the steak. I would have tried sesame oil but the meats weren’t actually sticking and since the smoking point is so high on sesame oil, I decided in certain cases, dipping is far superior.

Refills on water, banchan and meat orders came very quickly. I can see why this is a neighborhood favorite and was probably worth the 30 minutes or so we waited for a table. I wouldn’t go as far as saying this replaces any number of KBBQ spots in Koreatown in Los Angeles but when you live in the Valley, this is a much closer drive.

 

Pine Tree Korean BBQ Restaurant

8322 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, CA 91324  — (818) 886-1512

 

© The Minty  2016