Call me Cleopatra, but there is something inherently appealing about a man serving me on his knees. In this case, food — a feast of gorgeous, exotic, fragrant, colorful food, fit for a queen AND humbly served to me by a beautiful Asian man as I lounge on silk cushions. Another equally stunning man massages my feet while a third whispers apologies for their gender in my ear.
No need for Freudian analysis: I’m not fantasizing. Well, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but a handsome man (my date) did rub my tired feet on request, and he did say after 30 seconds “Sorry, that’s about all I’m good for.” If I wasn’t so mesmerized by the array of exotic food being served by the beautiful Asian man at Riverside Korean Restaurant, I might have dismissed him then and there. A queen’s prerogative.
The Scene
This tiny storefront in Covington looks transplanted from Canal Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown. A modest, unassuming entrance opens unto a single, narrow dining room, lined with Western-style booths along the left side and a raised floor with Eastern-style low tables and fuchsia silk cushions along the right side. Decor is largely Asian influenced with a bit of diner kitsch — such as a central wall display of yellow plastic grapes and a neon beer sign above the cash register.
A small area at the entrance is filled with a diversity of customers patiently waiting for a table on this Saturday night. A look at the dozen tables in the dining room reveals the clientele to be a mix of Asian families and the urban natty. A line of shoes stand at the base of the raised floor as customers who wish to dine on the Eastern side are required to remove them as is respectful tradition.
The Scoop
The menu is large and divided into interesting categories such as Seafood Soup Dinners, Stew and Soup Dinners (with a subtitle of Potent Tonics) and Adventure Dinners. Many of the dinners described in the more familiar categories – such as Rice Dinners, Stir Fry Dinners and Noodle Dinners — are every bit as adventurous, too: beef intestines, beef tongue, skate fish and squid. The menu is written in Korean with English subtitles and descriptions, and the staff will patiently guide you through the menu with recommendations and pronunciation.
We began with an appetizer of Ya Chae Pa Jun ($10.95), a vegetable pancake made with eggs, green onions, zucchini, mushroom and bell pepper. It’s thin with a slightly custardy center and served with a side of sweet-hot chili oil, and the three of us declared this “pancake perfection” and even though it was a generous portion, we were longing for more.
Cold, dry, Korean beers are just the beverage to accompany the spicy food and the three selections on the menu are super-sized bottles; about one-and-a-half times the size of your typical American beer. Our server opens them with celebratory flair, popping the cork and catching it in his pocket. Neat trick.
Before the main courses are brought out, eight small white bowls are arranged in the center of the table with Ban Chan — Korean condiments such as pickled cucumbers, Kim Chee, Asian Pear, gingered seaweed, pickled radish and a few I can’t remember (if I ever did know what they were). The visual display of color and texture against the stark white china is dazzling, and we almost don’t want to disturb the art. But only for a moment.
Dinners are served: Yuk Gae Jang ($9.95), a spicy beef soup with bean sprouts and onion; Bi Bim Guk Su ($9.95), spicy, cold, thin rice noodles with mixed vegetables; and Doe Ji Bul Go Gi ($13.95), grilled, spicy marinated sliced pork. Even though the word spicy is in every description, we only find one dish to be too spicy for our taste: The bright red color of the beef soup should have been a clue. The amount of heat in this dish buries most of the flavor. However the other two dinners are fabulous and plentiful. I especially enjoy the kneeling server tenderly mixing the ingredients of my noodle dinner together with chopsticks. (No, I’m not fantasizing again.)
The Sizzle
Reservations are suggested for weekend nights: The dozen tables are occupied for the entire time we dine on a Saturday. Unless you opt for a booth, don’t wear socks with holes, a mini-skirt or hip-huggers. Now back to my royal fantasy as my gorgeous court slave lovingly bathes the satiated queen with warm towels.
Go: 512 Madison Ave., Covington
Call: 859-291-1484
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday 5-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 5-11 p.m. Closed on Monday.
Prices: Inexpensive to Moderate
Payment: Major credit cards.
Red Meat Alternatives: Large menu with a variety of vegetarian and seafood dishes.
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2002.
