It’s been a while since I’ve written a post that wasn’t about a food festival or a pop-up, but with Brunch at the Races coming up, I thought I’d review a meal I had at one of the restaurants that will be participating at the event: Status Kuo. David Kuo, the chef/owner, is Taiwanese-American, and he infuses Asian flavors into many of his dishes.
Ostensibly a rotisserie, Status Kuo offers so much more than just roasted meats. I was particularly impressed with the fresh, seasonal vegetables that he served, especially the street corn slathered with yuzu butter.
As mentioned in the Instagram caption, the corn was part of the Suckling Pig Roast special that Status Kuo runs during weekends. Besides the corn, the dinner came with some baked beans that I liked but didn’t love, and some very good mac & cheese!
The roast pig itself was decent, though a little dry, and the skin was a bit tough. Since there’s an entire hog’s worth of meat to carve from, I think how juicy the meat is probably influenced by what cuts we received. I think I’d probably prefer the more controlled preparation of Status Kuo’s porchetta, which I’ve heard is great. The suckling pig did come with bao buns and plenty of condiments to make some tasty Taiwanese gua bao.
The one dish I really wanted to try, after having chef Kuo’s youfan at LASFF, was the roasted quail stuffed with the same Taiwanese sticky rice. This dish was so delicious! Yeah, the sticky rice got a little mushy, an occupational hazard of being cooked inside a bird, but it still had a nice chew! The quail was also good, with juicy meat and crisp skin. The Thai basil and slices of plum really pushed it over the line from great to fantastic!
The desserts were also highlights! A molten chocolate cake with a tangy milk jam was our jam! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) It was garnished with pickled goji berries, a seemingly favorite ingredient that we found in two other dishes in our meal. It worked really well with this dish. The mixed berry bread pudding was even better, in my opinion, with great ice cream from Sweet Lucie around the corner from Status Kuo. (Pardon the quality of the photos, I was losing the natural night as it got later in the evening.)
We got way too many dishes on our first visit to Status Kuo! For all the shots from our dinner, check out hashtag #offalokuo on Instagram!
I really enjoyed our meal at Status Kuo! Not every dish worked for me, but I appreciated the risk to try new combinations of flavors and influences, and the dishes I liked I really enjoyed! Last I had heard, Status Kuo was taking over the storefront next to them and would be expanding their dining area, adding a bar (and a liquor license). I’m not sure if they’ve all come to fruition yet, but I can’t wait to go back and check out the dishes we didn’t get to try. They’re also serving brunch now too!
Those of you attending Brunch at the Races on Sunday, be sure to check out the Status Kuo booth!
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Status Kuo
3809 Grand View Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 574-7610
http://eatstatuskuo.com/
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