Here we go again. The shack in front of Tustin's Sushi Wasabi at Newport Avenue and Walnut Street, which used to house a DIY Korean BBQ called Hebaragi, has changed hands yet again. At this point, I have no other conclusion than to say that this location is cursed.
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You may remember that not more than seven months ago, I marvelled in a post that the shack (there's no other way to describe it) had an unusually high turnover of failed restaurants. It housed no fewer than four different Korean and Asian restaurants in the span of a few years.
And you also might recall that I reviewed Hebaragi, its newest tenant, earlier this year for our print issue, declaring it one of the best and most popular Korean BBQ joints in OC, one of a few that offered pork jowels.
But being good is not enough. A lot can happen in seven months. Just ask Conan O'Brien.
The new place that has replaced Hebaragi just last week is called The Patio and it looks also to be a Korean BBQ. Any wagers on how long this one will last?
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.