Today Koifusion, Portland's famed Korean taco truck, announces it's heading indoors. Well, partially. The mobile taco truck will still be cruising around the Rose City, but those looking for some unique bar eats in the Pearl District will now have a spot to head into. See below for the official announcement, and venture out soon to the new space, which is currently in soft-opening mode.
Koifusion Korean Taco Truck Expands off the Street and into the Pearl District
We Are Pleased to Announce the Opening of Koifusion@1
1300 NW Lovejoy
(Portland, Oregon) KoiFusion, Portland's favorite - scratch that - Portland's ONLY Korean Taco truck is moving on up. Well, more specifically, we are moving into a storefront space called Koifusion@1. Formerly the SOLO bar space located at 1300 NW Lovejoy in the Pearl District, Koifusion@1 will transform the food, drinks and overall experience into something completely new. It's a big departure from SOLO's booming music nightclub ambiance, and is more of a nice neighborhood place that's laid-back, casual and comfortable. You know, more like something you might find in the neighborhoods of Seoul or Tokyo.
Koifusion owner Bo Kwon snagged Chef Joe Anderson, formerly of Carlyle and the Portland City Grill, to run the kitchen. Joshua Palmer, the bar manager from Typhoon/Bo Bar, will be heading up the bar program called Studio 1. Joshua, Joe and Bo are working closely to create special cocktails and infusions to compliment Koifusion@1's Korean Taco (K-Taco) influenced menu. Look for drinks such as the Studio One fresh muddled cucumber gimlet, or the Koi Storm made with house infused mango/pineapple vodka, mixed with rum and citrus served on the rocks. The menu includes many of Koifusion's greatest hits, including our famous K-Tacos in soft house made corn or flour tortillas stuffed with Bulgogi BBQ Beef, Spicy Chicken or Pork, Korean Braised Short Rib meat, or Spicy Tofu. Other items include Korean Beef Sliders, Spicy Korean Fries, the Korean Rice Bowl known as Bi-Bim-Bap, a K-Taco Salad, or Korean Tempura Vegetables.
The biggest surprise though is that Koifusion@1 will also be the only place in Oregon serving KFC - Korean Fried Chicken. This spicy, crunchy fried chicken in a tangy sauce has a cult following in places such as New York City and Los Angeles, with specific restaurants dedicated to the dish and even several fan websites. The LA Weekly called KFC, "an evolutionary leap forward — marinated in a cabinet full of spices, saturated with garlic, double-fried to a shattering, thin-skinned snap." It's off the hook addictive and we are excited to bring Korean Fried Chicken to Portland.
In the typical DIY Ninja manner you've grown to expect from KoiFusion owner Bo Kwon, Koifusion@1 will be doing things a little bit differently than other restaurateurs around town. Rather than taking full ownership, he's simply taking over the day-to-day operations of SOLO. Studio 1 does the drinks, Koifusion does the food. It's a win-win for everyone. The Koifusion@ concept gives Bo a way to carefully expand his business without having to take out risky loans or leases, or go through a lengthy and expensive OLCC liquor permitting process. Studio 1 is able to focus on greating a great bar. SOLO is able to step away from the daily grind and let others take the reigns to create a new, and better dining and lounge experience that meets the needs of the neighborhood. In today's tight economy, it's an innovative business formula. The Koifusion@ concept will possibly expand to other locations such as Koifusion@2, Koifusion@3 and others. We think it's a simple, cost effective way to expand from the food cart concept into the more traditional restaurant and bar business,
Don't panic though, even if you can't make it to Koifusion@1 our Koifusion trucks will continue to provide tacos to hungry Portlanders all over the place, twittering as we go.
Koifusion@1 is currently in soft opening phase and will open fully to the public sometime during the second week of March, 2010. We are still in the process of hiring servers and bartenders. We are also getting our food and beverage service down first and making sure things run smoothly so diners will have the best experience possible. Koifusion@1 will be open from 4PM to 12AM, every Tues-Sat. We plan on serving lunch and developing a happy hour menu in late April.
You can also keep up with the mobile taco truck via its Twitter account @Koifusionpdx.
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