Korean Food News

Meaty new Korean restaurant in Dallas' Koreatown fires up hotpots and fun

Joa's menu will center on meat.

Kathy Tran

There's a fun Korean restaurant in Dallas' Koreatown, now open in the former Nuri Grill space at 2254 Royal Ln. #100. Called Joa, with a subhead "Korean BBQ," it's from K Roy Restaurant Group, who also owned Nuri Grill, and represents their effort to forge a more approachable, fun, bright, more casual way to spotlight authentic traditional Korean food.

Joa means "I like it" in Korean.

Wan Kim of Restaurant K Roy Restaurant Group, who is also CEO of Smoothie King, says in a release that their goal is also to make diners feel like they've taken a trip to Korea.

"Joa will offer DFW locals authentic traditional Korean food, made by the same Michelin chefs from Korea and the same team that brought DFW Nuri Grill and is planning to bring Nuri Steakhouse to Uptown next year," he says.

The menu centers on meats including beef, pork, shrimp, and lamb, as well as hot pots, also known as hotpots no space between hot and pots, with soups, stews, fried rice, cold noodles, hot noodles, and sides.

Appetizers include Fried Galbi (traditional pan-fried marinated Galbi with Korean shredded perilla leaves wraps), Beef Tukbokki (rice cake sauteed in spicy red chili, beef, and pepper sauce); Oysters from Canada with house vinaigrette; and Yuk Hoe - raw sesame marinated beef tartare seasoned with garlic and soy.

Meat options require a bulleted list:

Flower Galbisal - prime boneless short rib
Ribeye - Black Angus ribeye
Marinated Galbi - Black Angus smoked beef short rib
Salted Neuggansal - Black Angus, salt, garlic and sesame oil seasoned rib finger
Porterhouse for two
Duroc Pork Belly
Hangjeongsal - pork jowl
Rack of Lamb

Meat selections are served with kimchi radish, napa cabbage & green onion, potato salad, green onion salad, pickled vegetables, beef & radish soup, chilled cucumber soup, and steamed rice.

Other dishes, also meaty, include:

Mountain Bulgogi Hot Pot for two, spicy or mild, with bulgogi beef, glass noodles, and mushroom in beef broth
Beef Doenjang Jiggae featuring soybean paste, tofu, beef, squash, mushroom, and onion
Pork Gochujang Jiggae - vegetable and pork in red chili paste stew
Kimchi Fried Rice - radish kimchi and beef fried rice
Mini Bibim Naengmyun - chilled buckwheat noodles in spicy sauce
Steak Noodles - stir fried noodles, beef and black bean paste

Beverages include Korean Soju, sake, bottled beer including popular Asian beers, cocktails, and an impressive wine and Japanese whiskey collection. Standout cocktails include Ultimate Pink Martini with vodka, cranberry juice, peach schnapps, and lime; Whiskey Sour Crush with whiskey, sweet & sour, and Coke; and a Yuzu Mojito with Yuzuri liqueur, lime, mint, club soda, and Sprite.

Though their goal is to create a playful, casual atmosphere, it's still a full-service dining experience and still features two Michelin chefs.

Those include chef Minji Kim, who founded Min's Kitchen, a renowned restaurant in Seoul, Korea which she owned from 2007 until 2020, when she and her husband and fellow chef Ben Lee moved to Dallas to work on Nuri Grill. Lee was executive chef at Min’s Kitchen and created recipes that influenced modern Korean fusion cuisine. There are currently four locations of Min's Kitchen, run by Kim’s sister.

Wan Kim is a native of Korea who opened the first Smoothie King franchise in Korea. He eventually acquired Smoothie King, and made Dallas its corporate headquarters in 2018.

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat, plus five grandsons and two granddaughters. . According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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