BellyQ

I'm writing this moments after returning from BellyQ, in a euphoric food high that has inspired me to, just this once, break from my focus on biz lunch reviews. Since biz was discussed with a powerfully fun and successful friend, I'm stretching to make this work within my Pen Name. Heck, who am I fooling? Just eat here. This place is a triumph of flavor. The sauces dazzle, the fresh ingredients melt in mouth, and the experience is seemingly over too fast. This former pickle factory and One-Sixty Blue location has a light, modern, eco-friendly vibe and facelift. The service is knowledgable and helpful. But this place is all about the food. If you like un-boring, Asian inspired meals, I really don't think it gets better than BellyQ.

I'm a huge fan of Belly Shack, so I knew this would be a special treat. The Kimchi itself is amazing, and we also had the Smoked Bacon and Kimchi Pancake, which had me in very happy place right off the bat. We also had the Thai-style Fried Chicken, and the Poached Shrimp with Red Thai Curry Sauce; everything was great! We could have had seconds of all, but we wanted to save ourselves for more. From there we tried the Tea-smoked Lamb Rib with Hoisin Rosemary sauce. It comes with Chinese Steamed Buns and makes a DECADENT lamb sandwich, if you're so inclined. We also had the Korean Short Rib and the BellyQ Beef (which was a favorite of mine) ...so good. The food was stellar, seriously, and the cocktails and tap wines kept us happy. This is a great new spot, and I can't wait to go back!

I'm an Urban Belly regular so when I heard of this new venture by Bill Kim, I anxiously awaited its opening. As I expected, I was not disappointed. The service and wait times could be improved (we waited until 9 PM for an 8 PM reservation for 3 people) but the food is definitely on point. BEST dish in my opinion was the BellyQ beef. You must try this! We had 4 or 5 other dishes, including one of the pancake dishes - I believe these change daily/weekly. Looking forward to going back and trying more of the menu! I would strongly advise making a reservation - this is def. a hot spot!