Forte Baden Baden (CLOSED)

Folks in the know pack this Koreatown hof (Korean for hoffsbrau or German beer bar) well into the morning to share platters of fried chicken and pitchers of beer. Bold dishes fill the menu: moist tofu with sizzling pork-studded kimchi, tasty cold sea-snail salad and thin slices of pig’s feet. But it’s the Baden Chicken that adorns most tables in this pubby, dim-lit spot. This bird is cooked in the rotisserie, then deep-fried to order, leaving an addictive crispy skin. The generous meal comes with caramelized garlic cloves, pickled daikon radish and fantastically crunchy french fries (choose them over the generic onion rings). Warning: With all the recent love, don’t be surprised if the Baden chicken is sold out.