I've noticed a certain Polynesian-Korean flavor creeping into the local dining scene in the past year or so.
I've reviewed island-influenced eateries in Utah and Salt Lake counties, as well as a new Korean restaurant in Salt Lake City. It's also hard not to notice the unique flavors of Hawaiian food popping up on the menus of more mainstream restaurants. If I were a trend-watcher, I'd say that Polynesian and Korean are the new Thai.
And now comes Mashita Korean Bar-B-Q, a respectable and friendly addition to the trend.
Mainstays of Hawaiian eateries, such as chicken and pork katsu, are available at Mashita, and you can make them a plate lunch, since macaroni salad and rice are among the available side dishes. Heck, there's even a cooler of Hawaiian fruit drinks.
But Korean food this is, and quite good Korean, especially considering the speedy service. Mashita is halfway between fast food and a sit-down restaurant with servers, but we got lots of attention, including drink refills, from the cheerful women behind the counter.
My husband, always a teriyaki fan, had the teriyaki chicken bowl, lean and tender chicken breast sliced over rice and topped with sweet, subtly flavored sauce, along with crisp-tender carrots and broccoli. His only complaint was that the bowl was too small to completely fill him up, but at $4.99 a pop they're cheap enough that maybe he can get a second one next time.
Our oldest daughter had the kids' version of the teriyaki bowl, minus the veggies but with plenty of chicken cut into easy-to-eat chunks, a nice touch. The other kids had chicken nuggets and rice.
I had one of the combination plates, the Mashita special. This very satisfying meal featured kal bi (charbroiled marinated short ribs), meat jun (thin-sliced marinated beef fried in an eggy batter) and spicy grilled chicken, as well as a scoop of rice, a mound of chunky potatoes and four sides.
Let's get the bad news out of the way first: I wasn't wild about the kal bi. It had a nice charred, sweet-smoky flavor and was moist, but it was a bit too fatty for me. I think, though, that the problem I'm describing is characteristic of short ribs. If you don't mind a little fat, you'll probably like it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the meat jun, with its slightly sweetened meat and crispy breading, and the spicy chicken, which was thoroughly covered with complex seasonings but not so spicy that it was hard to eat. Both of these main dishes were poached off my plate by the husband and kids.
The sides were wonderful. The steamy rice was great, scooped up with the meat or dipped in sauce, and the savory and substantial potatoes had been cooked with more sauce. I also had dollops of spicy-sour kimchee, shredded marinated daikon radish, cool seasoned shredded potatoes and green salad with sesame-ginger dressing. And plunked down in the middle of the plate was the perfect finishing touch: a plump, meaty little man doo, the crispy Korean version of potstickers.
Barbecue, mixed and combination plates $5.99-$7.49, mini plates $4.29-$4.99, specialties $4.99-$5.49, sandwich combos and salads $4.49, sides 79 cents-$1.19, kids' meals $2.99.
Rating: ** 1/2
Where: 760 E. Fort Union Blvd., Midvale
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Closed Sunday
Payment: No checks accepted
Phone: 562-5445
Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret Morning News. E-mail: skratz@desnews.com