Farewell, Bulgogi

Sad to see Fat Cat Cafe didn't make it. Saw they were closed, passingly on the trolley.

This location, 819 C Street, between 8th and 9th, has been the graveyard of one eatery after another. What I'll miss most about Fat Cat is Esther, the unstoppable Korean lady and her husband Danny. They came here to San Diego to give their special needs daughter the best care and education. They took a chance on making a go of this place.

The other thing I'll miss: Esther's “Bulgogi," Korean style marinated beef. The word means "fire meat" in Korean.

For $6.95, you got a nice pile of beef steaming with aromas of its marinations of soy, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, ginger, apples, onions, garlic, ginger.

And the kicker was Esther’s own hot sauce, a combo of South America (she grew up in Argentina) and Korea (she was born in Seoul) called "Gochujang," a mix of red chili, glutinous rice and fermented soybeans. Hot ain't the word for it.

I'll miss the burn. I'll miss their cheery waves, every time I walked past.