When you’re craving a sandwich made by someone else, KoKyu Na’Mean fills that need
You’ve tried several curbside takeout meals now, and you’ve had Chinese delivered more times than you can remember. You’re even — you can’t believe you would ever say this — burned out on pizza.
What you’re really craving is a sandwich. But not just any sandwich. And, after making something on the order of 10,000 PB&Js in the past two months, especially not a sandwich that you have to make yourself. No, you’re looking for something special, maybe a little exotic.
How does Korean fried chicken on a crusty baguette sound, complete with ssamjang (a spicy Korean barbecue sauce), romaine, pickled radish, quick pickles and gochujang mayo? You can get it at KoKyu Na’Mean, where the sandwich is called Pyongyang Hot Chicken. I scored one recently via curbside takeout, and it was just the ticket to spice up an otherwise drab shelter-in-place day.
KoKyu Na’Mean is a brick-and-mortar spinoff of the KoKyu BBQ food truck (which is no longer in service), tucked into a little strip mall near RTP. You can also get curbside takeout at a second location near Southpoint, called simply KoKyu, where you’ll find a street food-inspired menu that includes bowls, salads, tacos, and more — but no sandwiches.
Back at Kokyu Na’Mean, which describes itself as an “old school/new school sandwich joint,” the Milanesa also hit the spot. A Mexican outlier on a mostly Asian-inspired sandwich menu, the Milanesa features a crisp, lightly breaded pork cutlet buried beneath an avalanche of pickled onions, radishes, shredded iceberg lettuce, avocado and crumbles of cotija cheese.
These are substantial sandwiches, enough to make a meal on their own. And no, I didn’t eat both in a single siting. My wife and I split them. OK, maybe I got a slightly bigger half of each.
I also picked up a couple of bowls — the other half of KoKyu Na’Mean’s twin-bill offering — for the next day.
The Kobb salad was loaded with pork belly, avocado, hard-boiled egg, grape tomatoes, pickled onion, scallions, radishes, gorgonzola and a spicy togarashi Ranch dressing, piled onto a bed of chilled ramen and mixed greens (You can opt for either or both).
The Kobb is as good as it sounds, but it was the Tofu Yu bowl that served up a reminder to this carnivore that he shouldn’t be surprised anymore when a vegetarian dish turns out to be his favorite. And that’s just what Tofu Yu was: a vegetarian cornucopia of chile-marinated tofu, fresh edamame, cucumbers, kimchi, cabbage, cilantro, pickled onions, crispy shallots and an umami-laden Japanese relish called fukujinzuke.
The two meals — sandwiches one day, bowls the next — were well worth the 20-minute drive to Durham from my home. And the process, from online ordering, which includes thoughtful touches like the choice to opt out of the disposable utensils and napkins, to contact-free curbside pickup, was flawless.
I haven’t been to Kokyu at Southpoint since the onset of the pandemic, but in the past I’ve found the food there to be on a par with Na’Mean’s.
But I’m telling you, if you’re suffering from PB&J burnout, Na’Mean is just what the doctor ordered.
Takeout Tales
I’ve been inviting readers to share their restaurant delivery and curbside pickup and experiences. That invitation still stands. Just email me at ggcox55@gmail.com, with a description of your experience. I’ll publish as many as I can in this space.
Jose & Sons
Martha S. offers this praise for a popular Warehouse District restaurant:
We did contact-free curbside pickup at Jose & Sons. Our selections were gouda mac ’n queso, pollo al pastor, and pork quesadilla with a side of corn salad. The food was ready at the time I specified in the online order, and it was delicious. We ordered more than we could eat at one meal so that we could have leftovers the next day. Actually it lasted us two more days, supplemented by vegetables fixed at home.
Lisa R. would like to second that opinion:
We have tried to support local restaurants on a weekly basis during these uncertain times, and by far the best take out food and experience we have had is from Jose and Sons. You just call in you order, and then drive up and they put it right in your car. They also have very affordable and generous family meals. Their food does not taste like take out, and we always have leftovers for lunches the next day and sometimes add-ons for the next night’s dinner, like tortilla soup.
Note: Jose & Sons says it closed temporarily on May 15 for a staff break. Go to joseandsons.com for updates. Owners wrote on their website: “Friends your support through this period so far has been so very appreciated. It’s helped our staff continue to pay their bills and stay optimistic despite all the uncertainty we’re living in. With that said, we are giving our staff some time to breath and reorganize themselves.”
Acme Food & Beverage
Jim and Jane file their report from Carrboro:
We have enjoyed dining at Acme in Carrboro, so we decided to try takeout. A new menu is available on Wednesday for pick up Wednesday-Sunday, 4:45 p.m. - 8 p.m. The menu is extensive and includes many beverages. The order is placed at acmecarrboro.com and you can pay (including gratuity) by credit card.
You pull in the parking lot behind the building and call the restaurant. A person wearing gloves and mask will bring your order to your car. It all worked seamlessly. We tried five dishes, and they were all really good. I especially liked the gumbo. We felt it was definitely worth the 30-minute drive from downtown Raleigh. And after your review, we plan to visit Crawford & Son next week.
Note: Acme is also part of Carrboro United, a food hub that features meals to-go from several Carrboro and Chapel Hill restaurants three times a week. There is also meat, eggs and mushrooms from local farms, locally made ice cream and locally roasted coffee and other items.
KoKyu Na’Mean
4823 Meadow Drive, Durham
919-699-4667 or kokyubbq.com
KoKyu Southpoint
245 N.C. 54 East, Suite 105, Durham
919-251-9017 or kokyubbq.com
This story was originally published May 16, 2020 at 3:45 PM with the headline "When you’re craving a sandwich made by someone else, KoKyu Na’Mean fills that need."