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Roving Korean/Oregon fusion taco truck Koifusion, run by the charming and seemingly omnipresent (at least on the Twitter) Bo Kwon, announced today their official plans, wondered about for a while, for their expansion from food cart world into standalone world, specifically the spot on Lovejoy and 13th formerly known as Night at the Roxbury-worthy dance club SOLO. Big change, no? Let's hear it from Kwon:
It's a big departure from SOLO's booming music nightclub ambiance, and is more of a nice neighborhood place that's laid-back, casual and comfortable. You know, more like something you might find in the neighborhoods of Seoul or Tokyo.Joe Anderson, formerly of recently-shuttered Carlyle, will be taking over the kitchen, which'll be turning out the same K-Tacos as the truck, and more.
The biggest surprise though is that Koifusion@1 will also be the only place in Oregon serving KFC - Korean Fried Chicken. This spicy, crunchy fried chicken in a tangy sauce has a cult following in places such as New York City and Los Angeles, with specific restaurants dedicated to the dish and even several fan websites. The LA Weekly called KFC, "an evolutionary leap forward — marinated in a cabinet full of spices, saturated with garlic, double-fried to a shattering, thin-skinned snap." It's off the hook addictive and we are excited to bring Korean Fried Chicken to Portland.Bonus business insight: turns out the "@" isn't a cute little post-Neuromancer-style misplaced reference, but rather a marker of the "innovative business formula" going on here. Turns out, Kwon isn't taking over ownership, just daily operations. As he puts it: "Studio 1 does the drinks, Koifusion does the food. It's a win-win situation." (That means no loans, no permitting processes, no OLCC drama.)
They're in soft open until sometime next week, when they go into their full 4pm-midnight scheduled. Lunch coming sometime in April.
In the meantime, reports, rumors, gossip, and speculation as to the translatability of tacos from truck to permanence welcomed, wanted, and needed.
·Koifused About Studio 1 [EaterPDX]
·Koifusion Opening Downtown[EaterPDX]
·Carlyle Owner Bruce Goldberg on Last Rites and Next Steps [EaterPDX]
·Koifusion [Official Site]
