DINNER AND A SHOW

MOA Korean BBQ & Bar serves an upscale grill-at-your-table experience

- TAYLOR BOWLER

THE FIRST THING YOU’LL NOTICE when you walk into MOA Korean Barbecue & Bar is the high-definition TV on your way to the hostess stand. Its heat sensor clocks the temperature of everyone who enters. Owner Sean Kim modeled it after the technology many businesses and restaurants in South Korea have employed to slow the spread of coronavirus.

If your temperature is below 100.4 degrees, the hostess will seat you. You’ll pass a sleek bar with blue velvet-covered bar stools in front and a display of more than 600 wine bottles in back. Above the bar, a second-floor mezzanine with an additional wine display overlooks the dining room. There’s a mix of leather booths, four-top tables, and longer tables with grills in the center—plus two private dining rooms and four additional tables on the patio. The interior is dark brown with pops of royal blue, and brass light fixtures hang from the lofty ceiling. This isn’t a trip to Benihana; think sleek uptown steakhouse-meets-authentic Korean cuisine.