There are two things that tell you, as soon as you sit down, that this is an authentic Korean barbecue: first, the waitress, without asking, immediately slaps about 90 little dishes of kimchee down on the table; and second, the place has shelves full of Chivas Regal.
But you're not here for the kimchee, some of which is mild and most of which is blazingly hot, or even (I presume) for the Chivas Regal: you're here for the barbecue. So are a lot of other people; this dark, smoky restaurant is popular at night with Korean businessmen and whole families. A lot of Korean BBQs have grills set in each table; but, while most L.A. places have gas grills, Soot Bull Jeep offers real charcoal.
The waitress lights the coals, and they'll be going strong by the time you've decided what you'll have for dinner. The waitress brings plates full of raw meat, much of it dripping in marinade. It's mostly up to you to plop it on the grill, turn it over, and move it to the edge before it gets too burnt. (Note to you nice-guy, sensitive-guy types: equality is nice and all, but your date does not really want you to let her do it.) The waitress will check up on you, cut the meat with scissors, keep the coals burning strong, scatter ice chips on the grill if they get too warm, and genuinely try to keep you from screwing up too badly.
You'll probably screw up anyway, she will scrape your burnt little failures off the grill, but the bulk of the meat will be delicious, juicy and tender; the deep marinade and charcoal smoke combining to explode in your mouth with intense flavor. You unselfishly divide it amongst yourself and your friends, who dip it in a soy-based dipping sauce, wrap it in a lettuce leaf, or smush it up with a mouthful of rice.
As for the meat, marinated spencer steak is my favorite, but also the most expensive. The short ribs and marinated pork loin are great too. My friends, especially my Korean friends, like the eel, which is greasy and sweet and looks like long thin hotdogs split down the middle. Uh, it's not for me.
It's easy at this place to order more meat than you can really eat, and wind up with a bigger bill than you expected, so pay attention to what you're ordering.