Korean food forces a three-pronged assault on the palate: spicy, sweet and salty. The variations are endless, and they're poised to perform a siren's song in your culinary memory.
I say this with unabashed partisanship, having a Korean grandmother who painstakingly prepares feasts that cover every square inch of her table. These dinners are often accompanied by her refrain of "Eat, eat" - more an order than a suggestion. I have packed myself to the gills on every major holiday since childhood, only to go home wishing I could have eaten more. Where can you get this same mouth-watering, trouser-busting experience in Chicago? The most popular area seems to be on the outskirts of Albany Park, a neighborhood located around the intersection of Lawrence and Kedzie. The area has been going through a period of economic renewal, beginning back in the mid-1970s, when entrepreneurial Korean immigrants began buying storefronts along Lawrence. Between the north branch of the Chicago River and Central Park, the street has been officially renamed Seoul Boulevard. The neighborhood remains ethnically diverse, and there are still a variety of languages spoken on the street, but many of the store signs are written in Hangul, the Korean script.
In addition to revitalizing the Northwest Side with a variety of small, family-owned businesses, Korean immigrants have brought a wealth of taste sensations to Chicago. A typical Korean meal offers an array of small plates showcasing choice morsels of marinated vegetables, pickled and spicy radishes, seaweed or fish cakes. Entreés commonly include grilled meats, hearty soups, egg-battered and pan-fried vegetables, seafood of all sorts and mixed-noodle dishes. All of these are eaten with large quantities of sticky, white rice, a counter-balance to the stronger flavors. Rice is the key component in this cuisine, and you can judge its importance in the culture's psyche by the ubiquitous presence of rice-makers in Korean households. Receiving a rice-maker is a common rite of passage, as they are given as marriage presents and packed in the suitcases of college-bound freshmen.
Locally, some of the most straightforward options for Korean food can be found at the 24-hour Korean Restaurant. The decor is nothing extraordinary, as the strictly utilitarian name suggests, but the service is friendly and the menu has a broad variety of entrées. Patrons drop in at any hour looking to be served their favorite dishes. Although the menu is written in Korean, each entrée is accompanied by an English description, and the servers are more than willing to offer suggestions. The meal arrives with an assortment of side dishes unnamed on the menu. The distinction between entrées and sides is foreign to the Korean table, since a main course is never served alone. The dinners at Korean Restaurant come with two types of Kim-chee, spicy pickled radish, dried anchovies in a sugary coating, mild white radish, spring onion pancakes with a dipping sauce, chewy bean-curd cake and stuffed cucumbers. Try the Bi-bim-bop, a bowl of rice, julienned vegetables, grilled meat and hot bean sauce. It is served in the Chonju-style, named for the southern province where it originates, in a heated stone bowl with a raw egg on top.
Another hidden gem of a restaurant is Gin Go Gae on Lincoln Avenue. Behind the modest facade waits a warm and friendly interior, the soothing celadon-and-soft-pink color scheme accented with traditional prints and large green plants. Portions here are hearty, so bring a ready appetite. The heat of Korean cuisine is illustrated in the spicy beef soup, a red-pepper-base soup that infuses shredded beef, clear noodles and chopped vegetables with sinus-clearing power. If you would like to sample a little of everything, your best bet is Bando restaurant on Lawrence. For a meager $5.95 on weekdays, you can try a buffet that boasts three soups, marinated meats, barbecued chicken wings, steamed vegetables soaked in various savory sauces and fresh melon for dessert.
(Jennifer Min)
- Korean Restaurant, 2659 West Lawrence, (773)878-2095
Gin Go Gae, 5433 North Lincoln, (773)334-3895
Bando Korean, 200 West Lawrence, (773)728-7400
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