Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Korean Barbecue Tacos

"Until the city passes that food-truck ordinance, this is the closest you’ll get to Asian street food." -TimeOut Chicago

Read more: http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/restaurants-bars/88446/fall-restaurant-openings-fall-preview-2010#ixzz1C6gcvlVK


I started reading articles about the new Korean BBQ place coming to Chicago months ago.  My love of tacos and desire to try new foods meant this new place had my curiosity piqued.  I began following Del Seoul (http://www.delseoul.com/menu.php) on twitter to find out when they would open.  They opened in late October, but I just had the chance to dine in their fine establishment this past weekend with a few friends.  One of my friends was caught off guard because she didn't realize it was more fast food style than casual dining.  There are a few tables for people to sit, but on a Saturday night when we went, it appears a wait can be rather lengthy at times.  They seem to generate a majority of their business from people ordering food for take out/home.  I was set on trying to taste as many of the items with a check mark on the menu (their specialties) as I could.  I started off with the Kalbi, which is their grilled beef short rib taco.  And because I still love fries along with the fact that a Korean BBQ joint has fries on the menu (listed as Seasoned Gamja Fries), I definitely had to order them.  The fries arrived first and they were served with  "garlic-sesame aioli," which tasted very much like mayonnaise so I will definitely pass on the sauce in the future.  The taco was pretty good, but it came with much on top of it (cilantro-onion relish, chili-garlic "salsa" and a secret slaw are served on all of their tacos).  I tasted the taco in its entirety before I had to resort to pulling off some of the toppings, as one taco alone can be quite filling, and reassembling them with less toppings.  I enjoyed all the things I tasted (as you'll see in the pictures below), but next time I'll probably order one of the plates, because the tacos do not come with steamed rice which led to me having to "borrow" steamed rice from my companions' plates.


Seasoned Gamja Fries w/garlic-sesame aioli

Kalbi (Grilled Beef Short Rib Taco)

Seoul Style Street Dumplings
Bibimbop; my friend Monica orders this meal at other Korean restaurants and said she would definitely come back for it. It's pretty good and is eaten mixed together.  I actually ate a few forkfuls of this dish, while cautiously avoiding the bean sprouts.  For an extra dollar this dish can be served in a hot stone bowl which allows the food to stay warm for longer.

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