Bi Bim Bap and Friends

One of the benefits of having a part Korean roommate is the great introduction that I received to Korean Food.  After Monica completed her dissertation (she's a doctor now..yaay!) her parents asked her where she wanted to go and she chose a cute Korean restaurant in Andersonville called Jin Ju (http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurants/jin-ju/).  The atmosphere is very dark as though they want complete focus on the meal and table in front of you, which could provide for a great romantic setting.  But that night we were actually one among a few other groups gathering for dinner

Because everyone was starving we decided to get a few appetizers to start us off before deciding on entrees.  I was appreciative of this as I was allowed to taste more foods that I wasn't quite sure I would like.  The barbeque pork option was an automatic hit, as it didn't taste too different from spare ribs that I could order from the southside except that it was marinated in a much sweeter sauce.  I tried to want the pancake like appetizer, but the scallions proved to be too much for me.  My favorite appetizer of the evening was actual the Kim Bap, which looked very much like a japanese sushi roll.  As I usually stick to california rolls, the taste of the beef within the roll was a great change of pace.

Daeji Kalbi barbeque pork spare ribs marinated in a spicy-sweet red pepper sauce served with sweet pickled onion

Pajun lightly fried scallion pancake served with a soy sauce vinaigrette dipping sauce

Kim Bap seaweed roll filled with rice, bulgogi, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, yellow pickled radish, fishcake and egg

During the entree selection Monica and her parents all ordered the Dol Sut Bi Bim Bap, which is regular Bi Bim Bap that is prepared in a sizzling hot stone that keeps the meal hotter for longer.  The rest of us tried to order different things so we could get a better feel of the menu.  In the end we ordered a fish, chicken, and beef entree.  The chicken entree was mine and I would definitely go back and order it again, the red pepper sauce gave the chicken just the right amount of flavor with a touch of spice.  But I also enjoyed picking the lettuce off Erica's beef entree.  She was in the mood for barbecue and her marinated short ribs seemed to fit the bill.  Everything is served with chopsticks, which I eventually managed well, but eating Brandi's tilapia with chopsticks proved to be a challenge and I think she ended up converting to a fork. 

Dol Sut Bi Bim Bap bi bim bap served in a sizzling hot stone pot with sesame oil. soybean paste soup served on the side

Domi lightly battered pan-fried tilapia fillet served with marinated eggplant, portobello mushrooms and baby carrots in a mild ginger-hot mustard soy sauce

Dak Bulgogi boneless chicken marinated and sauteed in a spicy red pepper sauce with onions, green chili peppers and scallions. served with pan-fried potatoes

Kalbi beef short ribs marinated in a sweet soy sauce grilled and served with a scallion and red leaf lettuce salad with a soy bean paste dressing



Sides

Overall it was a great meal with great company.  The ambiance is nice and the food is unique to the Chicago area Andersonville neighborhood. So if you're on the northside in search for Asian food, but Japanese doesn't quite seem to be what you want I'd highly recommend a stop at Jin Ju.

Will Paint for Food

So I spent Sunday afternoon helping my friends --the Beam sisters, paint their condo. And in return I knew that I would be fed.  The choices that were thrown out right away were thai or mediterranean. And honestly it didn't matter to me because I wouldn't know what to order from either place.  I haven't had thai food in many years and when I did go I ordered a shrimp fried rice, it's what I usually order at chinese food joints because I figured it was the safest way for me to go.  So when they noticed I didn't have an opinion either way they settled upon thai food.  And then they asked the dreaded question: what I would like to order?  Honestly, my issue with trying new foods is I never know where to start and sometimes having no starting place can be rather overwhelming.  So I told them I was open to trying anything.  The menu that they settled upon ended up being a tofu pad thai, yellow curry, and chicken fried rice.  Yes, I must say the idea of eating tofu definitely did not appeal to me, but I'm trying new things so of course I ate it.  The tofu wasn't as awful as I expected, it basically takes on the flavor of the foods it's prepared with, but I still wasn't a fan.  And I must admit, at 26, it was my first time having pad thai.  Would I order it again?  Probably not.  At least not on my own, but I'd definitely try more if there was a group consensus to order pad thai.  Surprisingly, I was a fan of the yellow curry, as long as I was able to avoid the huge chunks of onion. Ben's Noodle and Rice (http://702005883887882512.weebly.com/) is located on the north side and they have a pretty quick delivery service.  So if I ever find myself in Rogers Park area and in need of fast thai food, I would definitely keep it on my short list. 

The Menu

Yellow Curry

Pad Thai w/ Tofu

Fried Rice w/ Chicken

My Portion of it all..I tried a little bit of everything :)

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.