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Impromptu Evanston lunch - JK Sweets, 4/10 @ 12:30

Impromptu Evanston lunch - JK Sweets, 4/10 @ 12:30
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  • Impromptu Evanston lunch - JK Sweets, 4/10 @ 12:30

    Post #1 - April 9th, 2008, 9:21 am
    Post #1 - April 9th, 2008, 9:21 am Post #1 - April 9th, 2008, 9:21 am
    There was some chatter in the North Shore Korean thread about JK Sweets, Evanston's unique Korean-sandwich-ice cream-coffee shop and more location. Mhays thought it was a good time to return for a visit now that it's under new management and I couldn't agree more. (Granted, I've been there since it's changed ownership, but I'm not picky.)

    Sorry for the short notice. Hope to see others tomorow, 4/10 @ 12:30.

    JK Sweets
    720 1/2 Clark Street
    Evanston
    Last edited by ChgoMike on April 9th, 2008, 9:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
    Did you know there is an LTHforum Flickr group? I just found it...
  • Post #2 - April 9th, 2008, 9:22 am
    Post #2 - April 9th, 2008, 9:22 am Post #2 - April 9th, 2008, 9:22 am
    I'll try to make it.
  • Post #3 - April 9th, 2008, 9:23 am
    Post #3 - April 9th, 2008, 9:23 am Post #3 - April 9th, 2008, 9:23 am
    And, of course, I'm in!
  • Post #4 - April 9th, 2008, 9:32 am
    Post #4 - April 9th, 2008, 9:32 am Post #4 - April 9th, 2008, 9:32 am
    Thanks, ChgoMike, for organizing this. I haven't been to JK Sweets since I was a college student. I'll be there tomorrow.

    Sharon
  • Post #5 - April 9th, 2008, 9:41 am
    Post #5 - April 9th, 2008, 9:41 am Post #5 - April 9th, 2008, 9:41 am
    I can be there too! Haven't been there since grad school either...

    Sharona
  • Post #6 - April 9th, 2008, 11:22 am
    Post #6 - April 9th, 2008, 11:22 am Post #6 - April 9th, 2008, 11:22 am
    I will try to be there also!
    "Life is a combination of magic and pasta." -- Federico Fellini

    "You're not going to like it in Chicago. The wind comes howling in from the lake. And there's practically no opera season at all--and the Lord only knows whether they've ever heard of lobster Newburg." --Charles Foster Kane, Citizen Kane.
  • Post #7 - April 9th, 2008, 3:35 pm
    Post #7 - April 9th, 2008, 3:35 pm Post #7 - April 9th, 2008, 3:35 pm
    i'll try to as well
  • Post #8 - April 9th, 2008, 4:36 pm
    Post #8 - April 9th, 2008, 4:36 pm Post #8 - April 9th, 2008, 4:36 pm
    If the car is back from Toyota,we will be there. Catherine and Robert ( Los Chapulines)
  • Post #9 - April 10th, 2008, 6:56 am
    Post #9 - April 10th, 2008, 6:56 am Post #9 - April 10th, 2008, 6:56 am
    I had to reschedule some students and I have to fight the edens--I don't think I'll be able to make it today :( Have fun!

    Sharona
  • Post #10 - April 10th, 2008, 3:23 pm
    Post #10 - April 10th, 2008, 3:23 pm Post #10 - April 10th, 2008, 3:23 pm
    I guess I'm not a serious LTHer. I've only been to three LTH-organized events in the past three days. I'll try harder. (Although someone else suggested I needed to attend LTH Anonymous. "Hello, my name's Tom, and I'm an LTH-aholic.")

    But today's was interesting. I'd been past JK Sweets many times. I noticed the display case of cakes and other pastries. I knew they served ice cream and frozen yogurt. What I didn't know, until pointed out by ChgoMike and MHays, is that JK Sweets is also a Korean restaurant. How many people would have guessed that from the name? Hands?

    Overall, my impression was the food was creditable, although the dishes labeled "spicy" were relatively mild; otherwise pretty good.

    Image
    Many of us started with the miso soup, chock full of green onions.

    Image
    As mentioned above, the Spicy Pork Bulgogi wasn't especially spicy, but it was still tasty.

    Image
    The Kalbi was maybe a bit chewier than I'd like, but was otherwise fine.

    Image
    The Bi Bim Bop was fine, but not revelatory.

    Image
    Spicy Chicken also wasn't very spicy. It was about 70% - 80% as good as the chicken last night at Honey 1.

    Image
    The Duk Bog Gi (not sure of spelling) was a dish I'd never had before - rolls of unleavened rice dough in a flavorful sauce. Reminded me very vaguely of a roll of gnocchi.

    Image
    Spicy Sesame Noodles are one of my favorite Asian noodle dishes. These had a nice texture, but again, I thought they were a bit lacking in both heat level and sesame flavor. (I wished I had a small bottle of toasted sesame oil to pour over them.)

    If I were in the neighborhood (part of the Northwestern campus is virtually across the street) it could be a nice lunch option. But clearly not a destination.

    Thanks to ChgoMike for organizing a fun afternoon.
  • Post #11 - April 10th, 2008, 4:04 pm
    Post #11 - April 10th, 2008, 4:04 pm Post #11 - April 10th, 2008, 4:04 pm
    Thanks again, Mike - it's fun to eat here because of the history I have with JK's...which apparently many of us share.

    The menu is much more extensive than I remember it being when I used to go before I was a Mom...so about 8 years ago was the last time I'd eaten here. IIRC, the menu had Bi beem bob, Udon, California rolls, and and one or two other dishes. I didn't pay any attention at all to the American menu, but it looks to have increased as well. I would say that I liked this version of Bi Beem Bap better than the one at the Evanston Grill.

    Yes - not a destination, but I'll probably stop by again sometime in the near future when we're downtown at lunchtime.
  • Post #12 - April 10th, 2008, 7:38 pm
    Post #12 - April 10th, 2008, 7:38 pm Post #12 - April 10th, 2008, 7:38 pm
    Agreed. I wish the "spicy" actually meant spicy, but it was nonetheless tasty.
    Did you know there is an LTHforum Flickr group? I just found it...
  • Post #13 - April 10th, 2008, 7:49 pm
    Post #13 - April 10th, 2008, 7:49 pm Post #13 - April 10th, 2008, 7:49 pm
    I should be more specific, here, since it goes a bit further in the non-spicy direction than one would expect - the spice levels were such that Sparky would eat it - he whose tolerance of capsaicin is equivalent to McCarthy's tolerance of Communism.

    Not to say the food was without flavor - just that the heat was notably, and almost completely, absent.
  • Post #14 - April 10th, 2008, 8:11 pm
    Post #14 - April 10th, 2008, 8:11 pm Post #14 - April 10th, 2008, 8:11 pm
    I'm wondering if they dumbed down the heat for the gringos ...
  • Post #15 - April 10th, 2008, 9:50 pm
    Post #15 - April 10th, 2008, 9:50 pm Post #15 - April 10th, 2008, 9:50 pm
    The gochujang they provide should have at least made the bibimbap spicy enough....
  • Post #16 - April 11th, 2008, 6:59 am
    Post #16 - April 11th, 2008, 6:59 am Post #16 - April 11th, 2008, 6:59 am
    nr706 wrote:The Bi Bim Bop was fine, but not revelatory.

    While on the topic of Evanston Bi Bim Bop: Laugh if you want, but I like the Bi Bim Bop at the Blind Faith Cafe a few blocks down the street on Dempster. In fact, I like it so much that every time we're there, even though I resolve to try something else, I only order that. (It's like me and the 49er flapjacks at Walker Bros.) The seitan in it is really, really tasty. The dish may even be fairly authentic; if it isn't, you couldn't prove it by me. And the red sauce they serve on the side makes it, well, not as hot as some of you might wish, but pretty hot.
  • Post #17 - April 11th, 2008, 7:53 am
    Post #17 - April 11th, 2008, 7:53 am Post #17 - April 11th, 2008, 7:53 am
    cilantro wrote:The gochujang they provide should have at least made the bibimbap spicy enough....


    IIRC, even this was less spicy than I'm used to - (meaning, perfect for me) I didn't have much, and it was in a house squeeze bottle, so I don't know what brand they used. Keep in mind, I generally don't like spicy foods, and I'm not trying to imply I didn't like the lunch - put it this way, with all the chains in downtown Evanston, JK is a solid option.

    If you love Korean and your dining companion is an extreme spicy-phobe, JK would be a gentle intro - but I'd arm myself with some Siracha.
  • Post #18 - April 11th, 2008, 9:02 am
    Post #18 - April 11th, 2008, 9:02 am Post #18 - April 11th, 2008, 9:02 am
    I missed the spiciness, too, (I doused the bi bim bop I ate at H Mart the night before the JK Sweets lunch with gochujang), but I would happily eat the chicken or the entree of rice cakes and dumplings again for a weekday lunch. Mike, thanks for getting me back to JK Sweets.
  • Post #19 - April 11th, 2008, 11:37 am
    Post #19 - April 11th, 2008, 11:37 am Post #19 - April 11th, 2008, 11:37 am
    I concur with the previously mentioned assessment of "tasty," as I thought all of the dishes we chose at JK Sweets were definitely that.

    I've eaten bi bim bop a couple of times in the past couple of months at the Evanston Grill, and I'd have to agree with MHays that the version at JK Sweets (although it had less meat than the EG version) was just a shade better. I couldn't identify exactly why, though. Maybe the ingredients seemed a little fresher?

    On the other hand, I remember the gochujang at the Evanston Grill (also served in a plastic squeeze bottle with no clue as to brand) as being much darker and having more of a bite to it. The stuff at JK Sweets was the color and consistency of ketchup--and not much spicier!

    All in all, the company and the food certainly made for a bright spot in an otherwise incredibly dreary day! Thanks, Mike, for suggesting this.
    "Life is a combination of magic and pasta." -- Federico Fellini

    "You're not going to like it in Chicago. The wind comes howling in from the lake. And there's practically no opera season at all--and the Lord only knows whether they've ever heard of lobster Newburg." --Charles Foster Kane, Citizen Kane.
  • Post #20 - April 11th, 2008, 1:59 pm
    Post #20 - April 11th, 2008, 1:59 pm Post #20 - April 11th, 2008, 1:59 pm
    Let us add our thanks as well, Mike! This was a great idea for a rainy Thursday. We are certainly not spice averse, but we agree that the food was tasty. And who can complain about the price? For the money, it is a very good option for a quick lunch.
    Robert

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