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I was guessing it was something like that, considering the very pointed absence of other condiments. Is the lack of salt typical? I've noticed this the last two times I had it.

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http://www.chicagonow.com/quips-travails-braised-oxtails
http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails.blogspot.com/

OK, I had a very pleasant meal at HWD tonight. As much as I liked the meats, as with my burger at Vie the other night, I found myself most liking a salad. Here, there was several leaves of lettuce, perhaps escarole, in a very spicy dressing that almost tasted Thai--I bet there's some fish in the dressing. Now, while I s'pose my eating preferences hold some small interest to the greater LTH audience, I post only to ask, does anyone have any idea the recipe for that dressing?

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Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

There's a classic soy-based dressing that I've had in Korean restaurants.

It contains soy (natch), rice vinegar, sesame oil and seeds, minced garlic, scallions, sugar and Korean chili powder (gochutkaru)... I suppose a variant on this could easily contain a bit of fish sauce.

The Korean name for fish sauce / anchovy extract sauce is Myeolchi jeotguk and it is quite commonly used in making kimchi, soups and stews. I believe it differs from Thai and Vietnamese fish sauces in that it is an active fermentation agent (helpful in the making of kimchi) while the fermentation in the Thai and Vietnamese types is halted prior to bottling.

Hope this helps.

Link to H-Mart gochutgaru:

http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_en ... 1898604403

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— Lyle Lovett

"How do you say 'Yum-o' in Swedish? Or is it Swiss? What do they speak in Switzerland?"- Rachel Ray

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

I just ran across this on Chicago Glutton, don't know if its been posted before, but it made me laugh and want to try this place. Be sure to watch the video.

http://www.chicagogluttons.com/the-grea ... ire-world/

Hilarious review and video, the best part was the conclusion: "In conclusion, San Soo Gap San is the greatest restaurant in the world. All other restaurants are bullshit in comparison. I love it so much. I am gay for it. I would marry it." LOL

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Fettuccine alfredo is mac and cheese for adults.

And having eaten there tonight for the millionth time.....clearly the best Korean BBQ in Chicago. Kang nam and Hae Woon Dae be damned!!!!!!!

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"By the fig, the olive..." Surat Al-Teen, Mecca 95:1"

Just in case some are curious (I was )...

The subject of the link and embedded video...

San Soo Gap San
5247 N. Western Ave, Chicago
(773) 334-1589

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

I'd have to agree that San Soo Gap San is the best in Chicago. My best friend is Korean and we've tried them all multiple times. Last time we ate there we agreed it was one of the best meals we've had in the past year.

I have Mexican friends who like Taco Bell and Italian friends who love Olive Garden, so I'm not sure being Korean necessarily carries any special weight in this particular context. That said, I really like SSGS but my favorite, by a narrow margin, is still Hae Woon Dae.

=R=

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Twitter: ronniesuburban

On my personal ranking, Kang Nam narrowly beats out SSGS for 2nd place. It's a nice town to live in where the third best Korean restaurant is as good as SSGS.

Best,
Michael

Indeed. We are blessed with great choices, and not just in the Korean category.

I really Kang Nam, too. And if I were in the mood for dolsot bibimbop (along with my BBQ), it would be my first choice.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

planning a visit to Hae Woon Dae next week with some out of town guests, and I have read upthread about a raw crab panchan... if they have it is it included with the other panchan, or do you have to request it?


thanks,

Looking forward to my first visit to Hae Woon dae after many trips to SSGS.

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I was there two Fridays ago for dinner and we were not offered the raw crab panchan, but we did not ask for it either.

The panchan can vary a bit from trip to trip, probably depending on what they have in house on any particular day. I'd call ahead and ask if they'll have the crab a day or two before you visit. (It'll help significantly if you speak Korean, or know someone who does.)

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thanks for the tip/info, I imagine we will just roll the dice.

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I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Terrific late lunch today at Hae Woon Dae. Hadn't been in a while, but this confirmed it's our favorite place for Korean. We tried the blueberry wine for the first time, a tasty accompaniment to the bulgogi and squid on the grill. No raw crab but we didn't ask. Their kimchee is superb, fermented and strong flavor without excessive heat. A wide range of panchan. I love the charcoal grill,the tables seem to have been set up for a gas grill but they retrofitted them for live coals,which make all the difference. The GNR is by the door, along with pictures of Gary and Cathy. What ever happened to the old 24 hour Korean Restaurant on Lawrence after they were torn down? Have they ever resurfaced?

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trpt2345

This is the thread that inspired me to drive to Chicago to try out Korean BBQ. Last week I sampled the delights of San Soo Gap San. With my sister and niece in tow, we giggled, grilled meat (rib eye and chicken), and tried all 20 panchan dishes. We also tried grilling some of the panchan. Was that an incorrect thing to do? We got this huge bowl of long slivers of green onion and whole garlic cloves. No one would eat it raw so we grilled it. We did ID a couple items in the panchan, and had a good guide as found on this really funny link http://www.chicagogluttons.com/the-grea ... ire-world/. We did wonder, however, what the clear gelatin like chunks were...it sort of tasted like fat. Answers? We were novices, and therefore expected nothing. Consequently we loved every moment. Next week I have to pick up another sister at O'Hare, and we are going to make a run for Hae Woon Dae. It will be Sunday, early afternoon. Their posted hours say they will be open, but you never know, especially the day after the 4th of July. I hope it works out, as I would really love to compare the two restaurants. Note: after my picky eater son looked at the link (as noted above) he decided Korean BBQ might just be a cool thing to do. So he is joining us on the Sunday trip. I noticed when I was in the neighborhood that there were a lot of businesses with Korean signage. Do they have any interesting Korean shops nearby? Thanks to all who have shared their Korean BBQ experiences on this thread. You are broadening the horizons for those of us who rarely get a chance to venture into the city!

My favorite Korean bbq place in the city right now is Solga on Lincoln Ave. I used to frequent San Soo Gap San, but I find Solga's food to be higher in quality (although pricier) and the service is friendlier, although it can be a bit spotty. They don't give you nearly as many pan chans as San Soo, but I find them tastier.

The raw crab is actually on the menu. I asked last time and they gave us a half order on the house. But we felt bad, so we left a larger tip to cover it!


WHAT?! Have I been replaced by Cathy? Sniff... sniff...


You usually put some green onions in the lettuce with the meat and bean paste. I like to add some rice to the mix. But I also like grilling the onions and the garlic...


I think that was the nokdumuk (mung bean jelly)

CrazyC,

The last time I checked, you are still pictured.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Yeah, but who's that weird guy in the pic manhandling the waitstaff?

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Chicago Craft Beer Week!

So I'm a total novice at korean bbq, I have no idea what I should order, how it works, etc...BUT from reading this thread, I definitely know I want to go to San Soo Gap San.

Can someone please help me out? I want the korean bbq, do you order a meat, do all the sides come with it? How much food is enough for two? What else should we try? Is SSGS BYOB? What are the hours during the week?

SOS!!!!!!

I''ve been to SSGS but never ordered grill items there. So just a few general tips from a fellow Korean LTH'er.

Usually I believe you should order at least 2 portions of kalbi (beef rib BBQ) for them to start the grill. If you order for just one, it comes out already cooked. If it's your first time, you should order kalbi which should run about $18-20 per person. Next time, you can try something different like bulgogi or pork. You don't have to order anything else.
All the side dishes (banchan)/condiments/rice come out as part of the meal.
If you want an appetizer, you can order haemoolpachun (seafood pancake) or kunmandoo (potstickers). They are usually crowd pleasers. If you weren't eating BBQ, you could try (gopdol) bibimbap (rice dish with diff vegies and spicy sauce). If you are a bit more adventurous, you can try various brothy dishes, anything that ends in -Tang (Kalbitang is soup with beef ribs, saengsun maewoontang is fish stew, etc).
Some people are fond of a particular side dish made out of raw crab and spicy sauce called Kaejang. This may be a separate order.

Hope this helps,

Hwa

I concur with everything einberliner said. It is not BYOB as far as I know....they serve alcohol there.

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Now I have experienced Hae Woon Dae (HWD) and can compare it to my initial try of Korean BBQ, as experienced at San Soo Gap San (SSGS). I think for the first time out SSGS is the way to go. There is a great WOW factor when they bring out about 25 bowls of panchan. After experiencing HWD, however, I've come to appreciate the quality and presentation of the meat to be grilled. At SSGS, they brought a whole rib eye to the table and chopped it up with a pair of scissors (rather large chunks, which was a problem with no knifes present at the table). At HWD, beautiful slices of portioned beef were presented artfully arranged on platters. The taste of the beef was outstanding. We also got shrimp (which was not well reviewed earlier in this thread). I'm no expert on shrimp, but this shrimp did not seem to be previously frozen. They were long, huge and clear buggers with all antenna and swimmers intact (one of my sisters cashed it in when the shrimp made it to the table. Good thing we had been served the beef first, and she was pretty much done eating anyway!). We got the steamed eggs...beautiful. However, the most appreciated dish was the seafood pancake. Really wonderful. Our service was outstanding. But then we were there at noon on Sunday, and had the place to ourselves. Our server could not have been more sweet and accommodating. She explained every panchan and guided us through our meal selections. Afterwards one of my sisters (in from Atlanta) said she wanted a bubble tea, so I drove down to Chinatown and we finished the day with bubble tea. I had a great time learning about Korean BBQ. I'm waiting for my eyes to be opened to a new eating experience through LTH!

Had a pleasant kalbi dinner at Kang Nam tonight with my husband. The restaurant was pretty empty on Sunday evening 7pm. We each ordered beef kalbi ($17.99/order). We were given a free appetizer of vegetable pancake. Not the most impressive, but certainly nice when you weren't expecting it. Then the array of banchan arrived. I was pretty happy with the way all of the kimchi tasted (my caliber for Korean restaurants). Some of the favorite banchan tonight was honeyed steam potato, stirred fried fish cake, vinegar seaweed salad. Then the meat tray with live coal came out. Well seasoned, mediocre quality cut, but adequate for the price. For rice, I was given a choice of white or multigrain. I chose for multigrain (red bean, black beans, rice, etc.) Another nice surprise was a small hot pot of dwanjang jigae (fermented bean stew) which was piping hot and nicely spicy.
Overall, it was a meal of good value. I looked at the rest of the menu and compared to SSGS, at least the non-bbq items seem to be cheaper as well. Service was adequately attentive, if not overly doting. I will definitely return not only for a convenient location for city dwellers like us, but for a good quality banchan and price.

been to San Soo with friends who go there all the time. Very diner-like, rude waitresses but it's a bit funny how bad they are. good food, i'd suggest it.

When my bride and I went to San Soo Gab San a few weeks ago we had the perfect experience. Our seats, the waitress, the meats (one chicken, one beef and one steak), the table full of panchan.

The waitress was even kind enough to show us how to take a green leaf, place some meat along with some of panchan to form a wrap of sorts.

We also followed the recommendation of having a bottle of the potato liquor (similar to vodka and served ice cold (Chum-Churum?)) and a pair of the OB beers. The booze, the swirling smoke, the crowd all digging in made for another perfect evening.

We were transported out of Chicago and to the streets of Seoul.

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

I've been to San Soo Gab San at least half a dozen times, and never had a rude waitress.

And yes, the food is good.