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Jin Soo Korean BBQ - Niles

Jin Soo Korean BBQ - Niles
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  • Jin Soo Korean BBQ - Niles

    Post #1 - January 26th, 2025, 10:11 pm
    Post #1 - January 26th, 2025, 10:11 pm Post #1 - January 26th, 2025, 10:11 pm
    Last May, I started a thread here for 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House, an excellent Korean barbecue place in Niles. As far as I can tell, not a single person took my recommendation and gave it a shot. Your loss.

    Or perhaps some of you were thinking, "sure that looks great, but I'd rather wait for an even better Korean BBQ place to open in Niles." For anyone who fell into that camp, today is your lucky day.

    Jin Soo Korean BBQ is, as far as I know, the best place for Korean barbecue in Chicago. Just make sure you go with at least 2 other people so ordering is easy.

    For $50/person (minimum of 3 people), you get ribeye steaks, four different cuts of short rib, and some brisket at the end. On top of that, you get some top-notch ban-chan, an egg souffle, your choice of kimchi-jjigae or doenjang-jjigae, and a salad with housemade ssam-jang. You also get what they call volcano fried rice, which comes out as a mountain-shaped pile of seasoned yellow rice that is then cooked with egg on the table and pressed into the pan to ensure some crispy bits. I was absolutely stuffed before the meal was over but if they'd put more in front of us, I'd have kept eating.

    There was one dud - the bibim-naengmyeon had virtually no heat at all.

    Oh, and don't worry about your cooking skills. They are very hands on when it comes to cooking the meat. On occasion, there were long breaks so we took charge but never for long.

    Some pics:

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    Jin Soo Korean BBQ
    Dempster Plaza
    8788 W Dempster St, Niles
    (847) 376-8558
    jinsookoreanbbq.com
  • Post #2 - January 26th, 2025, 11:16 pm
    Post #2 - January 26th, 2025, 11:16 pm Post #2 - January 26th, 2025, 11:16 pm
    MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:Last May, I started a thread here for 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House, an excellent Korean barbecue place in Niles. As far as I can tell, not a single person took my recommendation and gave it a shot. Your loss.

    I am sure they have, but it sure would be great if they would comment. I have seen standalone posts responded to years later. There are plenty of lurkers who come here for dining ideas.

    In the past, these kinds of places were visited because someone set up a dinner. There seems to be some reticence to do this. Yes, I am just as guilty for perhaps not doing my share.

    How does 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House rank compared to Jin Soo Korean BBQ?

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    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,
  • Post #3 - January 27th, 2025, 12:33 am
    Post #3 - January 27th, 2025, 12:33 am Post #3 - January 27th, 2025, 12:33 am
    Thank you for starting this thread! We were there last Saturday, table of four, and loved it. It was a huge amount of food, and we also couldn't stop eating because it was all so different from each other and so good.

    Note, beer and soju are the only alcohol served. BYOB is not allowed, which was initially disappointing, but after seeing how busy the staff is and how much movement there is on the tables, with multiple courses and dishes, and at least two exchanges of our cooktop, I can see that this would be way too chaotic.

    With its Niles address, we did not realize until we arrived that Jin Soo is directly across the street from Lutheran General Hospital, where my spouse worked for years, which has a Park Ridge address. For additional reference, Jin Soo is in the same strip mall as Greenwood Deli-New York Bagels & Bialy, and shares a parking lot with a Portillo's.
  • Post #4 - January 27th, 2025, 5:16 am
    Post #4 - January 27th, 2025, 5:16 am Post #4 - January 27th, 2025, 5:16 am
    Is the cooking done over gas or charcoal?
    I have even seem a place that uses gas but adds a few coals!
    40 years ago the Korean restaurant we went to in Chicago served the hottest and most extreme garlic food we had ever had. We ordered two soups and two main dishes not realizing that each was main meal. The diner table was overflowing with Banchan!
    We got a six pack from down the street and drank that in about 20 minutes.
    We both were queasy driving home.
    But a lot changes in 40 years and now I find I have to try to explain to a restaurant owner that we want original cuisine and not a dulled down version for Westerners.
    And even then we don’t get the real thing most times!
    -Richard
  • Post #5 - January 27th, 2025, 11:04 am
    Post #5 - January 27th, 2025, 11:04 am Post #5 - January 27th, 2025, 11:04 am
    I can vouch for this place as well. As much as I liked the meats, I think the thing I liked best was the fried rice. I also really loved the salad. On the other hand, the banchan were ok, and I though a little limited given the generosity with everything else. Finally, also really enjoyed the condiments they gave for the meat, especially one that really struck me as chimichuri.
    Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.
  • Post #6 - January 27th, 2025, 12:13 pm
    Post #6 - January 27th, 2025, 12:13 pm Post #6 - January 27th, 2025, 12:13 pm
    Vital Information wrote:I can vouch for this place as well. As much as I liked the meats, I think the thing I liked best was the fried rice. I also really loved the salad. On the other hand, the banchan were ok, and I though a little limited given the generosity with everything else. Finally, also really enjoyed the condiments they gave for the meat, especially one that really struck me as chimichuri.


    My experience in most Korean joints has been that banchan selections are limited to a handful of items. I know part of the draw at a place like San Soo gab san and Cho sun ok is the banchan, but that's now very atypical.
  • Post #7 - January 27th, 2025, 1:08 pm
    Post #7 - January 27th, 2025, 1:08 pm Post #7 - January 27th, 2025, 1:08 pm
    Perhaps the moderators would like to combine MCH's post of May 2024 on 336 with my post of February 2024 regarding that restaurant. https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=592888
    "I live on good soup, not on fine words." -Moliere
  • Post #8 - January 27th, 2025, 1:18 pm
    Post #8 - January 27th, 2025, 1:18 pm Post #8 - January 27th, 2025, 1:18 pm
    bw77 wrote:Perhaps the moderators would like to combine MCH's post of May 2024 on 336 with my post of February 2024 regarding that restaurant. https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=592888

    Done -- thanks for the heads up. I'm usually pretty tuned into those but I missed that one.

    New thread here: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=47187

    =R=
    for the Mods
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #9 - January 27th, 2025, 1:25 pm
    Post #9 - January 27th, 2025, 1:25 pm Post #9 - January 27th, 2025, 1:25 pm
    Jin Soo Sung Chan is the name of the group dinner referred to in the first post above. This is the top item on the Jin Soo menu. We've had this as well and we enjoyed it from start to finish. The quality of the meat seems very high here and as mentioned above, the dipping sauces are excellent and interesting as well.

    We had lunch at Jin Soo on Friday and found that to be excellent as well. I had the Chadol Doenjang Jjigae which is a brisket soup. It is listed on the menu without a hot pepper symbol, but I was glad that, in fact, it did bring some heat. The brisket was tender and the broth was very flavorful. I enjoyed this bowl. My wife had the Jeyuk Bokkeum which is a stir fried pork dish. This again was very tasty. I had a few bites and I expected it to be a bit sweet from the looks of the sauce but, thankfully it was not. Very concentrated sesame flavor in this dish.
    "I live on good soup, not on fine words." -Moliere
  • Post #10 - January 28th, 2025, 4:01 am
    Post #10 - January 28th, 2025, 4:01 am Post #10 - January 28th, 2025, 4:01 am
    How does 336 Korean Wet Aging BBQ House rank compared to Jin Soo Korean BBQ?

    Thanks!

    Cathy2
    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,
  • Post #11 - January 28th, 2025, 9:57 am
    Post #11 - January 28th, 2025, 9:57 am Post #11 - January 28th, 2025, 9:57 am
    Cathy,

    I'd have a hard time giving you an accurate comparison because I have not been to both places in a reasonably contemporaneous timeframe.

    We thought 336 was very, very good. The meat appears to be of very high quality. They are clearly pushing out the fact that they do wet aging, and that they use Berkshire pork. I enjoyed everything we had there except for the pork which was marinated in the herb garlic butter. It actually was tasty but just was not what we went to a Korean restaurant to have. We really enjoyed the pork jowl, the pork shoulder and the marinated short rib. I don't think that wet aging is a very complicated process. My understanding is that it is not comparable to dry aging, but I suspect you know more about this than me. I can say that the meat was very tender, so I would think it did benefit from the aging process.

    The quality of the meat was very high at Jin Soo as well. I think we enjoyed everything we were served there. I don't think that you can beat their Sung Chan dinner for variety, quality and price. If someone wanted to go to one place and not the other, I would recommend doing the Sung Chan diner at Jin Soo with a small group.

    We have a friend who grew up in Jeonju, which is, among other attractions, a traditional foodie Mecca in Korea. We took her to 336 because she hadn't been there before. She enjoyed it very much. In return, several months later, she took us to Jin Soo which we were not yet aware of. I believe she preferred Jin Soo.

    Brian
    "I live on good soup, not on fine words." -Moliere
  • Post #12 - January 28th, 2025, 11:59 pm
    Post #12 - January 28th, 2025, 11:59 pm Post #12 - January 28th, 2025, 11:59 pm
    I am also curious if they use charcoal or gas grills.

    My go to for Korean bbq is San Soo Gap San in the city because it’s the only place I know of that still uses only lump charcoal.


    I felt their now shuttered Morton Grove location was not as good as the original because they used gas grills with a few charcoal briquettes that never impart enough flavor.
  • Post #13 - January 29th, 2025, 4:40 am
    Post #13 - January 29th, 2025, 4:40 am Post #13 - January 29th, 2025, 4:40 am
    I agree 100% with 'pacent'!!!
    -Richard
  • Post #14 - January 29th, 2025, 8:10 am
    Post #14 - January 29th, 2025, 8:10 am Post #14 - January 29th, 2025, 8:10 am
    Love the love that ssgs continues to get but we'll have to disagree

    Ive been going to ssgs since I was a kid and it's probably helped introduce Korean cuisine to more folks in Chicago than any other establishment. But I personally don't think it's no longer very good, and low on my list of places for any type of Korean food.
  • Post #15 - January 29th, 2025, 8:37 am
    Post #15 - January 29th, 2025, 8:37 am Post #15 - January 29th, 2025, 8:37 am
    WhyBeeSea wrote:Love the love that ssgs continues to get but we'll have to disagree

    Ive been going to ssgs since I was a kid and it's probably helped introduce Korean cuisine to more folks in Chicago than any other establishment. But I personally don't think it's no longer very good, and low on my list of places for any type of Korean food.
    Agree 100%. Well, 90%. Based on my last visit, "no longer very good" is extremely generous.

    Jin Soo uses gas and not charcoal. Since KBBQ isn't smoking meat or even cooking a thick steak, but is cooking relatively thin pieces of meat on a grill with no lid (so nothing keeps the smoke in contact with the meat), I think the difference between the two cooking methods is overblown.
  • Post #16 - January 29th, 2025, 9:24 am
    Post #16 - January 29th, 2025, 9:24 am Post #16 - January 29th, 2025, 9:24 am
    pacent wrote:I felt their now shuttered Morton Grove location was not as good as the original because they used gas grills with a few charcoal briquettes that never impart enough flavor.

    It is now an Aldi.
    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,
  • Post #17 - January 29th, 2025, 10:22 am
    Post #17 - January 29th, 2025, 10:22 am Post #17 - January 29th, 2025, 10:22 am
    MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:
    WhyBeeSea wrote:Love the love that ssgs continues to get but we'll have to disagree

    Ive been going to ssgs since I was a kid and it's probably helped introduce Korean cuisine to more folks in Chicago than any other establishment. But I personally don't think it's no longer very good, and low on my list of places for any type of Korean food.
    Agree 100%. Well, 90%. Based on my last visit, "no longer very good" is extremely generous.

    Jin Soo uses gas and not charcoal. Since KBBQ isn't smoking meat or even cooking a thick steak, but is cooking relatively thin pieces of meat on a grill with no lid (so nothing keeps the smoke in contact with the meat), I think the difference between the two cooking methods is overblown.


    Ha. I was trying to be nice and I'm totally with ya! :)
  • Post #18 - January 29th, 2025, 12:23 pm
    Post #18 - January 29th, 2025, 12:23 pm Post #18 - January 29th, 2025, 12:23 pm
    WhyBeeSea wrote:
    MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:
    WhyBeeSea wrote:Love the love that ssgs continues to get but we'll have to disagree

    Ive been going to ssgs since I was a kid and it's probably helped introduce Korean cuisine to more folks in Chicago than any other establishment. But I personally don't think it's no longer very good, and low on my list of places for any type of Korean food.
    Agree 100%. Well, 90%. Based on my last visit, "no longer very good" is extremely generous.

    Jin Soo uses gas and not charcoal. Since KBBQ isn't smoking meat or even cooking a thick steak, but is cooking relatively thin pieces of meat on a grill with no lid (so nothing keeps the smoke in contact with the meat), I think the difference between the two cooking methods is overblown.


    Ha. I was trying to be nice and I'm totally with ya! :)

    Gotta respectfully disagree with both of you. I'm eager to try this place but try the methods side by side. The difference between charcoal and gas is profound.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #19 - January 29th, 2025, 12:42 pm
    Post #19 - January 29th, 2025, 12:42 pm Post #19 - January 29th, 2025, 12:42 pm
    Woo Chun still uses charcoal. 5744 N. California.
    "I live on good soup, not on fine words." -Moliere
  • Post #20 - January 29th, 2025, 12:56 pm
    Post #20 - January 29th, 2025, 12:56 pm Post #20 - January 29th, 2025, 12:56 pm
    bw77 wrote:Woo Chun still uses charcoal. 5744 N. California.

    Yeah, very few places do. SSGS on Western still does, too. It's not a deal-breaker for me but I also like to set my expectations appropriately.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #21 - January 29th, 2025, 4:52 pm
    Post #21 - January 29th, 2025, 4:52 pm Post #21 - January 29th, 2025, 4:52 pm
    It is a deal breaker for me, even the places that use a few coals with gas are not the same as all charcoal.
    In Korea they use compressed coal cylinders for heat and cooking in many areas because the infrastructure is so old and primitive.
    I have cooked over a coal fired pot belly stove we used in a cabin on an island in the middle of Land o' Lakes Wisconsin. The stove supplied the only heat for the cabin in particular a few winter days we were skiing and the nights got down to -45F. The coal fired stove kept us alive. Indian Head was not running the chair lifts. We purchased one time run ticket and I was designated to try a run and see if it was skiable which it was not.
    There are a few burger places in Wisconsin that still use charcoal and the flavor imparted is distinctive.
    If you grew up with that charcoal flavor profile then cooking over gas or electricity loses a whole dimension to the flavor profile.
    -Richard
    BTW, I am using a new MAC Mini and Safari has no problems accessing the LTH website as I had with my iPad.
    The MAC Mini screams with a TB of SSD and 16GB of Ram. Hooked up to an Apple/LG 4K 34" monitor, the real estate for tiling is huge.

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