Jin Ju Restaurant and Bar
This sleek uptown restaurant features modern decor---think exposed brick walls and globe lights---plus scrumptious Korean fare. The appetizers are so tasty you might want to order several of them for your meal. Try barbecued spare ribs marinated in pepper sauce, or mandoo---savory dumplings filled with beef or kim chee (pickled veggies). Another fun starter is the kim bap---a seaweed roll with rice and vegetables.
If you have room, order a soup entree such as yook gae jang, a spicy beef broth with meat, veggies and clear vermicelli noodles. You'll also find pan-fried tilapia with marinated eggplant, beef short ribs marinated in a red pepper sauce, and squid sauteed with chili peppers.
Jin Ju Restaurant and Bar
5203 N. Clark St.
Chicago, Illinois
(773) 334-6377
jinjuchicago.com
Cho Sun Ok Restaurant
Head to Cho Sun Ok for authentic Korean barbecue in a cozy setting. Savory choices include charcoal-broiled beef short ribs, sliced beef or sliced pork marinated in a delectable sauce. Branch out with a tofu stew, broth with beef and beef blood, or soup featuring cow's ankle or cow's feet tendon.
Back to tamer fare, try the buckwheat noodles in cold beef broth, or stir fried-vermicelli with shredded beef and vegetables. If you like it hot, order the stir-fried squid and vegetables with spicy sauce.
Cho Sun Ok Restaurant
4200 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, Ilinois 60618
(773) 549-5555
chosunokrestaurant.com
Crisp
Crisp serves tasty Korean-inspired dishes with a sense of humor. Try the chicken dishes such as Seoul Sassy, prepared with a sweet sauce of ginger, soy and garlic, or Crisp BBQ, chicken with a spicy, sweet and smoky barbecue sauce. Then there are the rice bowls, including the Big Boy Buddha---12 kinds of marinated and sauteed vegetables over rice.
For something really different, order a Korean version of a burrito (with marinated beef, chicken or vegetables), or of a Philly cheese steak (sauteed steak with cheese, mushrooms and onions).
Crisp
940 N. Broadway
Chicago, Ilinois 60657
(877) 693-8653
crisponline.com
About The Author
Barbara Dunlap is a freelance writer in Oregon. She was a garden editor at "The San Francisco Chronicle," and she currently specializes in travel and active lifestyle topics like golf and fitness. She received a master's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and has been a Knight Foundation Fellow.
