Kang Nam, Saturday 10/11 at 12:30PM

anyone up for lunch at this GNR nominee? I'm a relative novice when it comes to Korean food, so I could use the ordering help.

Kang Nam Galbi
4849 N. Kedzie
Chicago, Il
(773) 539-2524
Live Coals

Kennyz wrote:anyone up for lunch at this GNR nominee?

See you there

Great idea. RAB and I enjoyed our first visit to Kang Nam a few months back and welcome the opportunity to sample more of the menu.

We'll see you on Saturday.

I'm going to try and make it. 75% likely...

- Mike

Can you please put me down as tentative, too? I very much want to join you, but I've got work & bike issues. If I can get out early and have my bike, I will be there, maybe just a little late.

Thanks,
Sharon

I'll be there!

Right now we're at 7, including the tentatives. I'll give a call over to Kang Nam tomorrow afternoon to make sure our numbers are OK with them.

Kennyz wrote:I'm a relative novice when it comes to Korean food, so I could use the ordering help.

Could you please make that 8, adding me as another tentative?

I too have been trying Korean food here and there without knowing a whole lot about it, so would enjoy having some ordering power to help me learn more.

If I'm not helping my son and family with moving preparations, I'll be there!

I'm definitely interested in coming - I too have only had Korean a few times and look forward to learning/eating a lot more. Tasty spicy pickled things, here I come... Count me in for 1.

-Dan

The forces that be are conspiring against me having lunch tomorrow. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it, but I'll try to get there before 10/15. Thanks for organizing, Kenny.

I called to confirm that we will be about 8 people, and the nice person who answered said "no problem". The current list:

Kennyz
Gwiv
REB
RAB
ChicagoMike (75%)
stevez (if he doesn't want to kill me yet, after that silly site chat discussion)
tarte tatin
dansch

I'm strongly tempted to come, but booked to the eyegills in the morning, but have a strong tendency to say screw it and go have lunch anyway, so can I be a high probability?

Mike G wrote:I'm strongly tempted to come, but booked to the eyegills in the morning, but have a strong tendency to say screw it and go have lunch anyway, so can I be a high probability?

I don't see why not. I'll get there early and see if I can get us a table that could accommodate up to 10. I'm saying this having no real clue what the place is like inside.

I'm sorry, but I regretfully now must cancel. Duty calls.... Think of me tomorrow as you're enjoying lunch--I'll be busy trying to organize my daughter-in-law's dishes, pots, and pans in her new kitchen--a heavy responsibility for a mother-in-law!

Thanks for organizing, Kenny!

P.S. happy_stomach, let me know if you settle on a date for a visit to Kang Nam this coming week and would like some company.

Kenny,

Please add MsWiv to the list of attendees.

Enjoy,
Gary

Sorry to be the first to leave the table, but I was starting to doze from the combination of the soju, food, and four hours of sleep from the previous night. It certainly wasn't because the conversation started to drift towards the intricacies and statistical analysis of GNR nominees.

My favorites included:

The soju, which I definitely need to incorporate into my daily routine around 1pm



The seafood pancake



The charcoal inspired pork



And the unphotogenic bi bim bop



As usual, great food and company. Thanks for organizing Kenny.

- Mike

Well, I had a very pleasant time with a group of LTHers, and the food was pretty good, but the sense of excitement and discovery that I had at Kang Nam and a couple of other Korean joints 4 or 5 years ago was not entirely there. Some of that is undoubtedly that I'm just a little more blase in my dotage, but if someone put a gun to my head-- or more likely, held a bowl of hot coals perilously close to it-- I'd be hard-pressed to identify something that shows where Kang Nam tries harder, makes things unusually well, delivers flavors that really sparkle.

The pork and the beef were fine, they were exactly what you expect them to be, I ate them happily but can't say I'm sitting here dreaming of them now. Others were impressed by the dumplings, I wasn't. Octopus or squid (I forget) was tough as hell, tongue was intermittently tough. Dolsot bimbop was a disappointment at our end of the table because it didn't deliver the desired crunchy rice, apparently the other end had better luck, but inconsistency in the exact same dish served at the exact same time to the exact same table does not exactly suggest a rigorous standard of perfectionism at work in the kitchen.

I made a joke of pooh-poohing everything at the table, and I'm not really that down on it, but I would regard it as firmly in the pack of not-bad, reasonably good value (factoring in who did the ordering), kind of interesting ethnic meals out, and not as the kind that makes your heart sing and wonder where Korean food like this has been hiding all your life.

Thanks to Kennyz for organizing the meal. As always, a great group of LTHers with which to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I thought the meal was satisfying, but not great. I agree with Mike G's views of our meal - - nothing was revelatory. The tongue was probably my least favorite item. I thought everything else was good, especially the pork and short ribs.

I believe the problem with the squid, which Mike G pointed out as being too tough, comes from being cooked too long. I could say that it was the server's fault. But, perhaps we should've been watching the squid more closely.

Our puppy, who admittedly doesn't know much about GNRs, thinks that the kalbi leftovers are delicious:


Ronna

Really disappointed to hear the 'less-than-impressed' accounts from today's lunch. Being a huge fan of both Hai Woon Dae and San Soo Gab San, I thought the meal I had last week at KN was not only in their league but surpassed those beloved places on several counts. Still, hearing some of the specifics about today's meal -- most notably, the empirical inconsistency within the meal -- the reports are not surprising. It's too bad this place didn't apparently sing today like it is capable of.

Still, at the moment, if I had to choose one Korean meal in Chicago, Kang Nam would be the spot.

=R=

REB wrote:I believe the problem with the squid, which Mike G pointed out as being too tough, comes from being cooked too long. I could say that it was the server's fault. But, perhaps we should've been watching the squid more closely.

I don't recall these being cooked on our grill - I thought they came out of the kitchen already cooked. Can anyone else confirm or deny? If we did it, shame on us, as they were extremely tough and chewy.

Thanks to everyone who joined me on my endeavor to eat a good lunch and learn more about Korean food. And a good lunch it most certainly was. I particularly enjoyed the seafood pancake, which tasted fresh as could be. A couple of the sides were particularly delicious as well, including some fiery pickled jalapeños and marinated daikon. Perhaps the best taste came from something new to me: the sesame leaf provided next to the lettuce used for wrapping meat. I'd never tasted sesame leaf before, and I want more! With the leaf, the lettuce, the shredded scallions, and more - I was really impressed with how fresh all of the produce seemed.

The main show at Kang Nam seems to be the meat grilled over coals, but for me that was not nearly as good as some of the other stuff. The pork was tasty, but I found the marinade a little one-dimensionally sweet. The beef was, well, beef. The tongue was relatively bland.

The room is much nicer than I expected for a crowded, very urban strip mall. Our server was extremely nice, and she was more than patient with Gary's attempts at humor - including a full-hearted attempt to convince her that he's Korean.

Kennyz wrote:

REB wrote:I believe the problem with the squid, which Mike G pointed out as being too tough, comes from being cooked too long. I could say that it was the server's fault. But, perhaps we should've been watching the squid more closely.

I don't recall these being cooked on our grill - I thought they came out of the kitchen already cooked. Can anyone else confirm or deny? If we did it, shame on us, as they were extremely tough and chewy.

Kenny, the squid was cooked on the grill at my end of the table. So, apologies for the chewy squid!

I'm afraid I have to echo the posts above this one. Today's lunch at Kang Nam was good, but nothing special. I got the feeling that they were merely going through the motions without much passion for the food.

I can remember a time 3 - 4 years ago when going to Kang Nam was destination dining...especially for the dolsot bi bim bop. Today's meal had none of that feel. Admittedly, this is only one visit, but I'm having a hard time endorsing Kang Nam for a GNR. In fact, if Kang Nam had gotten the award a few years ago when it was a darling of LTH, I'm not sure that they would be able to hold on to it at renewal time. It pains me to say so, but unfortunately, that's the way I feel.

REB wrote:

Kennyz wrote:

REB wrote:I believe the problem with the squid, which Mike G pointed out as being too tough, comes from being cooked too long. I could say that it was the server's fault. But, perhaps we should've been watching the squid more closely.

I don't recall these being cooked on our grill - I thought they came out of the kitchen already cooked. Can anyone else confirm or deny? If we did it, shame on us, as they were extremely tough and chewy.

Kenny, the squid was cooked on the grill at my end of the table. So, apologies for the chewy squid!

IIRC, the soju was also at your end of the table. All makes sense now.

LTH,

Going against the general trend of our Kang Nam lunch I overall enjoyed the meal and was pleasantly surprised at a couple of details. For example, in all the dozens of times at various Korean BBQ joints I have only been served sesame leaf as BBQ wrap one other time and that was more one the order of a perq as we had been a few nights before.

Leaf Lettuce, Sesame Leaf



Far as inconsistency in the Dolsot, ours was spot on, but we let the sizzling hot pot rest a while to set the rice.

Dolsot BimBop



Yook Hwe hit a high note as well, good idea REB, or was it RAB , though, similar to every Korean restaurant I have eaten it, came out highly chilled and takes a short while for the high note flavors of sesame oil, Asian pear and pine nuts to blend as it warms.

Yook Hwe



BBQ meats were not quite as bright as I've had in the past, though I'm not as rough on the squid, which was cooked over the coals on our end of the table, or tongue as others. What I found mildly disappointing, and this could be a one-off function of many factors, the coals were simply not hot enough to give a good char and bring out the best of the marinated meats.

Speaking of BBQ meats and detail, in addition to the sesame leaves we were also served razor thin slices of lightly marinated daikon as wraps and small dishes of sesame oil/salt/pepper, which is a fabulous dip for Korean BBQ, though I did have to ask for the sesame oil dip.

Beef on Grill



Lunch was fun, though I still get confused as to whether ChicagoMike has a Thai ex-wife or not, and seeing Dansch's eyes light up as he talked about Kite's hams from Virgina, reminded me exactly why I so enjoy hanging out with LTHers.

Dansch



Far as Kang Nam and the GNRs, I thought they were a step off on the BBQ today, though showed well in other aspects of the meal. I would still put Kang Nam in league with the top* Chicago Korean BBQ joints, live coals, plentiful selection of panchan, details such as sesame leaves and, at least in my past experience, and Ronnie_S's recent, damn good Korean BBQ.

Enjoy,
Gary

*Hai Woon Dae, San Soo Gap San

Gary,

Thanks for reminding me about the shredded raw beef dish, which was indeed superb. I really liked everything except the charcoal grilled meat dishes. On a table with about 20 different food items, it's pretty darn impressive that but 2-3 really didn't work for me. A few things (sesame leaf, raw beef, scallion pancake) were truly outstanding, and while it'd be nice to believe that all Korean restaurants take the same care in ensuring that all the veg are so perfectly crisp and fresh, I tend to think that's something that separates Kang Nam from the pack.

Kenny

A tale of two Kang Nams. Sort of surprising to see such different takes on a lunch at the same place, same time. Gary's pics make it look awfully good, though. My meals have tended toward what Ronnie, Gary and Kenny describe. But on any given Saturday, a meal can be middling to fair. The one day instant track record doesn't bode well for KN I'm afraid.

As an aside, I'm a little confused by repeated criticism of the squid. That's like dissing Johnny's because of the mediocre hot dogs. But if the bi bim bop and panchan didn't shine, even at lunch (Korean BBQ is late night food), then yeah, I should've gone with another pick. I meant to say Carniceria Leon. Though it's not right for a big group lunch.

PS, Gary wrote: "but we let the sizzling hot pot rest a while to set the rice."

Well, uh, yeah. When you guys try the tamales at C. Leon, please make sure to take the hojas (corn husks) off before you eat them. Otherwise, I'll get another bad report. I keed. (And to be clear, by this I mean Gary gets it. Sometimes the server suggests you wait just as Gary says. Often not. If you don't know better, you might dig in as soon as the dolsot hits the table and miss the crust. Rookie mistake. But if the vessel isn't hot, it doesn't much matter.)

JeffB wrote:But if the bi bim bop and panchan didn't shine, even at lunch (Korean BBQ is late night food), then yeah, I should've gone with another pick. I meant to say Carniceria Leon. Though it's not right for a big group lunch.

Jeff,

The only mention I see of the panchan is my "plentiful selection of panchan", not exactly negative. Far as the dolsot bibimbop I thought it damn tasty, nice layer of crunchy rice at the bottom as my picture indicates and so volcanically hot I chugged half a glass of water my first bite to put out the fire.

Enjoy,
Gary

JeffB wrote:PS, Gary wrote: "but we let the sizzling hot pot rest a while to set the rice."

For the record, both orders of dolsot bi bim bap were served at the same time and rested more or less the same amount of time. The one at Gary's end of the table had a nice brown crust of rice at the bottom and the one at our end of the table didn't (it was somewhat golden, but not as deeply brown as the other order). The only difference that I could figure out is that our stone bowl wasn't heated as sizzling hot as the other bowl.

stevez wrote:

JeffB wrote:PS, Gary wrote: "but we let the sizzling hot pot rest a while to set the rice."

For the record, both orders of dolsot bi bim bap were served at the same time and rested more or less the same amount of time. The one at Gary's end of the table had a nice brown crust of rice at the bottom and the one at our end of the table didn't (it was somewhat golden, but not as deeply brown as the other order). The only difference that I could figure out is that our stone bowl wasn't heated as sizzling hot as the other bowl.

I wasn't at this meal, but FWIW, my companion and I always get a dolsot each. I am more impatient and she is more careful about letting hers brown fully. I definitely let it sit a while before stirring but not as much as she does, and there's a difference in the results. She has never had a problem with getting a fully browned crust there. Perhaps one reason I'm impatient is that she's always sweet enough to give me a bite of hers.

We let our dolsot sit as long as the other end of the table did, and ours tanned where theirs browned.

I think the two grill setup is self-defeating, or not building the fire big enough is, but I frankly had almost no meat that seemed really grilled to a nice char to me. I guess we could have let it sit there a half hour, but usually it seems like the danger in Korean places is that you'll overcook it through inattention; that was not a problem, for whatever reason.

I couldn't really try the panchan because I didn't have a water glass for the first 45 minutes or so. Not to sound like a picky bastard, but it does make you hesitate to put unknown, bright red things in your mouth.

I would have liked Kang Nam to really sing, but like the all-pork Korean place that's now closed at which we had an LTH lunch some months back, the results fell under the heading of "different, not special."