Korean Food Neophyte Seeking Guidance

Long time lurker who blindly followed you all from Chowhound to the list serve to this wonderful forum. Many, many thanks for all of the wonderful recs, from Texas BBQ in Lockhart, to Shapiro's Deli in Indy, to Maxwell Street Market, I've taken all of your suggestions and eaten the best meals of my shamefully food sheltered life.

Here is my current quandry: We are Korean Food virgins. My youngest daughter will be moving to South Korea in February for a one year job stint. We'd like to start the acclimation process by visiting a few Korean places. I would very much appreciate a few pointers. Where do we begin? I'm looking for specific restaurant suggestions, but more importantly, what to order when I get there. I've managed to make a short list of restaurants gleaned from searching the forum, but the discussion of specific dishes is somewhat elusive.

If you were to begin introducing someone to Korean food, what would you recommend? I'd prefer to start simple, sample some of the basics at various places, and gradually add more complex dishes. I considered walking into a place, blindly ordering 5 dishes and just having at it, but in retrospect, I'd rather learn the basics from the ground up.

We've done a little reading on Korea in the two days since she excepted the job offer. I think she is most worried about the spice levels. The literature she's received all say the same thing: WARNING, dangerously hot food, be careful what you order. Maybe a better question would be what foods should we avoid the first few times out? Daughter #3 is not the most adventerous eater.

Thanks for your help in advance. I'd resort to shameless flattery and/or bribery, but I don't want to insult or offend anyone.

I guess the best choice would be to start with bulgogi or kalbi and chap chae...

Bulgogi is marinated grilled beef and kalbi is marinated grilled beef ribs. Both are not spicy. The marinate is mostly soy, garlic, sugar and sometimes a little red pepper.

Chap chae are potato starch noodles stired fried with meat and vegetables. Non spicy and heavy on sesame flavor (both oil and seeds)

A couple other standards that are not going to challenge you. Your mileage may vary on the spellings below:

Mandu (or man doo) are dumplings, offered usually fried or steamed, similar to Japanese gyoza or Chinese pot stickers, but with more garlic

Doae ji gui is the spicy pork equivalent of bul go gi

Bi Bim Bap and Bi Bim Rice are big bowls of noodles or rice with chopped vegetables and beef, topped with a raw or over-easy egg. Mix the egg in with the "stuff" and you've got a great meal in a bowl.

The "panchan" are the bowls of side dishes you get on the table which make going out for Korean most worthwhile. I tend to avoid the tiny dried fish, but most of the other things are inoffensive to western palates used to spicy foods: pickled radishes, spinach or seaweed with sesame, bean sprouts, and of course spicy pickled cabbage (kimchi). If the cabbage kimchi is too much for you, the radish varieties (big cubes of something yellowish with a red glaze) are often less intense and more sweet -- a little easier to swallow if you're used to thai hot/sweet.

If you find a place that says they serve any of the grilled dishes with lettuce leaves and bean paste, you've hit on the real deal. That's the way to do it. Personally, I don't care if I cook it on my own table (some places have grills for this built into the tables) -- I usually end up with the 'raw' chopsticks for cooking with in my mouth far too often.

Two things:

The Garden Buffet restaurant on Lincoln is a great place to imerse yourself in Korean food. Language issues are no better than at other Korean places, but since it is a buffet, you can at least see things. And try. Lots of meat to grill, cold noodles, assorted hot dishes. The BBQ is the best, but, like I say, it can at least introduce you to stuff.

Here's a blog of an expatriate in Korea. It should answer A LOT for you guys--you may even want to e-mail him. http://fatman-seoul.blogspot.com/

Rob

Oh yeah, Garden Buffet. I knew there was a Korean place I've been meaning to try. Any recommendations on other lunchtime Korean possibilities? I've been to Cho Sun Ok and thought it was fine, and always have a good time at San Soo Gap San (spelling is awful Im' sure). Didn't love Korean Restaurant.

What's another good low key place for kalbi and bi bim bap for lunch?

This place has fabulous Dolsot Bibim bop:

Kang Nam Galbi
4849 N. Kedzie
Chicago, Il
773.539.2524

Others have reccomended, though I haven't tried:

San Soo Gab San
5247 N. Western
773.334.1589