OF BARBECUE AND BANCHAN
Ease into Korean BBQ at ChoSun Galbee, then go for the burn at Soot Bull Jeep
By Richard Foss
Dining out sometimes has hidden costs, like the parking ticket I inevitably get in Venice, the weird knickknacks I always buy in Chinatown, and the load of laundry I have to do after visiting Soot Bull Jeep. This famous Korean barbecue has a perpetual haze of woodsmoke, and, while that gives a delicious flavor to the meat, it infuses your clothing with the same scent. If you're going to a party where you don't know anyone, you could credibly claim you're a firefighter who just ran through a field of garlic in order to put out a smoldering oak warehouse full of chili peppers. This would guarantee interesting conversation and be perfectly plausible, at least if nobody else at the party has been to Soot Bull Jeep.
As at any Korean restaurant, there's a lot more to the meal than just marinated meats cooked at your table. Before they arrive, you receive an assortment of salads and pickles called banchan. The banchan at Soot Bull Jeep is not particularly wide-ranging by Korean standards, meaning that there are only about 10 small plates on the table. Compared to any European cuisine except Spanish tapas, that's still a vast range of choices, and at between $13 and $18 for a feast, it's amazingly cheap. While you grill your meat or seafood in the convivial smoky murk of the restaurant, you can snack on steamed spinach flavored with sesame oil, radishes, and carrots cooked in a sweet bean sauce, and kimchi at levels of spiciness from mildly tangy to startling. The décor is minimal, the flavors are hearty and rustic, and I find it delightful.
I was recently talking with someone who works in Koreatown, and I asked for a recommendation for a great Korean barbecue. He unhesitatingly recommended ChoSun Galbee, which, he informed me, was more stylish than Soot Bull Jeep but also more expensive.
ChoSun Galbee is indeed fancier; after a valet took our car, we walked through a nicely landscaped garden to a hip-looking interior. We were seated almost immediately and given a menu offering a wide choice of noodle dishes, soups, and, of course, the famous barbecue. I ordered the Korean marinated short ribs known as Galbee ($23.99), figuring that, since they're in the name of the place, they're probably a specialty of the house. My companion selected the rice dish known as Dolsot Bibimbob ($11), an item she'd been fond of during a stay in Korea.
The banchan arrived almost immediately and, as promised, the selection was well varied. The usual pickles and salads were there, as was one of my favorite items, seafood pancakes served fresh from the grill. We noticed that the flavors in the banchan were more subtle than usual, with everything but the kimchee fresh-tasting and refreshing but mild.
The Bibimbob arrived at the same time as my meat, and we stopped what we were doing to admire it. Bibimbob is a dish of rice topped with meat, vegetables, and an egg, served in an extremely hot crock so that the rice forms a crisp crust at the bottom. You stir a few times to mix everything well, then eat. We almost didn't want to mix this, because the presentation was so beautiful; the egg yolk was like a sun surrounded by rays of meat and vegetables. Unfortunately, the crock wasn't hot enough to form the crust on the rice, so one of the essential elements of Bibimbob was lacking. It was a good dish, but slightly disappointing.
The Galbee was very mild, with a marinade so bland that at first I thought unmarinated meat had been brought by mistake. If you like the taste of grilled beef with a hint of spiciness, this will probably be perfect for you. In fact, if you have never tried Korean food before and want a way of easing into the cuisine, this might be a good place to start. The unusual mix of sweet, sour, and peppery flavors is still interesting, even when muted to suit American tastes.
If you get hooked on the contrasting flavors and want to try them at full strength, visit Soot Bull Jeep next time. You'll have to do laundry afterward, but that will be a small price to pay.Published: 11/11/2004
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