Korean Seoulfood Cafe is anything you want it to be. Located in no-man's land between the West Loop and Greektown, the restaurant has tried to draw diners by offering Americanized eats alongside owner Dan Choi's Korean "soul food" staples. It's an interesting concept: What other restaurant serves up both scrambled eggs and pan-broiled octopus?
Loop workers can stop by in the mornings for a traditional breakfast buffet, full of American standbys like pancakes and sausage, all for less than $5. To see what distinguishes Seoulfood from the many other diners in the area, though, try a more exotic lunch here. Skip the buffet and order right off the menu for a fresher, tastier meal. Traditional dishes like marinated BBQ beef and bi bim bop, a dish of marinated veggies and meat topped with a fried egg, feature prominently on the menu (lunch dishes range from $5.99-$7.99). Feeling even more adventurous? Try the spicy kimchi, a fiery cabbage dish that's a staple of most Korean cooking (Seoulfood makes it in-house).
Dinnertime guests get to choose from an even more expansive menu, including the complex casserole dishes, made up of beef broth, veggies, noodles and meat you grill yourself in a hot pot at the table. All entrees ($8.99-$27.99) come with a side of banchan, or Korean marinated vegetables, and rice. In another nod to American culture, the curiously named "When Harry Met Sally" features a combo of spicy stir-fried pork belly and squid. (Which one's Harry and which one's Sally, we wonder?) Natives can also request to see the "Seoulfood" menu, written in Korean. Dining on Eastern fare so authentic, you might forget you're in America...until the sweetly chatty Chicago waitress offers you a fountain drink from the glowing Pepsi machine on the wall.
Centerstage Reviewer: Elisabeth Kilpatrick
