Shame on me, but yesterday I came to the realization that I had (to my knowledge) never eaten at a Korean restaurant. Changed that last evening.

New Seoul Korean Restaurant, 638 W. Algonquin Rd, Des Plaines, 847.439.3720 was the target.

Asked what were typical items ordered. Decided on three.

Started out w/seafood Pa Jun, billed as a "Korean style pancake with fish, shrimp, squid and green onion". By itself it was good, but when dipped in the soy based dipping sauce it was tremendous.

For main course I ordered the Bul Go Ki, a thin sliced marinated beef and my wife ordered the Dak Bul Go Ki, the marinated chicken.

Waitress then brought the bucket of wood coals and placed in the center of our table, where there is a hole for it. At first we were not cooking the meat well, we kept letting it get stuck to the grill by not turning enough. We then got the hang of it. The chicken was good but the beef was terrific!

Then came the multitude (10) of different small portions of various pickled items. 1/2 were ok the other 1/2 were very tasty and really complemented the hot grilled meat items.

We also tried Soju w/the meal, the traditional Korean alchohol drink. While it was not quite grain alchohol, it was close. I was expecting a more timid alchohol like Sake.

Wondering if there is a difference in the various Sojus anyone has tried?

Soju is the working man's drink of choice in Korea. There are many flavors available now at the numerous Korean bars and nightclubs throughout Chicago by adding various powders to it.(lemonade, watermelon, peach, etc.)You can get a bottle of the stuff for about a $1 in Korea while they sell it here for around $10-$15. It kind of smells like rubbing alcohol.

Try the Bi Bim Bop (probable spelling errors). Very simple dish of rice, ground beef, lettuce, fried egg and a hot sauce. Mix the whole thing around to create a dressing with the hot sauce and the hot egg yolk. One of simplest dishes I have encountered while maximizing value and taste.

G