Cho Sun Ok Restaurant

Scott and I were driving about a year ago through southern Lincoln Square, when he said, "That's it!." I had no idea what "it" was, but apparently, Scott had located the Korean restaurant that he had gone to with a Korean friend of his a couple of years prior to this sighting. Since his friend had been visiting from out of town, Scott had searched in vain for the restaurant, trying to find its memory-inducing Korean food once again. And then fate intervened, and Cho Sun Ok Restaurant found us.

We went there recently for Scott's birthday. It is the kind of Korean restaurant where the cooks, waitresses, and all the other customers are Korean. This is a good sign. It means that the food you are about to consume is going to be authentic and tasty. When we walked in, there were only a few tables occupied. By the time we left, there was a significant line outside the door. Apparently, this is a frequent sight outside this restaurant, and it didn't take long for us to figure out why.

Scott and I shared Bulgogi, or marinated beef cooked tableside. For $24.95, it's a bargain. You get a huge mound of marinated beef and onions settled onto your tableside barbeque, and the waitresses walking by will toss it every few minutes or so, or at least until the restaurant is packed, then it's up to you to cook the meat, lest it burns on your little grill. It's served with rice, and it was tasty! No MSG included, thank goodness, as I'm allergic to the stuff, so I checked before we ordered. The bonus about going to a Korean restaurant, the secret that Scott knew before we got there and that my Dutch side absolutely loves, are the freebies. Free tea to start, then 12 little free appetizers to share, including kimchi (yummy, but spicy, fermented cabbage), marinated bean sprouts (my favorite), super sweet potato salad, and various other odd-looking but pleasant-tasting sides. I enjoyed the variety of options presented and using my chopsticks to haul bean sprouts into my mouth. Switching between the appetizer/sides and the bulgogi also prevented my tastebuds from getting bored with the Bulgogi, which is very good, but not very complex in flavor.

Overall, I'd rate it a 4/5 and recommend it to anyone looking for a filling, authentic Korean meal. Bring a coat in case you have to wait in line, or even better, go early and beat the crowds. The cost, without drinks or separate appetizers, was below $15 a person. Cho Sun Ok restaurant is located at 4200 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, and their phone number is 773.549.5555.