Kang Suh

1250 Broadway on 31st Street
212/564-6845
about $60 for two, with two drinks, without tip

Manhattan’s Koreatown pales in comparison with the one in Flushing, Queens and it certainly is embarrassing compared to the one in Los Angeles. Kang Suh is one of the more established restaurants on 31st Street between Broadway and Fifth or Koreablock. It’s also one of the restaurants I choose from when I’m with a group of friends who want barbeque. Kalbi or beef ribs are expensive in Manhattan and Korean restaurants, Kang Suh included, charge so much for so little meat but we tend to forget that we’re being ripped off after a few bottles of OB and at least an hour’s worth of barbeque smell in our clothes.


Kang Suh’s pan chan or side dishes include kimchi, anchovies and spinach

What I usually go for at Kang Suh however is their yuk kae jang, a spicy beef broth soup with bean sprouts and green onions served with noodles and rice. It’s enough to clear your sinus and make you forget that it’s winter outside.

The boy likes their daegoo muhri tang, or codfish soup also served with a bunch of vegetables and sometimes with clams and shrimps.

Karahi

508 Broome Street between West Broadway and Thompson
212/965-1515
about $25 for two for lunch, with two drinks, without tip

I always come to Karahi when I’m in the mood for more than one helping of chana saag (creamed spinach with chick peas) and tandori chicken and lamb vindaloo and aloo gobhi (cauliflower and potatoes). Not to mention kheer, their rice pudding flavored with fragrant cardamom and pistachios.

Karahi’s buffet costs about $8.95 a person which is pretty standard for SoHo lunches but if you can eat like me, it’s a steal. The restaurant caters to the neighborhood during the day and their dishes are consistently delicious. They know not to make them spicy without sacrificing the most important Indian flavors so that we can all go back to our offices and work for five more hours. There are work days that call for a long, heavy, Indian buffet-style lunch and then there are days that call for a lazy afternoon with a full stomach.

Update, August 2006:
Karahi has moved to 118 Christopher Street but still has the same phone number.

Congee Village Restaurant & Bar

100 Allen Street between Delancey and Broome
212/941-1818
about $25 for two, without drinks, without tip

When I’m craving congee, I usually run to Congee Village for their $3 hot bowls, either served with pork, chicken, duck, fish, hundred-year-old egg or a combination of all of them. Congee is a type of rice porridge cooked the Chinese way, slowly and with water until the rice has a thicker consistency. It’s comfort food and it reminds Filipinos of their own version, arroz caldo.


Congee with hot chili oil

Congee Village also carries a lot of Chinese food outside their congee selections. I usually order the sautéed lotus root served in bean paste sauce or the assorted vegetables cooked Buddhist style to match. If you like hot pots, their casserole with salted fish is excellent. But skip on these soupy buns.

They’re always stuck on the wooden bowl, they rip apart when you pick them up and you’re left with soupless buns. Get them at Joe’s Ginger instead.

Where to eat in Chicago: Charlie Trotter’s

We were an hour late for our dinner at Charlie Trotter’s because it started to snow and cabs were hard to come by. The staff nonetheless was very accommodating and seated us with no problems when we finally arrived. They served us champagne to let us unwind while they prepared us our dinner.

The grand menu was a four-course dinner plus two courses of desserts. Out of everything we ate, the scallops stood out, served with a crab claw and an oyster. The boy cleaned up all his dessert plates while I struggled to finish the very decadent bison and veal cheeks, served with white truffles.

All the matching wines were notable. Needless to say, we didn’t make it out to listen to some house music after dinner.

Chicken with Artichokes

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded and flattened
1 can of artichokes packed in water
sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
3 stalks scallions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of flour, sifted
olive oil, salt and pepper

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour and shake off excess. Fry until golden brown and cooked through on both sides in a medium skillet with hot oil. Remove.
2. In the same skillet, heat more oil if needed. Sauté garlic, scallions, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes. Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are heated through and sauce has reduced slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste and spoon over chicken.