Korean

Han Cha and Yunomi are much more than museum cafes, even though they are surrounded by art in the Stony Island Arts Bank.

"It’s easy to focus on all the bad s--t, right?" says Won Kim, the chef behind the Bridgeport counter-service restaurant. "But you don’t survive ten years without a community behind you.”

"When a restaurant is flowing it’s a kind of symphony," says Eric Shin, who is simultaneously CEO and co-founder of SeoulSpice restaurants and principal percussionist for the National Symphony Orchestra.

The Japanese tradition of ōsōji, undertaken at the new year, is like spring cleaning on steroids, allowing for reflection and clearing out of the past year, as the owners of Omakase Yume show.

Daeji Dough Company features such over-the-top offerings as a seaweed croissant filled with the Korean rice cake tteokbokki. 

Namhee Kim not only provides Korean barbecue at locations of Daebak in Wicker Park and Chinatown; she also owns a K-pop gift shop. She shared Chicago recommendations with us.

Mister Tiger features the homestyle Korean cooking Charlie Park and Min Lee grew up eating, now prepared by Lee based on her memories. It will also feature a bar with Korean alcohols and fun cocktails like one inspired by Tiger Balm.

The new cookbook Milk Street 365 is meant to be "your Cooking 101 for 2024," says Milk Street's editorial director. Try its recipe for Korean fried chicken.

The act of making kimchi, called kimjang, is recognized as an "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO because it brings communities togethers and ties them to the natural world's rhythms.