Ann Arbor bi bim bop - Korean diners

I'm looking forward to a lunch with Paul Killey at the Broadway Cafe and Jumbo Steak Hoagie, and as part of a continuing service to Vacuum readers I thought I'd do a rundown of the quintessential Ann Arbor Korean dish, bi bim bop.

You can get bi bim bop at all kinds of restaurants all over town, and it's almost always good. The competition is fierce, the dish is well known, and even a simple presentation turns out well. From the bottom, you get a bowl of rice (usually white, occasionally brown); an assortment of vegetables arranged around the top including spinach, bean sprouts, cucumber shreds, carrots; beef, or sometimes tofu; and on top, a single fried egg. It is always served with a sweet and spicy red sauce on the side, and with hot things like kim chee and sometimes red pepper sauce in little bowls.

Some places, with snippets, will need more details:
- Broadway Cafe and Jumbo Steak Hoagie, on Broadway near Plymouth
- Kang's aka Coffee Cup, on South University
- the place where Steve's Lunch used to be, also on South University
- Kosmo Deli in Kerrytown -- review by Tammy Coxen on Chowhound
- Eastern Accents on Fourth Ave -- review by mintchaos
- University Cafe -- review from a friend of a former owner
- Seoul Korner - reviewer eylin
- Panda

No longer there, but missed
- Steve's Lunch on South University, replaced by another Korean place in the same location, might just be a name change -- review from Fudcourt
- Kana,

Reviews welcomed!

Comments

[Edward Vielmetti]

While Jumbo Steak Hoagie is under construction, there's a sign up there that points people at Rod's Diner on State near Hill and Packard which also serves bi bim bop. No field report from there yet.

[Edward Vielmetti]

Steve's Lunch on South U is indeed gone, replaced by Rich J. C. Full review to appear later, but it's still good Korean food, you can still get tasty bi bim bop, and they put in nice (granite?) counters where the well-worn lunch counter used to be. Same style of seating as before.

[Edward Vielmetti]

Kitchenchick reports a new Korean place next to Godaiko where Original 60s used to be - Ari Rang - http://www.kitchenchick.com/2005/03/ari_rang_fresh_.html

[Edward]

Saul and I had bi bim bop at Kosmo Deli this morning. He was enthusiastic about it and liked the way they did tofu. I was a little disappointed that there was not more rice in the bowl.

Kosmo is planning to close in all of January and part of February 2006 for renovations, which will expand them into the bigger space next to them that used to be Kav's.

[eli]

My wife is a big fan of Kosmo Bi Bim Bop. Don makes his own Kochujang from a family recipe, and I still think his beef marinade is the best in town. Also, don't miss their very original Bulgogi Hoagie, and on Saturdays they usually make Jap Chae, too.

We probably go to Kosmo twice a week... It's directly between home and work. Nemo's picture is on the menu board, and my Mom got us a $100 tab there for our Anniversary this year, which I admit we burned through embarrasingly fast.

In other Kosmo news, Don has just changed to a new frying oil that offers significantly lower trans and saturated fats in fried food, and makes for even more delicious, crispier twigim and (kosmo's wonderfully gingery) egg rolls.

Ok, so I'm a Kosmo groupie. I don't know what we'll do while they're closed.

[eli]

woop, I lost my link. the new oil is Natreon. See more here: http://www.dowagro.com/natreon/index.htm

[Edward Vielmetti]

Steve's Lunch has a MySpace page:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=144854803