• Time Out New York
    • Time Out New York Kids
    • Time Out Worldwide
    • Travel
    • Book store
    • Subscribe to Time Out Chicago
    • Subscriber Services
  • Time Out Chicago
  • Ad Space
    (728 x 90)
  • Search
  •  
    • Home
    • Around Town
    • Art & Design
    • Books
    • Clubs
    • Comedy
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Gay & Lesbian
    • Home & Living
    • Kids
    • Music
    • Opera & Classical
    • Restaurants & Bars
    • Sex & Dating
    • Shopping
    • Spas & Gyms
    • Sports & Rec
    • Theater
    • Travel
    • TV
  • « BACK TO SEARCH
    • Tools

      • E-mail

        E-mail a friend





        • * Mandatory

        • View our privacy policy
      • Print
      • Report an error

        Report an error


        • View our privacy policy
      • Share this
        • Delicious
        • Digg
        • Facebook
        • reddit
        • StumbleUpon

  • TOC blog

    • James Asmus wants to touch you one last time

    • 7/9/09

    • The ubiquitous Asmus says farewell with a solo show at the Annoyance


    More posts


    TOC Poll

    • We want to know what you think. Click here to answer this week's poll question.



  • Ad Space
    (120 x 240)

  • TOC Student Guide

    • Essential advice for our scholastically minded citizens.



    Continuing Education

    • Never stop learning. There's no excuse not to go back to school.



    Sign up today!  

    Newsletter

    • Events, discounts, and the best of Chicago delivered to your inbox every week.



    FREE Stuff

    • Win prizes and get discounts, event invites and more.



    TOC Staff

    • Who does what and why.



    TOC Free Flix

    • Get free tickets to hot new movie releases.



    Subscribe

    • Subscribe now

    • Give a gift

    • Subscriber services



  • Restaurants & Bars
    Counter offers

    Little Brother’s

    A Korean joint thinks outside its own Styrofoam box.
    By David Tamarkin

    Photo: Martha Williams

    The world doesn’t need another Panda Express, and from the outside, that’s all Little Brother’s seems to amount to. That may be why on a recent Saturday evening the place was nearly empty: Even if people walked into the cheerful space, the formulaic, Korean-tinged menu (diners are asked to pick a protein, a sauce, and a salad to go on the side) may have sent them walking right out. The fact that everything is served in a three-compartment Styrofoam box probably doesn’t help.

    But here’s the thing: Little Brother’s isn’t fast. It’s not slow, but everything is cooked to order, which takes a few minutes. And when they arrive, both the short ribs and the chicken are lean and tender. The crunchy coleslaw sports enticing whispers of wasabi, and the cucumber salad is a refreshing foil to the crisp tofu. In short, it tastes like there’s a real chef in the kitchen. And that’s because there is. Chef/owner Christian Oh left his job in finance to attend CHIC. After graduating, he set off for Korea, where he learned how to prepare everything in the restaurant-, from the daily rotation of flavored lemonades (mango, cherry, etc.) to sauces like the mild “Sweet Chil-antro” and the slow-to-burn “Raging Bul.” He could probably save both time and money by serving mass-produced teriyaki sauce. But it wouldn’t have half the nuance of his version. Besides, if he did, this would be just like every other Pan-Asian fast-food joint in the city, and then he wouldn’t be able to attract the customers he deserves—that is, customers who can tell the difference.

    818 W Fullerton Ave (773-661-6482). El: Red to Fullerton. Bus: 8, 11, 74. Lunch, dinner (closed Sun). Average main course: $7.


    Time Out Chicago / Issue 173 : Jun 19–25, 2008
    • del.icio.us
    • Digg
    • Facebook
    • MySpace
    • Google
    • Yahoo! Buzz
    • TwitThis
    • StumbleUpon
    No comments yet

    Leave a comment

    (will not appear on site)

    500 characters left

    View our privacy policy



      • Subscribe now and save 87%!
      • For just $19.99 a year, you'll get hundreds of listings and free events each week, plus our special issues and guides, including Cheap Eats, Great Spas, Fall Preview, Holiday Gift Guide and more!
      • Time Out Covers
      • Time Out Chicago respects your privacy. We will only use your e-mail address in order to contact you regarding to your subscription and to send you our weekly e-newsletter. We will not share this information with anyone.

  • Ad Space
    (320 x 53)

    Ad Space
    (300 x 250)

  • Most viewed in Restaurants & Bars

    • Articles
    • ROOF
    • 2009 Eat Out Awards Readers’ Choice Awards
    • Summer cocktails
    • Dynamite dogs
    • We rank Chicago’s breakfasts
    • Fianco
    • Rock bars rated
    • Bottle, rock it
    • Sweet smarts
    • Beer cocktails

  • The Hot Dog Issue

    • Hot dog, wiener, frank, red hot, encased meat bestowed by the gods…whatever you call it, you'll be eating one this summer.



    Eat Out Awards 2009

    • Critics' and readers' picks for the best new bars and restaurants



    Consume: TOC's food blog

    • Seven Daughters brings wine and Twister to Millennium Park

    • 7/8/09

    • Stretching out but mostly sipping in the


    More food and drink posts


    Chicago's best eats

    • Morning glory
    • Best breakfasts

    • Farmers Markets 2009
    • Farmers Markets 2009

    • Battle of the burgers
    • Battle of the burgers


    • Sweet smarts
    • Desserts

    • Chefs' secret recipes
    • The Cooking Issue

    • Bottle, rock it
    • BYOB Guide



    Guide to outdoor eating and drinking

    • The Hit List
    • On the river

    • 24 new patios
    • New patios

    • Hidden outdoor eateries
    • Hidden patios



    Recent Eat Out and Drink Up articles

    • Guide to the new Whole Foods

    • Taste Quest: Gladstone Park

    • Suburban dining picks

    • Five hot bars for summer '09

    • Top bowls of ramen

    • Bar bite deals

    • Restaurant cocktails

    • Eco-conscious restaurant practices

    • Brian Duncan of Bin 36 makes wine

    • This recession bites



    Recently reviewed

    • Ristorante al Teatro

    • Sepia

    • La Tache

    • El Mariel

    • Wally & Agador's

    • NoMI

    • Between Boutique

    • Taxim

    • Fuego Mexican Grill

    • Branch 27

    • Via Ventuno

    • Goose Island Brew Pub

    • Sunda



    Chef profiles

    • Chef Mark Steuer of HotChocolate

    • Erick Williams of mk

    • Charles Joly of the Drawing Room

    • Ryan Poli of Perennial

    • Andrew Zimmerman of Sepia



  • Ad Space
    (160 x 600)

    Ad Space
    (160 x 600)

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit & Advertising
    • Get Listed
    • We're Hiring
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services
    • Site Map
    • Home
    • Around Town
    • Art & Design
    • Books
    • Clubs
    • Comedy
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Gay & Lesbian
    • Home & Living
    • Kids
    • Music
    • Opera & Classical
    • Restaurants & Bars
    • Sex & Dating
    • Shopping
    • Spas & Gyms
    • Sports & Rec
    • Theater
    • Travel
    • TV
    • Visit our sister sites:
    • Time Out New York
    • Time Out New York Kids
    • Time Out London
    • Time Out Worldwide
    Copyright © 2000–2009 Time Out Chicago