Jian

Description:

• Asian culture's a wondrously schizophrenic marriage -- between dignified, time-honored traditions, and Hello Kitty. Embodying that peculiar melange, Jian. A casual, mid-sized Korean BBQ, Jian's a juxtaposition of the ancient and the kitsch, with graceful lanterns from Thailand and a Buddha fountain versus Japanese decorative pinball machines and a pair of life-size robots ("There's a 13-minute wait, Will Robinson."). The menu also takes two tacks: for the authentic, there're dishes like Yook Gae Jang (spicy beef soup w/glass noodles and oyster mushroom), Kal Bi Jim (stewed short ribs), and Korean rice cakes in seasoned beef broth, aka Duk Guk (no goose). For new school dining, there's also a mid-table grill for DIY meats/veggies, including Beef Rib Eye, Spicy Pork, and Cham Chi, aka Toro -- if you order it and it doesn't come back tuna belly, you're in Mexico, and you're about to be gored by a bull. As you leave, you're encouraged to help yourself to a bowl filled with Asian ginger candy and Bazooka bubble gum -- a plasticine pink core, wrapped in a time-honored tradition of unfunniness.
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