Burgers Reinvented With A Korean Kick At bopNgrill
By Minna A in Food on Jan 17, 2012 8:20PM
Korean food in Chicago continues to go through a modern reinvention with the expansion of Evanston’s casual Korean-American bopNgrill to the newly opened Rogers Park location. Korean staple kimchi gets paired with burgers and buns for a reinvention of classic diner food.
North in Chicago near the Loyola campus, the new bopNgrill location promises a large selection of “bop”s, but draws in a crowd for their grilled goods. The bop selection is an updated version of the classic Korean dish, bi-bim-bop, a mixed rice dish made with a variety of vegetables and topped with an egg, sunny side up.
The highlight of the menu is the wide selection of Koreanized burgers. The soft shell crab burger is deep fried, combining a flaky bite of seafood decadence with a hearty sprinkling of crunchy cabbage, topped with a sweet and slightly spicy sauce to complete the burger. Other favorites include the Umami burger, which is covered with a smoked gouda cheese, a truffled duxelle, a peppery tograshi mayo and crispy bacon smeared with a sun-dried tomato confit, and the kimchi burger for those who love the vinegary tartness of kimchi, topped with the sweet flavor of chili paste aioli.
While the bops and the grilled goods make for great entree fillings, our taste buds exploded when we took our first bite into the decadent kimchi fries. Fries are toasted to crispy perfection, topped with tart kimchi lightly sauteed in sesame oil, and topped with a hearty portion of melted cheese, bacon, scallions and toasted sesame seeds; the perfect marriage of unhealthy and flavorful bites to make for the perfect savory side.
bopNgrill is casual, averages less than $12 a meal and is open daily.
bopNgrill is located at 6604 N. Sheridan Rd., and 1903 Church St. in Evanston.