Kim Cheese — Whiskey & Soba

Unlike those of you who work in Clayton or downtown, I don't have access to a lot of locally-owned lunch spots. I work in Creve Coeur, land of the chain restaurants. Even food trucks don't venture out here. One of the few bright spots we have on the culinary front is Kim Cheese - and now we have two of them! Their original location, just off 141 and Olive, is a tiny old place, but they've recently opened a second location near the AMC Creve Coeur Theater. If you're familiar with the area, it's in the spot where Oberweiss used to be. Sean Moon and the Kim Cheese family went all out on this place; it looks like a modern Korean take on Chipotle. With the opening of the new spot, they've also expanded their menu to include fish tacos, pork belly, hot wings, and even a new Kalbi burger.

This is a mix of a few recent trips. Below is the their [symple_highlight color="blue"]Bi Bim Bap Bowl[/symple_highlight] with spicy pork. Under that runny fried egg (I have never loved fried eggs more than when paired with Korean food) are cucumbers, water fern, carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, yu choi (Chinese greens), mixed spring greens, and rice. You take all that, toss a little of the spicy gochujang on top, then mix it up real good. The result is something like a Chipotle burrito bowl, just with a lot more veggies. This has become my go-to meal there, since if I can avoid the rice (I can't), it's pretty healthy.

If I'm feeling like a slightly smaller meal - usually the result of a visit to La Patisserie Chouquette the day prior - I'll go for the tacos. You can't tell from the pictures, but I got a crispy fish taco, a bulgogi beef taco, and, of course, a spicy pork taco. Whether here or at Seoul Taco, I cannot resist the spicy pork. Koreans know pork.

I just want to reiterate how delicious the spicy pork is. I've also been told by a trusted food friend that their quesadilla with spicy pork and kimchi is a perfect hangover cure.

The newest addition to the Kim Cheese family is their Kalbi burger. Kalbi is a marinated beef short rib typically grilled and served with veggies. These geniuses have taken the marinated kalbi, minced it up with some green onions and white onions, then turned it into a hamburger. You've seen short rib, right? It's got beautiful marbling - now imagine that as a burger patty. Mmmmmm, meat.

It's thrown onto a buttery Companion bun with some lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, and ketchup. This is all well and good, but to make it really delicious, you've got to throw some of the housemade BBQ sauce on there. It's got this spicy, smoky kick from the gochujang that sends shivers down my spine.

The burger is only available at the Creve Coeur location, currently.