Dok Suni

Swimster warned me on Wednesday that he had a surprise planned for Thursday night. I didn't know what it involved but I was told not to eat anything the whole day because we were going to load up on something yummy. When I asked where he was taking me for dinner he said it wasn't actually a dinner, but rather a "big snack."

On my walk home last night, dodging honking taxis and the Thursday night party set, I called and tried guessing where we were headed. Turns out one of my guesses was correct. We were going for French fries at Pommes Frites. Swimster was so disappointed I ruined the surprise he decided we couldn't go there anymore. Not to mention I was so hungry I didn't think a plate of fries would really do the trick, although I do have a SEVERE potato tooth...

Swimster is Korean and since we started dating over a year and a half ago, I have been introduced to and turned onto Korean cuisine. Kimchi, bulgogi, and bibimbap makes for a great evening and one full stomach. He had done his research and found a place he wanted to try outside of "Koreantown" in the 30s. Dok Suni was the place and a convenient 10 blocks away.

We walked in and were greeted by the friendly hostess and the nice air conditioner (it's September and we're still cutting the heat and humidity here). We were told it would be about a 10-minute wait. We were in no rush and I could afford a few minutes of down time to ring up Mom and Dad on their cross country trek.

Dok's small dining room and bar are dimly lit with Asian lanterns. Its walls are adorned in a sort of wallpaper of vintage Korean writings. The combination of lighting and decor (and garlic aroma) make for a very cozy and romantic setting. Dok was off to a good start.

We had been sitting for barely 10 minutes when we were asked to switch tables. We had been seated at a 4-top and a party of 6 walked in. This might have aggravated some people, but the fact we hadn't even started our dinner yet made it not a big deal. The table we ended up at was right next to the window so we could people watch. (One of the highlights of the evening was watching some imbecile in a Toyota 4-runner ram his way into a compact parallel parking spot. He kept trying to shove the surrounding cars to make room for his until finally he gave up and pulled away. Some people...)

Menu memorables: We started off with an order of fried dumplings. They were actually vegetarian-friendly stuffed with ground vegetables. One order had 6 small dumplings and I was tempted to order another. They were that good. Very light on the dumpling side, not thick like the Chinese version. For the main course Swimster ordered soft tofu stew, which kind of surprised me. Swimster's a meat and potato kind of guy, but when I noticed it came with squid, oysters, and clams it made more sense. I ordered bibimgooksu, which I had never noticed at a Korean restaurant before, because it had the vermicelli noodles I love. Lastly we ordered the dak galbi, marinated chicken, to share. My meal was excellent, served in a large black bowl with julienned cucumbers, beef and the cold spicy noodles I love. The sauce was a little on the watery side (because they add ice cubes to keep the noodles cold) but it still maintained its spiciness. The beef was salty and melted in my mouth and as I got closer to the bottom of the bowl, I wished there was more. The spiciness caught up with me after several bites and this was my red flag to slow down and drink some water. I finished the entire thing, which Swimster says is normal and expected. It's impolite to leave food behind by Korean standards. Thank goodness. Swimster's stew was right up his alley-lots of broth and lots of tofu and seafood. I'm not a huge fan of these brothy dishes, which Swimster says characterize Korean cuisine, but he seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. I tried a spoonful and was surprised with how spicy it was. Its bright red color and the amount of red chili pepper flakes should have given that away. The server must have gotten a good feel for how much Swimster eats because she brought him 2 bowls of rice, which he appreciated very much and finished without any trouble. The chicken we ordered was cut into bite-size pieces, perfect for my level of chopstick mastery. It was tender and marinated in a sweet barbecue sauce...a definite must.

The only disappointment the whole night was the lack of galbi-tang on the menu. Swimster gets this at every Korean restaurant, like I order the bibimbap.

I can't forget to mention the server who had moved us from table to table brought us a large bottle of OB, Korean beer, for switching tables without a fuss. This was such a nice and unnecessary gesture and we will be the first to volunteer to switch tables the next time...

Lastly, when our check was brought to the table it came with 2 tall shot glasses of a sweet cinnamon water. I guessed it right and when Swimster asked the waitress how they made it she replied, "Boil water, cinnamon, sugar and ginger." A perfect touch to the end of a great meal.

Swimster and I are both really excited to have made the discovery of Dok and when we get the next pang to go Korean, (which is often) we will hurry back.





*no reservations and CASH ONLY*
119 First Ave., between St. Marks Pl. and 7th St.
212-477-9506