Charim St. Matthews Opened

What a find! Had dinner at Charim tonite with my friend Elizabeth. Really delicious. We had the fried dumplings, she had the Bibim Bap and I had the braised Mackerel. They now ask if you want the egg cooked or raw before it arrives so there are no worries about cooked strips.
We got to meet Yanni the gracious owner. She said that her goal is to cook authentic Korean food, that she would rather not be a fusion restaurant. As has been mentioned all her kimchi is home made and really delicious.
I can't wait to go back and try more- any one want to join me?

Me too!

Sounds like a good time to assemble the advance team and go.

I had dinner there a few nights ago, and I will be back soon. I had the kalbi (short ribs), and really enjoyed it. Instead of having the rib hunks, these were thinly sliced sections, each with a bit of bone. Well marinated, and very tender. An added tasty bonus was the sliced mushroom and onions underneath the meat.

Like an earlier poster, I was surprised by the peanuts, but gobbled them up. Um, Korean boiled peanuts? Not a dish I ever had when I lived there, but they were good. The cabbage kimchis were fresh and fermented -- both were excellent, as was the cucumber. I nibbled one of the peppers, but that was it. Pepper kimchi just seemed to be excessive.

The one dish I couldn't identify was the squares of some gelatinous substance with a light chili sauce. Very refreshing.

I'll be back. And will also have to make the trip out to Goose Creek for the other new place.

And did someone say Kim's had closed? Is that the one on Bishops Lane. I never made it out there.

And did someone say Kim's had closed? Is that the one on Bishops Lane. I never made it out there.

Kim's has closed, however the Korean place on Bishops Lane is Lee's. Still opened and very good. In an office building and not very fancy but nice service and food. Lot of Asians are usually eating in Lee's.

Thanks, Steve. Where was Kim's? I will try to get to Lee's soon. Everything I've read makes me do a forehead slap for not getting there yet. I like Koreana, and I've tried the places in Radcliff (working at Knox makes that easy). Love the food, although some is too hot for me.

[Robin Garr]

Where was Kim's?

Kim's was on East Market, mostly, in the place that now houses Mayan Cafe. Kim's briefly moved to Frankfort Avenue (next door to the Clifton Walgreen's) but went back to East Market before the owner eventually retired. I never liked Kim's as much as some people do.

I've tried the places in Radcliff (working at Knox makes that easy). Love the food, although some is too hot for me.

Damn Holly, I wish I'd known you work at Knox! I was there yesterday and was trying hard to find someplace interesting (but not too interesting as Donna was with me) to eat. We ended up at Carolines. It would have been great to have a local foodie familiar with the area to have lunch with or at least advise. I know now!

I'm also craving some more Old Speckled Hen and bacon ice cream so I need to get over to the Blind Pig soon. Your at the end of the bar right? Cheers!

Sorry I let this slip- I'll be happy to organize an off line.
I'll call them tomorrow or Mon and see what they have to offer- I'll tell them to keep price low so more can attend.
I'll let you know what I find out.

Does Charim take reservations? Would one need a reservation for a Saturday night?

Yes they do- 290-8900.
I've heard it can get busy on weekends.

This is the real deal. The place is very comfortable and they could not have been nicer. I had a conversation with the owner. She is really passionate about her food and is resisting "advice" to dumb it down. For health reasons she wants to cook home style meals without all the salt, sugar and msg. You can certainly taste the difference in her sauces and the quality of the kim chi and side dishes. Boy, I hope this one stays around a long time.

Going tomorrow night! This thread has been great! Will report our findings!

We had lunch there this week, and I'll jump on the bandwagon. The Bim bim bap was great, the kimchi, peanuts, and fish cake were tasty, and the owner couldn't have been nicer. She shared stories about Korean food and culture with us. Wonderful experience. Wish them luck.

Just got back from dinner. Wow.

You could not have received kinder, more patient and warm service anywhere. Absolutely wonderful. The place was buzzing with customers when we arrived and stayed that way throughout.

We sampled all kinds of things, I think we had about half of the menu. Everything was great! The kimchi was incredible and the appetizer portion was HUGE!
Based on everything said here I tried the Hot Stone Bowl Bibim Bap. The egg came served on top and I heartily mixed it in! What a pleasure! The spicy sauce set the whole thing off!

Our dining companions had ordered another dish with some manner of rice cake that was tubular and yielding and served with a red sauce. The texture was unlike anything I had eaten before. With the sauce it was absolutely amazing!

My wife had a dish which was described in part as " delicious non-fat clear noodles." This was intriguing to her on the menu and she was over the moon about it. The noodles were the perfect foundation for the dish and the shiitake mushrooms imparted a flavor that really took the dish to a new level.

We will be back to Charim and soon, probably for lunch! Wonderful!

Sounds like a good time to assemble the advance team and go.

The Advance Team approves. Charim is a keeper.

Tried to go today for a late lunch. They stop lunch service at 2:30 and then reopen for dinner at 5 ish. Oh well, we had a lovely late lunch at Havana Rumba. The smoked honey on the sweet potato fries is addictive.