Soju's Succumbed

The upscale korean restaurant 'Soju' here in wicker park (near my office) has succumbed to the neighborhood. The three forks they got in december 1999 couldn't save them from the growing influence of hipsters and trixies.

From a menu left in the office mailbox:

"Newly Remodeled & Expanded Menu:

We have recently expanded our menu to continue to provide you with all the traditional items you loved already while giving you a chance to bring in all your friends. The additional sushi and pacific rim dishes are still made with the freshest ingredients and our loving care."

Their new self-description:

"Pacific Rim Cuisine w/a Korean emphasis.

Sushi and take-out available

Open nightly for dinner

Bar open till 2 Thur-Sat
Late Night Sushi
Exotic Martini Lounge
Traditional Cocktails"


I can't say I ever ate there (I'll head up north for my korean), but it certainly is quite a shock to look at the menu and see fried calamari, marinated portobellos, and a seared tuna salad. Something of a departure from their old menu.

I'm just waiting for them to offer a kimchee-tini. Vodka and kimchee in a cocktail glass. Should be exciting.

Soju
www.sojuchicago.com
1745 W. North Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773.782.9000

Soju, from the day it opened, was aimed squarely at your hipsters and "Trixies." I say that having dined at the restaurant before it had a license to sell its namesake.

Yeah, I'd gotten that impression before (from the decor, among other things). It seems they're hiding it less, now, though.

-ed

I talked with the owner a long time ago (i.e. around the time JeffB went there). He was looking for a cook and would NOT hire a Korean, because they insisted on making the food - well - Korean.

That said, Soju was pretty tasty and eased me gently into what seemed back then to be the strange world of Korean food.

And being a bit of a hipster myself , I would like to say for the record that the trixies are becoming the predominate influence in Wicker Park as of late. (Is there a need for TWO cigar stores ?!?!?!?!)

vegmojo

Oh, definitely, the trixies *are* taking over. The hipsters are moving to Logan Square and Pilsen, primarily Pilsen. No doubt myopic books will give way to a second starbucks, reckless will become a virgin records microstore, and cans will start serving canned apple- and sake-tinis.

Me, I'm a geek/trixie/hipster hybrid. I just moved into logan square with my golden retriever, work for a porn company in wicker park keeping their site running, and I have one republican friend who I refer to as "my one republican friend".

It makes it hard to NOT be self-loathing.

-ed

gleam wrote:cans will start serving canned apple- and sake-tinis.

Cans was a trixie bar to begin with, IMO.