Suzie's Noon Hour Grill

I waited til the last minute to throw this nomination up because, selfishly, it's already hard enough to get into this tiny spot and enjoy Suzie's delicious food!! But in the name of all that is GNR holy, Noon Hour Grill belongs in the pantheon of wonderful neighborhood restaurants and should be denied no longer!

Enjoying a bulgogi & kimchi omelet (YES processed white cheese has never tasted so good!) while watching Suzie's zen-calm-but-with-a-twinkle ballet in that tiny kitchen is a wonderful thing.

D4v3 said it best:

Not fancy, but full of heart and Seoul.

And a few other folks said some nice things too...

PIGMON -

I'm not really sure if sentimentality kicked in big or what but all I know is that this bi bim bop, with its brown rice, homemade Gochujang (she also makes her own kimchee), molten fried egg, and gobs of marinated beef (bulgogi), had us looking at each other trying to figure out if the other could really be enjoying it anywhere near as much.

The GP -

There is something so comforting about a bowl of Susie's bi bim bop.

Laikom -

The quality and attention to detail concerning everything about Noon Hour Grill was top notch. I'm still thinking about the bowl of bibimbap a few days later - telling everyone about it.

dv43 -

Susie is amazing. She still does all the cooking, serving and busing herself… It is the only restaurant where I have an overwhelming urge to hug the owner (although I am afraid of crushing her).

jefe -

I was instantly charmed by my first experience here. Very nice, like many have said, maybe the best version around.

RAB -

This omelet is the only thing I'll ever order at Noon Hour. It was just that good. Something about how the american cheese melded with the mellow kimchi and tender bulgogi just worked perfectly.

and last, but not least, Jazzfood says it all -

It resonates on many levels and to me, a GNR if there ever was one.

Suzie's been around for a while (like 30+ years I think) so there are a few threads with notable mentions of Noon Hour Grill and it's prior incarnations:
Main Noon Hour Thread
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=38765
Bi Bim Bop Thread
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1920&start=60
Pusan House
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5234

Noon Hour Grill certainly feels (and tastes!) to me like a GNR!

6930 N Glenwood Ave
Chicago, IL 60626
(773) 338-9494

Ma favorite restaurant in Chicago. Okinowa scramble side of hash browns is a perfect breakfast.

I am a huge fan of the Noon Hour Grill. Great Korean home cooking by Suzie, one of the nicest people I've met. I support this nomination (hoping though that this tiny place doesn't get too overwhelmed!)

A few yrs ago when I found out Suzie was back in her old Pusan House digs, I had to go. Living in E Rogers Pk in the late 70's-early 80's, I used to frequent Poolgogi and Pusan House on Morse and Glenwood regularly. In fact they pretty much were my benchmark for Korean food outside some of the nurses I worked with @ Edgewater Hospital @ the time (pre lying my way into a chef gig). Hadn't seen Suzie since. Shuffling over to take my order, we started talking. She remembered me, pointed to a table of college students and said "you used to look like them". And I did, but she still looks the same, and cooks the same too. In the way few things can make you feel- you can go home (I get the same feeling @ Al's or Dues). So if you'd like the superb fusion of a poolgogi omelet w/cheese, or some badass bibimbap, then this owner operated one person hole-in-the-wall deserves a yes on GNR.

boudreaulicious wrote:
jefe -

I was instantly charmed by my first experience here. Very nice, like many have said, maybe the best version around.

I believe I meant the Bi Bim Bap, but yes, eating at Noon Hour might have been the best version of a first experience around!

I would say "they don't make them like this any more", but I don't think I am old enough to have experienced many spots like this (well, maybe Podhalanka). As I said in the main thread, I know, first hand, from former students of mine that Suzie continues to nourish (and introduce kimchi to) new generations of Roger's Park rapscallions. This institution is more than just the stuff of nostalgia for the oldsters around here, Noon Hour Grill is a true community hub, an Ur-GNR.

And I have this place to thank for an ~unhealthy~ urge to melt American cheese on all my Korean food.

Jefe wrote:I wish every neighborhood had a Suzie.

I can't think of a more deserving nomination this year. Noon Hour is a one of a kind treasure, which Chicago is lucky to have. I joked that it should not receive a GNR because poor Suzie won't be able to keep up with an increased interest in her restaurant, but I know that isn't true because I have seen her in action. She has no problem turning away people who wanted to be "put on the waiting list", they get a "no waiting list, you come back later" as she shoos them out the door. You don't go to Noon Hour for fast service, she gets to you when she is ready. To say it's worth the wait is an understatement, and when she finally makes it to your table she is all smiles.

The food, all excellent, consists of some of the best renditions of classics you'll find like the Yuk Gae Jang and Bibimbap (ask for it with brown rice), but you won't want to leave without trying the American hybrid dishes. My favorite being the bulgogi and kimchi omelet, served with a side of hash browns of course (hand grated fresh to order over the flat top). They also serve the kinda hard to find, and uniquely Chicago invention, the octogawa (Akutagawa) scramble.

As I've already said, there is not a more deserving GNR nomination this year, yes!