chiko

chiko
423 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 558-9934

what was consumed: chicken spring roll, cumin lamb stir fry (noodles), wagshal's brisket

short for chinese korean, chiko is a welcome addition to the DC eating scene. located near eastern market on barrack's row, this fast casual restaurant can get super crowded (no reservations!), but it is totally worth the wait.

bjl and i head over for my birthday. while this was a more casual meal for a birthday, i'd been wanting to try out chiko for some time. i'd heard that one of the chefs is also the chef/owner of mandu. definite bonus points, imo. we walked over right church, beating the large crowd that almost immediately followed us (great timing!). we were seated at the "bar" (it is a 4-seat bar that is usually reserved for those doing the tasking menu, which i wished we were doing), and that was great because we got to see the kitchen staff put together all the meals.

some of the dishes (like the wagshal's brisket) really reminded me of some dishes i used to eat as a kid (though, admittedly, what i ate was not as fancy as chiko's version!). but the slab of butter that binds the bowl together was not only delicious, but also brought back so many happy memories of yummy dishes my mom would make in my childhood. YUM.

bjl and i gifted one of the "kitchen counter" meals to c and j for christmas and they totally loved it. note that it's a little bit of everything on the menu, so be sure to have an empty stomach and be ready to gorge on some delicious food! i can't wait to go back.

online: chikodc.com/