DANCEN GRILL

Dancen is a small, somewhat claustrophobic spot that's probably the best known of Chicago's Korean bars simply because its food is among the best. It's bare-bones inside, and often swelteringly hot thanks to its most pleasing aesthetic feature, a blazing open grill behind the bar that flares ceilingward often enough that I always try to score a seat near the door in case hell breaks loose. Those gouts of flame are produced by Dancen's claim to fame: buldak or "fire chicken," a relatively recent dish from Korea, but one of its most painfully spicy. Here chicken marinated in chile, gochuchang, soy, and rice syrup is brought directly to the grill and flensed from its bones. It stays on the fire a long time, where it picks up a pleasing smoky char. It's served with the bones, which are fun to gnaw on after you've eaten the tender nuggets-if your jaw isn't locked in a rictus of pain. A side of raw cabbage dressed with Thousand Island accompanies it, but a better way of mitigating the heat..

Primary location: Chicago United States