Jeong — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Superb service. However, I'm genuinely puzzled by how this restaurant, with its inflated prices and lackluster offerings, has endured over the years. Although I really wanted to like it here, the experience fell flat, revealing a restaurant striving to emulate Michelin standards without a clear culinary identity. The only saving grace was the dessert; otherwise, the dishes lacked both creativity and depth of flavor.

The Kanpachi Hwe was merely a serving of raw fish, indistinguishable from what one might find at any casual venue in Korea, while the gochujang sauce was a standard chojang lacking any twist. The salmon tartare felt misplaced (as there was already raw fish served as a starter, and salmon is not really used in Korean cuisine), devoid of any doenjang-like richness that could have grounded its flavor. I also didn't understand why rice puff was used twice in two different dishes.

The courses seemed overly skewed toward seafood, with five out of six dishes featuring fish or shellfish, leaving little room for variety beyond the Australian Wagyu. Although the Wagyu was competently cooked, impressively tender and needing no knife, the pairing with a side of broccoli and cashews felt disjointed, adding little to the experience.

Dessert showed some inventive touches, but the Kkaetnip didn't taste good, and the Hi Chew - while conceptually interesting - leaned too heavily into sweetness. A mix of flavors could have elevated it, yet as it was, the makgeolli ice cream, honeycomb, and berry sauces created an unrelenting sweetness that became overwhelming.

The cost, at $395 for two tasting menus and four cocktails (before gratuity), felt unjustified. I might have left satisfied at less than half the price, but as it stands, the restaurant appears to lack the vision and finesse required of a high-end establishment. While service was flawless, the choice of 80s pop at a volume unsuited to the dining environment detracted further from the ambiance.

Ultimately, a clearer sense of direction and greater culinary innovation are needed. I suspect there aren't many returning patrons - and I won't be...

Jeong in Chicago - fine dining Korean tasting menu

Overall: 8.5-9/10 (I rated each indiv dish and food itself is an 8.25 but vibe, service and creativity bump it up imo)

Couldn’t find a reservation for Oriole so was looking for tasting menu and found this on opentable. Lots of Reddit comments also said this was one of the best tasting menus in the city (eater agrees as well).

Vibe as you can tell is great. Service was also amazing, very friendly - like they’re your friend level friendly.

Drinks: I got Barley Cocktail - 8.5/10 sweet and hints of barley Friend got gochujang cocktail - 6/10.. spicy….

Hwe w/ gochujang - 9/10 great opener, fresh and pack full of flavor in the sauce. Had toasted rice (?) corn thing - amazing texture

Shrimp - 9.5/10 quite possibly my fav dish of the night. Shrimp was cold which I thought I wouldn’t like but the sauce… the green sauce was an avocado puree or smth and it was seriously the star of the night.

Salmon Tartar - 8/10 good, crème fresh good w/ it and nice crunch with dwenjang thing

Fish cake thing - 7.5/10 - not mind blowing but sauce was amazing (recurring theme) and fish cake was softest one I’ve ever had

Scallop - 8/10, scallop itself wasn’t as good as Hokkaido scallop I had but had a good bite and crust to it. Once again sauce killed it.. seaweed wrapped roe was meh, didn’t understand that pairing

Australian wagyu - 7.5/10 - weakest dish imo surprisingly. No sauce but instead this seaweed thing to eat with it which added a nice sweet texture. Banchan was good but not amazing, rice was mushroom rice, really yummy

Kkaetnip Icee?? - 9/10 super creative and did NOT expect it to be delicious but it was soooo good. Loved it as a dessert

Hi-chew makkeoli - 9/10, house made hichew, rlly soft and amazing, ice cream yum, honey comb yum, berry...

I had a reservation for two at Jeong, but my dining partner’s flight got delayed, so it ended up being just me. They were so, so incredibly nice about it and let me pick my lonely table for one. Throughout the night, Jen continued to check in on me and honestly made my experience at Jeong so memorable. Jen, if you’re reading this, you are an absolute rockstar and you made my night!

Jeong serves an 8 course tasting menu for $150 per person. There are 6 savory courses, followed by 2 sweet courses. In late March, when I visited, the menu was: Bugeocuk. Cod Shimeji, Napa Gochugaru Salmon Tartare. Yuza. Dwenjang. Creme Fraiche. Crispy Rice Pearls Eomuk. Squash. Rutabaga. Sunflower Seeds Seared Scallop. Beurre Blanc. Spinach. Trout Roe. Chives JImmy Red Corn Grits, Duck Confit, Gim Jjangachi Frisee, Buchu Australian Wagyu. Carrot Veloute, Mokgeolli Pickled Cabbage Gamtae Bokbunja. Huckleberry. Crema. Shortbread. Ginger Boricha. White Chocolate. Streusel. Sesame. Ssuk

My favorite courses were the Salmon Tartare, the Seared Scallop, and the Jimmy Red Corn Grits. The Salmon Tartare was extremely fresh and the yuza really gave it a pop. The scallop was cooked absolutely perfectly, and paired very well with the spinach namul and trout roe. And well, I’m always a sucker for corn grits and this one came with duck confit!

The service was absolutely amazing. No notes, everyone was fantastic, whether it was my waitress or anyone who was helping her with service. Again, Jen was truly the highlight of the night. She was so friendly, so personable, and just really made me feel at home despite the fact that I was dining in a very clearly romantic spot by myself. It’s pricey, but...