When Her Name Is Han was founded 10 years ago as the fourth restaurant in the burgeoning portfolio of the Hand Group, it rocketed to fame as a lunchtime destination for office workers. Located at 17 East 31st Street, it was far enough southeast of Koreatown to be free of the touristic hubbub, and offered set meals at bargain prices that often included a generous selection of banchan, soup, rice, and a main course. A lunch there was too much to finish. The food was earthy, homestyle, and Korean, but with flourishes that also made it seem a bit wild and experimental.
With memories of those early days in mind, I went with two friends recently. One of our number was decamping to Los Angeles, and we wanted to give him a final taste of some of the best Korean food found here – as distinct from L.A.
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