SEAReview
photo credit: Nate Watters
By Tae
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Included In
Good comfort food packs a punch when the weather blows. A Korean meal at 손맛 By Tae, however, takes this a step further and slaps a rainy day in its sorry, soggy face.
If you recognize the name, that’s because 손맛 By Tae used to be a sushi counter that served excellent hand rolls before they closed in early 2021. Now, they’ve reopened in a brand new Beacon Hill space, but you won’t find any raw fish here. In fact, version 2.0 prioritizes hot food by way of two important tools: fire and a glass food warmer.
Fire sounds obvious, but 손맛 By Tae works a flame with the precision of glass blowers and medieval dragons, as evidenced by perfectly seared hamburg steak, chicken that’s flawlessly tender in the middle yet crisp on the outside, and a gingery grill-marked pork loin with caramelized onions. We also love the supporting characters on those rice bowls, from tangy homemade kimchi to napa slaw tossed in a sweet dressing that we’d eat by the bucketful. And fire also is undoubtedly important for simmering sujebi, a kimchi stew with braised chicken thigh and chewy hand cut noodle mounds that plump up with spicy broth.
The other key tool that 손맛 By Tae uses is a glass food warmer, which is on display at the bar and houses foil-wrapped snacks like pinto burritos, shredded mozzarella-topped burgers, and spam and yellow american sliders slick with creamy scallion mayo. Sure, we don’t know exactly how long they’ve all been sitting there, but it doesn’t matter—the indirect steam is what makes the ingredients in these cheesy packages mingle, melty, and magnificent. Who knew that the same lightbulb-powered apparatus that keeps nachos hot ‘n gloopy at the movie theater also produces such nuanced treasures? Think about it over an ice-cold Manhattan.
If a gray, rumbling sky is suggesting that you’re better off staying home, 손맛 By Tae challenges that with teal walls, classic films playing in the background, and a buzzing atmosphere of people sipping soup at the bar with soju sodas, or friends clinking burgers together like glasses of bubbly. If more people knew that that’s what a Seattle rainy day is really like, nobody would complain about it ever again.
Food Rundown
Tim’s Jalapeño Chips & Onion Dip
Spam Slider
Bean & Cheese Burrito
Cheeseburger
Chicken Sujebi
Chicken Leg
Hamburg Steak
Pork Loin