Underappreciated gem features bold Korean flavor

For a place as good as Rice is, it's amazing more people don't know about it. The restaurant offers traditional Korean dining with friendly service in a large dining area - especially large since we were one of only three groups in the place. The same circumstances occurred on our second visit.

That's a shame, because the staff and chef showed us a fun and flavorful time. If there is justice, Rice will eventually find itself overrun with diners. However, in the fall of 2010, there's not always justice in the restaurant industry.

It has been a while since we feasted on Korean food, and for newcomers it can be a bewildering experience. But rest assured it is a delicious one, and your palate will become acquainted with a number of interesting new tastes and textures.

The restaurant is located in an extremely nondescript strip center on Hillsborough Avenue, about a mile west of the Veterans Expressway. It's situated in an area with several Korean establishments, and many of the customers were Korean as well. Our servers were bilingual and very helpful.

On our first visit, we opted for eating in the special barbecue section of the restaurant where you cook the meat at your table. This is available to customers who order at least two barbecue dinners, and if you buy three barbecue dinners you get the fourth free.

We ordered the Kodungsim Gui , a spicy pork that was somewhat fatty but very good, and the Galbi Gui , barbecued beef short ribs marinated in a special sauce that left them with a sweet taste. We'd pay good money for the marinade recipe.

The meat is brought to the table raw, along with 18 different bowls of side dishes. This is where the Korean dining experience excels.

The side dishes included various types of kimchi, Korea's most famous dish of highly seasoned fermented vegetables. Among the best was the cabbage kimchi, but the cucumber, radish and turnip also offered scrumptious and surprisingly varied tastes. Also served were soy bean sprouts, sweet potato stems, black beans, a spicy bean paste, a cooked egg and lettuce leaves.

Our waitress urged us to try out side dishes in whatever combo suited us, which is how we ended up with the pork/egg/bean paste on lettuce combo, which worked well. We also tried mixing the kimchi with just about everything, but as it happens, it's better on its own. We were told Koreans aren't concerned about table manners and were encouraged to dig in and enjoy ourselves. It's always nice to get permission to be sloppy.

On the second night we ate in the other section of the restaurant, where there is a row of secluded booths and one wall dominated by a television showing Korean programs. On that night, we ordered what turned out to be our favorite, the jeyuk gui , a spicy pork stir fry. It also came with rice and the usual array of side dishes. The dish is an excellent introduction to Korean dining. If you prefer beef to pork, try the bulgogee .

The Janjangmyum - a noodle dish with pork and black bean sauce - was surprisingly bland compared with the other dishes. The sachun jampong noodle dish, on the other hand, came with a blast of spicy flavor and seafood, and also gave us the chance to sample octopus (not bad). Another standout was also a simple, traditional dish - Denjang Jigea , bean paste in a hot broth with tofu and vegetables.

We also sampled both the green tea and red bean ice cream, both of which are acquired tastes we have not yet quite acquired. But, in all, it was a deeply satisfying and interesting experience, enhanced by a courteous and attentive wait staff. Our only wish was that more people were there to share it with us.