Currently, Cafe on 39th Street is open every day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and serves omelets, French toast, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, cheeseburgers, Japanese teriyaki chicken, and three Korean bulgogi dishes. "But the only thing that was selling, really selling, was the bulgogi," Jamison says. "So I'm thinking of turning the restaurant into a Korean restaurant open for lunch and dinner."
Jamison would like to know what Fat City readers think of her idea. "I think I need to make this change fast," she says.
Jamison hasn't had the best luck finding a successful tenant for 1726 West 39th Street. After the owners of Bell Street Mama's moved out to take over the former Nichols Lunch location (it closed for good earlier this month), Jamison rented to a short-lived restaurant, Thai Garden. She says she opened Cafe on 39th Street to help a couple of friends who were out of work.
"The breakfast business was never very good," Jamison says. "We first opened at 7 a.m., and no one came. Then we opened at 8 a.m., and a few people came in. And then we opened at 9 a.m. and got a lot busier. But it was basically only busy on weekends."
Korean-born Jamison noticed that the most requested dishes were the grilled bulgogi - spicy pork, grilled pork and barbecue-style beef - served on white-hot metal platters with fresh vegetables. That's when she got the idea that maybe a traditional Korean restaurant, serving bulgogi, short ribs, noodles dishes and dumplings, would be a better fit for the international flavor of 39th Street."I've been thinking of what to call the restaurant if I did make the change," Jamison says. "I've gotten suggestions like Taste of Seoul, Seoul on 39th Street, Seoul 39, and things like that." (I suggested "Seoul Train," but Jamison didn't get it. I'm not sure I did either.)
Jamison realizes that she'll need to make a decision soon, because a full-service Korean restaurant will require a liquor license. "People like a cold beer with Korean barbecue," she says.
Fat City readers are encouraged to weigh in on Jamison's decision in the comments section.
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