"You’ll find banchan at most Korean restaurants in Koreatown, but Soban goes beyond. There are 16 different side dishes here, from vinegar-y lotus root and shishitos to excellent boiled potatoes. When it comes to main courses, the black cod is the specialty—it’s slow-braised, and comes with a spicy red sauce and radishes. It’s very good, but we like the simple, pleasantly salty short rib galbi jjim stew even more." - brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins