Hee Been: "Fortunate Guests" Enjoy Seafood Korean Style (Alexandria, Virginia)

Hee Been, meaning “Fortunate Guest,” a family owned and operated restaurant, opened at its present location on March 3, 1994. The mother of the owner opened its namesake and predecessor in Seoul in 1964. The owner/chefs are Mr. Won Ung Kim and his wife, originally from Wonsan and Hamhung in North Korea. Their first son, Min Soo (Mike) Kim, is the manager. The Decor Mike Kim, an architectural graduate of the University of Maryland, obviously had a hand in the innovative design of the two and a half million dollar renovation that tripled the restaurant’s size. The 340 seat restaurant is beautifully laid out; it is divided into several distinct dining areas. The first things that meet one’s eye are the gracious mahogany decor and chefs working in a large “state of the art” glass enclosed kitchen island at the middle of the 200 seat main dining room. On one side there is a large, western style section that can be closed off for private gathering. On the other side is a well lit, modern sushi bar. An attractive Korean style wing has both a large open room and several private rooms with low tables and cushions. A second state of the art kitchen is in the rear. The Chef The chef, Mr. In Hee Lee, can usually be observed in the central kitchen skillfully slicing, stirring and presiding over the hustle and bustle. He has more than thirty years experience as a chef for the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, where he was in charge of banquets for foreign dignitaries and government officials, including Presidential dinners in Korea and abroad. Chef Lee said, “The longer I live, the more I appreciate our culinary heritage. I’m rediscovering the wisdom and ingenuity of our ancestors. I think our food tradition is founded on a healthy,tasty diet. It is ancient, yet modern.” The Cuisine According to Mr. Kim, Hee Been proudly serves traditional Korean regional dishes. There are no fusion dishes here, but he says the restaurant is eager to innovate with its menu, especially in the variety of small dishes offered at the sushi bar, which includes kimbap (Korean sushi), chicken quesadilla, wings, spicy shrimp, calamari salad and stuffed pastries. Haemul chongol (seafood hotpot), served in Korean seaport towns, is the most popular seafood dish at the flourishing Hee Been Restaurant in Northern Virginia. One of the restaurants signature dishes, haemul chongol is boiled in a shallow chongol pot at the guests’ table, surrounded by an assortment of banchan (side dishes). Brimming with an assortment of colorful cod, monkfish, shrimp, clams, crab, octopus, mussels and lobsters, the dish may remind some of French bouillabaisse, but its taste is uniquely Korean. The spicy broth, laden with chopped garlic, red hot pepper powder, large sweet green onions and other sweet vegetables, is responsible for its exquisite flavor. Recognition Hee Been is one of the most popular Korean restaurants in the DC metropolitan area. For years it has been consistently rated among the top one hundred restaurants and has two stars from the Washington Post and the Washingtonian Magazine. The Post’s restaurant critic Phyllis Richmond named it one of her top 50 restaurants in the area. When asked how the restaurant has been able to maintain its excellent reputation for more than a decade, Manager Kim pointed to the restaurant’s obsession with cleanliness, its well trained and friendly sixty member staff, its cozy atmosphere, the care it takes in selecting fresh ingredients and its focus on every detail, from food preparation to the beautiful Korean style waitress costumes, specially ordered from Seoul by his mother. Future Plans Hee Been Restaurant has plans to expand globally, first to Canada, Japan and Korea. Quick Facts Hee Been Restaurant 6231 Little River Turnpike Alexandria, VA 22312 Phone/FAX: (703) 941-3737 Website: http://heebeen.com From article by Hi Soo Hepinstall