Greenpoint’s Hana Makgeolli (201 Dupont St.), a tasting room and brewery dedicated to Korean rice wine, is hosting a one-night pop-up with Chef Ji Hye Kim, the owner of Ann Arbor’s popular Miss Kim and a four-time James Beard Award-nominated semifinalist.
On Sunday, April 14 from 2 p.m. – 10 p.m., Chef Kim will be preparing a special menu showcasing some popular dishes from her restaurant, as well as new dishes that are inspired by Korean Buddhist temple cuisine. The menu includes gluten-free and vegan and vegetarian-friendly selections.
Some items on the pop-up menu include Buddhist lotus roots with toasted nuts in doenjang and green pepper sauce, smashed potatoes with chili flakes and sesame, a beet and avocado salad, Korean baby back ribs, and Korean fried tofu with a sweet and spicy chili glaze.
Chef Kim’s signature dish, cacio e pepe tteokbokki, will also be available. This dish is an Italian twist on a beloved Korean street food with royal cuisine roots. It’s made with stir-fried cylindrical rice cakes cooked with parmigiano reggiano and black pepper.
The pop-up menu can be paired with Hana Makgeolli’s selection of makgeolli, available by the glass or carafe, and the brewery’s makgeolli-based cocktails. Guests can also enjoy a tasting flight to see the difference between the length of fermentation of the makgeolli.
The renowned Chef Kim was most recently named a semifinalist for “Best Chef: Great Lakes Region” for this year’s James Beard Awards, as well as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs of 2021.
Chef Kim is also a big fan of Hana Makgeolii and its head brewer, Alice Jun. “Alice is an inspiration,” she told Greenpointers.
“Up until we we were recently introduced, Alice probably just knew me as the instagram account that kept bugging her about selling her makgeolli in Michigan,” Kim said.
“When I finally got to meet Alice, visit Hana and taste her various makgeolli, I was blown away. I felt kinship with Alice and Hana Makgeolli: the care for the tradition was deep, yet it did not temper down the quiet innovation she’s leading in brewing makgeolli. Above all, the flavors are incredible. It’s unlike any makgeolli I’ve tasted, and I loved it.”
Chef Kim continued, “Immediately, I started dreaming of pairing her makgeolli with my food, also rooted in tradition but true to where I am. I am super excited for this collaboration so we can showcase that together.”
The feeling is mutual; Alice Jun has been a fan of Chef Kim since the opening of her restaurant in 2016. Jun told Greenpointers that “projects like Miss Kim in Ann Arbor stood as an inspiring example of how Korean gastronomy is taking hold across all parts of the U.S.,” when Jun was just starting out.
When the pair met in September 2023, Jun admitted to being “a bit nervous,” explaining that Hana Makgeolli had a brew day scheduled on the day Kim visited, and the situation could be “hot, sticky and laborious.”
“Of course, Chef Kim seemed right at home on the day of her visit, immediately rolling up her sleeves and digging her hands into steaming piles of rice,” Jun said. “Although breweries and kitchens are entirely different worlds, it’s these moments that you realize it’s the same sense of intuition and shared love for food/beverage/hospitality that guides us to make wine or food.”
“In the case of Hana x Miss Kim, the shared intuition creates the perfect pairing of flavor and intent that we hope to share with our guests on the night of our collaboration event,” said Jun.
Reservations for the Miss Kim x Hana Makgeolli pop-up can be made on Resy.