The sign at Annie's Asian Grill as it was being painted. Uploaded by anonymous.

Annie's Asian Grill is closed and has been replaced by Chicoichi Ramen.  

Annie's Asian Grill had filled a major culinary gap in Chico, by cooking up not only Japanese classics but authentic Korean food. Korean food is known for being both flavorful and spicy with a generous use of garlic. Annie's Tofu Soup (Soondubu chigae) is extremely flavorful with a traditional Korean red chile powder broth and an assortment of seafood, beef, and vegetables. It's a perfect choice for a cold day. Another choice treat is their Bibimbap, which can be ordered with meat or without on Fridays and Saturdays. In a piping-hot bowl, it comes with a bed of rice and an assortment of vegetables including sprouts, mushrooms, and spinach. And, as is traditional in South Korea, an egg is thrown on top. Mix it all together with a side of Kochu Chang (spicy red bean paste), and you've got an extremely delicious and healthful meal!

When Americans go to Korea, perhaps the first dish they eat is the "World famous" beef Bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef) or Galbi (short ribs). Annie's, of course, serves these two dishes but you don't get to cook your own meat. Galbi is perhaps the most fun for a group of people, since you share a large dish of grilled bite-sized short-ribs and various vegetable side-dishes. Put a bit of meat, marinated vegetables, and perhaps some Kochu Chang on to a lettuce leaf, ball it up, and stuff in to the mouth! Unfortunately, they don't have Samgyeopsal (pork belly — bacon) or Kimchi chigae but who knows, perhaps they'll make it as a special some day.

Now, a Korean dinner is incomplete without Kimchi. Some meals come with it as part of the Banchan (small side-dishes), but others don't so you can order a side of it for just over a buck. It's fresh made and very tasty.

When Annie's first opened, while not mentioned on the menu, they served Soju — an alcoholic beverage generally made from rice and sweet potatoes. It goes very well with Korean food but it's best with a group of people. But they no longer serve the beverage; cold sake will work in a pinch.

Of course, as mentioned before, they serve Japanese food including sushi. They even have a children's bento box.

Those who visited the premises in its former incarnation as hookah bar "Cafe Nile" may be surprised to find the patio has been reimagined by the new owners. A Koi pond with fountain has been installed, and space heaters and a mosquito-proof canopy make outside dining an option for nearly all seasons. Interior seating is limited but cozy.

Annie's Asian grill also has a little setup at the Thursday Night Market, by the giant blow-up slide across from the Downtown Post Office. Additionally they have attended other events such as the World Music Festival and Chico AirFest. Meals range in cost from $5 to $3 and include Korean and Japanese specialties.

Comments

2007-11-22 13:05:11   I'd like to note that I'm not a big fan of the romanization of the Korean language at Wikipedia. For example, I prefer Chi- instead of Jj- in Chigae, so keep that in mind if you're interested in researching Korean food on Wikipedia or elsewhere. Minor gripe for someone that barely knows the language :-) —RyanMikulovsky

2008-11-08 19:25:40   I went again and had their vegetarian udon soup with a side of kimchi (very crisp, flavorful) and green tea. Their green tea was loose leaf Genmai Cha (I think — because it had brown rice in it). Very nice. The udon was lightly flavored and had a bountiful amount of vegetables including asparagus spears, carrots, onions, snow peas, perhaps shiitake mushrooms. Always a pleasure to eat there and remind myself of how wonderful off-the-beaten path Asian food is. I only wish that I could afford to eat there regularly ;-) —RyanMikulovsky

2012-07-30 10:46:47   Closed :-( —131.89.129.236