Korean fried chicken and jazz tunes: It’s a pairing that’s done well in the affluent New Jersey suburbs. Now Baltimore will get to experience the combo, with Jazz + Soju set to open on the first floor of the high-end Anthem House apartment complex this Thursday.
The restaurant, sibling to Roosterspin, referenced above, with two locations in New Jersey, will specialize in double-fried chicken, made to order and brushed with house-made sauces. The menu also includes starters and shared plates (kimchi fries, fried oysters and Koreans dumplings, to name a few), rice and noodle dishes like fried rice, stir-fried udon noodles and bibimbap and entrees such as beef bulgogi and short ribs, among others.
A regular order of fried chicken goes for $18 and a large for $23. Rice or noodle dishes range from $13 to $16, and entrees from $15 to $25.
For drinks, the specialty is in the name. The restaurant will serve soju, a generally low-alcohol spirit made from rice liquor. A release says owner Michelle Min plans to infuse the liquor with various flavors and fruits, and offer house-specialty drinks.
The space will be lined with “thousands of jazz records,” per the release, and host live jazz performances on the weekends. The restaurant and bar occupies a roughly 2,300-square-foot space, with room for up to 100 patrons.
Jazz + Soju will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lunch hour will run until 2:30 p.m., with “an emphasis on quick serve food at reasonable prices.”
It’s the second restaurant to open at War Horse Cities’ nine-story, $100 million Anthem House, where apartments rent for anywhere from $1,535 for a studio to $5,075 for a two-bedroom with a den. The craft beer and coffee spot Amber opened in March in another space on the first floor.
