According to my interpreter, a regular patron handsomely dressed in a blazer and jeans and impeccable graciousness, Dal Paeng Yi translates to "snail." There were no snails on the menu, or hidden within the welcoming decor. After an extended parlay across the small dining room between my interpreter and the kitchen staff, I learned that the restaurant's name is borrowed from a mid '90s Korean pop song. The husband-and-wife owners, who double as the chefs, wanted South Koreans to recognize the familiarity and prettiness of the signal song in their eatery.

Pretty and cute—Korean connotations of snail—could be used to describe the dining room. Plants and ceiling-high trees, both real and artificial, create intimate nooks between the dozen or so tables. Partitions painted teal and forest green block diners' views from one another and match the wooden tables. The TV in the corner takes away from the intimacy of the place, but aside from one couple, the rest of the diners during my visit were single men. My interpreter cited the cleanliness of the place, the freshness of the vegetables and seafood, which is bought in Chinatown daily, as reasons for his frequent visits. He also noted that the food is consistently good because it is the same people cooking it all the time.

Most dishes are $9, from the hair tail to the mackerel to yellow corvina to the bul-go-gi, or stir-fried marinated beef. Though there are pork, chicken, beef and vegetable dishes galore (not to mention a rice omelet), the emphasis is on seafood. Tableside cooking is available for as few as three people and up to six. The mix has squid, crab, salmon, shrimp, octopus, and many vegetables ranging in price from $34 for 3, $44 for 4, and $54 for 6 people. Bi-bim-bop, steamed rice and veggies with Korean hot sauce for $8, is popular with foreigners like myself, according to my patron.

Centerstage Reviewer: Robert Duffer