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Khmai Will School Loyola and Rogers Park in the Ways of Cambodian Brunch
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<figcaption>Khmai chef and owner Mona Sang is about to shake up Chicago’s brunch scene. | <a class="ql-link" href="http://jackxli.co/" target="_blank">Jack X. Li</a>/Eater Chicago</figcaption>
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<p>Rogers Park will soon welcome a pair of Cambodian restaurants from chef Mona Sang</p> <p id="mPOena">Loyola University students at the school’s Rogers Park campus are about to be schooled in the ways of Cambodian cuisine. Their lesson will be taught by Mona Sang, the chef behind Khmai Fine Dining. It’s been nearly six months since Sang closed the original location of her decorated restaurant. The Cambodian refugee is <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2024/2/2/24055873/khmai-cambodian-restaurant-mona-sang-new-location-loyola-university-rogers-park">poised to double down on the neighborhood</a> that supported her, pushing Khmai to <a href="https://www.eater.com/23341194/eaters-best-new-restaurants-2022">one of the 2022’s Best New Restaurants in America</a>.</p>
<p id="pcoQ27">Sang’s opening <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2024/3/12/24094733/best-new-restaurants-chicago-opening-spring-2024">a pair of restaurants</a> on Loyola’s campus. Beyond a supercharged return of Khmai, adorned with a black and gold color palette and <em>Bridgerton</em>-inspired Regency-style table settings, Sang will unveil the more casual <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2024/4/16/24131980/kaun-khmai-cambodian-street-food-restaurant-bar-chef-mona-sang-rogers-park-loyola-university-chicago">Kaun Khmai</a> — “child of Khmai” in Khmer — an all-day affair with fun cocktails and Cambodian street food. Sang says she created the new addition to better serve the neighborhood, and not depend on the university community. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if a cheaper option would attract more students and faculty. Sang will also launch the city’s only Cambodian brunch services at both restaurants alongside dinner. Sang hopes to reveal breakfast and lunch service in August.</p>
<p id="35FmJc">“It’s a lot,” Sang admits. “When you’re opening a restaurant, one thing gets fixed and then five other things break. We have two restaurants with two different menus coming from one kitchen, so we’re trying to perfect that [process].”</p>
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<cite><a class="ql-link" href="http://jackxli.co/" target="_blank">Jack X. Li</a>/Eater Chicago</cite>
<figcaption>Khmai’s egg rolls have earned a devoted following.</figcaption>
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<p id="JjidDx">The new Khmai stands inside a Loyola University-owned space at 6580 N. Sheridan Road on the ground floor of the Hampton Inn. Hotel guests generally expect daytime options, and Sang is eager to deliver a menu with unique items like fresh croissants filled with lychee or kumquat cream, congee with blood sausage, and num por peay — glutinous rice flour stuffed with yellow mung bean and topped with coconut cream. </p>
<p id="6EIQ7S">Kaun Khmai’s weekend brunch menu will also include doughnuts from suburban bakery <a href="https://www.gurneedonuts.com/">Gurnee Donuts</a>, owned by Sang’s friend and fellow first-generation Cambodian American Kevin Lee. Cambodians have played a <a href="https://la.eater.com/2022/6/1/23064652/los-angeles-cambodian-doughnut-shops-next-generation">significant role in the U.S. doughnut industry</a>, particularly in California — a story detailed at length in the 2020 documentary <a href="https://www.donutkingmovie.com/"><em>The Donut King</em></a>. </p>
<p id="wJ34s4">Sarom Sieng — <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2022/8/24/23290861/khmai-new-fine-dining-restaurant-cambodian-traditional-khmer-chicago-rogers-park">Sang’s mother and source of culinary inspiration</a> — and Lee’s parents are survivors of the <a href="https://gsp.yale.edu/case-studies/cambodian-genocide-program">Cambodian genocide</a>, an era from 1975 to 1979 when the totalitarian Khmer Rouge regime murdered between 1.5 and 2 million people. <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2023/4/11/23677633/hermosa-cambodian-chicago-ethan-lim-cambodian-futures-documentary-pbs">Fellow Cambodian American chef Ethan Lim of Hermosa</a> has also shared parts of <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2023/4/11/23677633/hermosa-cambodian-chicago-ethan-lim-cambodian-futures-documentary-pbs">his family’s story of survival</a> in interviews and the award-winning <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2023/4/24/23691606/ethan-lim-cambodian-futures-pbs-documentary-hermosa-restaurant-chicago">PBS documentary short <em>Cambodian Futures</em></a><em>.</em></p>
<p id="5zCj8i">At the restaurants, Sang has opted to home in on serving her neighbors in Rogers Park rather than purely devoting her efforts to luring Loyola students — an inconsistent presence in the area thanks to the churn of the school year. But Sang is also the mother of an incoming Loyola freshman and spent recent weeks testing recipes on her student employees. She’s noticed that many of them miss eating home-cooked meals and hopes to eventually create low-cost meal kits that students can purchase and make themselves. </p>
<p id="tUkMOJ">At the outset, staff will seat diners for both restaurants in the 40-seat Kaun Khmai space or on a 30-seat patio. Stay tuned for news of an opening date. </p>
<p id="oAZ9EH"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/khmaichicago/"><em>Khmai</em></a> <em>and Kaun Khmai, 6580 N. Sheridan Road, Scheduled to open in June.</em></p>
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Smoky, Hot, and Sticky Sweet: South Carolina Barbecue Arrives on Clark Street
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<figcaption>Briny Swine features St. Louis ribs cooked over oak in 100-foot Lang smokers. | <a class="ql-link" href="http://barrybrecheisen.com/" target="_blank">Barry Brecheisen</a>/Eater Chicago</figcaption>
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<p>Briny Swine smokes whole hog barbecue and seafood in Lincoln Park</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap" id="1CXK1w">The former Blockbuster Video space along Clark and Wrightwood wasn’t made to house two 100-foot Lang barbecue smokers. Brandon and Katherine Rushing had to significantly alter the ventilation to accommodate their new restaurant, <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2022/9/15/23354950/briny-swine-chicago-barbecue-lincoln-park-carolina">Briny Swine Smokehouse and Oyster Bar</a>.</p>
<p id="fY1Urc">The same space was home to <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/venue/hopcat">HopCat</a>, the Michigan beer bar. During the fall, it was also a frequent popup space for Spirit Halloween. Briny Swine’s crews kept the bar in the same space, and the Rushings hope their South Carolina barbecue and find a Chicago niche with folks who like bourbon, beer, and barbecue. They’ll even stay open until 2 a.m. giving the stretch of Clark Street, which has recently seen the closures of Frank’s and Field House, a charge. Even as the <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/venue/wiener-circle">Wiener Circle</a> taunts the new restaurant from across the street.</p>
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<figcaption>South Carolina barbecue specializes in pork, but Briny Swine also serves seafood, chicken, and turkey.</figcaption>
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<p id="DJOMZB">This is the Rushings’ third restaurant. They run a Briny Swine in Edisto Beach, South Carolina; and <a href="https://www.ellaandollies.com/about-us">Ella & Ollies</a>, which opened in 2016. Those restaurants will continue as the Rushings move to Chicago with their daughter. Barbecue joints have a certain aesthetic with metal trays and red and white checkered tablecloths. Brandon Rushing says they’ve incorporated some of those standards, but tailored them to Chicago’s big-city tendencies. Rushing also says to look for live music on most nights.</p>
<p id="RPO88V">“It’s not your trays and your plastic ramekins kind of thing,” he says. “You know, it’s a little bit more elevated than that — I think that kind of brings out more of the seafood side and the oyster side of things as well.”</p>
<p id="8AOkXs">Briny Swine features South Carolina-style barbecue, which focuses on pork, or whole hog cooking. Brandon Rushing smokes his meat with oak and they’ll have mustard and vinegar sauces on hand. Look for pulled pork and St. Louis spare ribs. Rushing is also proud of his brisket, so beef fans are in luck. </p>
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<figcaption>The St. Louis ribs are smoked over oak.</figcaption>
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<p id="M2NGge">Chicago borrows much from Memphis’ barbecue traditions with its sweet and smoky barbecue sauce. South Carolina focuses on dry rub, but Swiny Brine will offer five sauces: Alabama White (mayo, vinegar, water, mustard, horseradish, black pepper), Carolina Gold (mustard-based, vinegar, sugar, ketchup), pepper vinegar (pepper, vinegar, pepper flakes, sugar), red (ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar), and a spicy red variant with chipotle.</p>
<p id="36rhCw">Being part of Lowcountry cuisine, there’s also a variety of seafood options including blackened grouper sandwiches and shrimp rolls. Rushing says it was a task to properly source oysters. The oysters (from Chesapeake, Virginia are salty. He serves them with jalapeño and country ham and fried. For the colder months, he wants to bring a southern tradition to Chicago, the oyster roast.</p>
<p id="mo7plH">Chicago may be a sausage town, just ask it, but Briny Swine is offering it something unique: onion sausage. <a href="https://la.eater.com/2021/8/12/22606560/los-angeles-black-owned-barbecue-southern-california">Phil Martin of LA’s Black Cat BBQ</a> is one of Rushing’s mentors. And he inspired the sausage which is made with pork (instead of the traditional venison) and tons of onions.</p>
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<figcaption>Live music is a daily feature.</figcaption>
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<figcaption>The boiled peanut martini is salty.</figcaption>
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<p id="GF6grk">There’s a special food menu at the bar, including a pulled pork sandwich and blue crab hush puppies, that will be available until 2 a.m. Brown liquor fans will have plenty of whisky flights (and some Scotch) to swig. The drink menu also features a boiled peanut martini made with Wheatley Craft Kentucky Vodka and peanut brine. Rushing says the drink was his wife’s idea: “It’s kind of like, a salty briny martini — it actually turned out really fantastic.”</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="OY00Nr">Walk through the space below as the restaurant officially opens on Saturday, June 1. Walk through the space below.</p>
<p id="PIq9GH"><a href="https://www.brinyswine.com/"><em>Briny Swine Smokehouse and Oyster Bar</em></a><em>, 2577 N. Clark Street, open 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday; reservations via </em><a href="https://www.opentable.com/restref/client/?restref=1349518&lang=en-US&ot_source=Restaurant%20website&corrid=8bad0cd4-1b95-4c51-a3cf-974e5ec69156"><em>OpenTable</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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