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Mapo is heaven-sent for homesick Korean expats who want to feel like they're back in a home-style eatery in Seoul, complete with overbearing mothering types hovering over you as you eat. The first and last word here is kalbi, marinated and de-boned beef ribs barbecued over a charcoal pit set into your table, with the sweet-salty sauce expertly crisped on the outside while the interior remains succulent. Braver souls should try the fiery, scalloped jae yook bokkum, and the timid will likely find refuge in the cucumber-vinegar coolness of the mool naeng myun. The staff, however, will insist you order kalbi to a degree some might find endearing but that most Westerners may consider obnoxious; you can also expect comments on your use of condiments, choice of side dishes, and how much or little you eat. The space is clean but utilitarian, with the decor aspiring to no more than a flat-screen TV tuned to Korean news and soap operas, and the occasional wall hanging of plastic vegetables. The lack of pretension seems to suit the workaday crowd of local middle-class Korean families just fine. A working knowledge of Korean or Chinese is helpful. — Michael Y. Park

Mool naeng myun, $10.95; mapo kalbi, $24.95; jae yook bokkum, $16.95