20 Aug 1st-Aug 7th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Summer Soups Beat the heat with even hotter soups at Stone Korean Tofu House. BY MIKE MADRIAGA I n west Mesa, nestled across from the bustling H Mart grocery store, lies The Stone Korean Tofu House, a restaurant that has quickly become a favorite among locals and interna- tional visitors alike. Named Best Korean Food in the 2022 Best of Phoenix issue, this not-so-typical Korean eatery showcases resilience and community spirit. Owners Don Kim and Cookie Sohn, a Korean couple with a dream, bravely opened their restaurant at the start of the pandemic. Their perseverance, support from friends and the local community and the supposed health benefits of their delec- table soups allowed them to attract a steady stream of customers even during those early, challenging days. Ian Pluhar, a family friend who has been with the restaurant since it opened, manages daily operations. He takes pride in introducing traditional Korean cuisine to a diverse clientele. “When we first opened, a lot of Korean nationals and Korean Americans came in,” Pluhar says. At that time, customers did lots of word-of-mouth promoting of the new restaurant on the block, then word got out on social media. “When ASU starts up again, we get a lot of international students,” Pluhar says, “Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese.” Year-round, the restaurant attracts people of almost every ethnicity from all over the Valley and beyond. “We get a lot of people who want to try traditional Korean food, but they don’t really understand what it is. So it’s nice to explain it to people,” Pluhar says. He recently explained to new customers that eating hot soup is a tradition in Korea even during record-high temperatures. “So we started having a summer menu,” he says. “The SamGae Tang is the closest thing you can get to chicken soup. It’s in a large bowl with an entire chicken that’s been boiled until tender, stuffed with sweet rice, chestnut, garlic, jujube and ginseng.” Jujube, red or Chinese date, and ginseng roots add unique flavor and health benefits. Jujube is said to eliminate stress, while ginseng is an antioxidant. Each tofu soup comes with a raw egg. Per tradition, the diner cracks the egg and poaches it inside the piping-hot soup. (Photo by Mike Madriaga) ▼ Food & Drink >> p 22
