If you have never been to El Che in West Loop, you need to check it out! This Argentinean-inspired steak house serves up some amazing wood-fired entrees in a cozy, luxurious atmosphere. We booked the chef counter for $175 per person plus you can add on basic wine pairings for $75 and premium pairings for $125 or you can have drinks a la carte.
We had 10 courses ranging from an amuse-bouche to dessert, yes even sweetbreads, and everything was delicious! I tried to give each course a rating but honestly, everything was fantastic, the ratings are going to be so close. Here is a full list of everything we had!
The first course was the amuse bouche made of crispy cheese rice topped with an aioli and fish roe. It was a nice little bite to start us off - 8/10
Next is steak tartar with bone marrow aioli, and pickled shallots, sat on a slice of crispy focaccia. I've had steak tartar before but never tossed with an aioli and it's a great way to mask the raw meat taste - 8.3/10
Then, we had a grilled oyster with smoked onion dip, crispy bacon, and house-made potato chip crumble. The crumble was spicy and the dip was sweet which made both the perfect combo for the grilled oyster. - 9.1/10
After the oyster, we had a head-on grilled shrimp with Salsa-Macha and scallion lime aioli. our server told us that salsa macha is typically made with sesame and peanuts but one of the chefs has a nut allergy so they make theirs with pumpkin seeds. phenomenal! - 8.5/10
Next was a seared scallop with parsnip puree and an apple leek slaw. Half the apples in the slaw were raw and half were pickled so there was a nice brightness to it that complemented the puree perfectly - 9.8/10
Then we had smoked veal sweetbreads with salsa criolla and chimichurri aioli. I've never had these before and if you don't know what it is, it's either the thymus gland or pancreas. I've never had it but it was tender and since it was smoked so it tasted like bacon. The chimichurri aioli was the perfect pairing for it too 8.7/10
Finally, we moved on to steak! We had wagyu, papas bravas (potatoes) and pimenton aioli. This sauce was our all-time favorite and the chef let us take home a little jar of it! - 9.1/10
Then we had a rib eye cap with a half lobster tail and the BEST lobster butter I've ever had! They char the lobster tails on the grill then finish them in the butter and serve the butter with other dishes like fries or the seafood platter. - 9.6/10
Lastly, we had dessert! Flan with a dulce de leche sauce and whipped cream. Our server told us this was one of the chef's grandmother's flan recipe, so you KNOW it was amazing. - 9.5/10
Then a decadent chocolate cake with ice cream and homemade magic shell sauce with a raspberry compote. Both desserts were the perfect end to the perfect dining experience! - 9/10
I can't recommend this place enough. It has something for everyone, except maybe vegetarians. Alex Cuper, the director of beverages, was our server and he was so knowledgeable about all our courses. We sat right next to the chef running the pass so it all felt very exclusive. All the chefs came over at some point to talk with us and explain a dish which made it feel even more special. It is a bit on the pricey side but if you can swing it, definitely book the chef's table, it's 100% worth it. If not, I recommend the rib eye and scallops, the papas bravas side, and of course the fries with the lobster butter!
Until Next time!
xoxo
Sam
p.s. shout out to my husband Conor for doing this experience with me and helping me rank the courses so I can write this post
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