El Che in West Loop puts midwestern spin on traditional Argentinian steakhouse
CHICAGO (CBS) -- We hope you're hungry because it's Foodie Friday.
Digital Journalist Jamaica Ponder takes us inside a restaurant putting a midwestern spin on an Argentinian steakhouse.
For today's Foodie Friday, we're at El Che Steakhouse and Bar in West Loop.
This Argentinian eatery mixes together familiar flavors of the Midwest with the flavors behind a more traditional Argentinian style of charcoal grilling.
And all of this takes place on a massive 12-foot hearth that opens up to the entire dining room.
So, you know I had to stop in to find out how they keep that oven running, but also what it means to represent South American flavors right here in Chicago.
"This is a menu that I've been working on for a very, very long time."
Coming from a childhood split between Detroit and Brazil, Chef John Manion set out to bring South American flavors to the midwestern palette.
"When I became a chef, I wanted to cook South American food, and I did it at a place called Mos on Division Street in the 90s, early 2000s."
After decades of cooking in Chicago kitchens, when Chef Manion opened El Che back in 2016, he already had a vision waiting to be brought to life…
"I knew that when I did my own place, I wanted it to be a midwestern version of a classic Argentine porridge, and it's really, it's the method, right?
Their live-fire cooking happens over a 12-foot wood-burning hearth that sits alight for the entire service, fueled by all-American white oak, burned down to hot charcoal embers.
"You get smoke from the wood burning, you get that charcoal flavor from the charcoal, you get heat underneath direct heat from the charcoals… It keeps us very honest because there's no room for error there. Really," Manion said.
The food is served unadorned, seasoned with some garnish, but really, the method of grilling becomes the cuisine. And the menu, while sporting familiar favorites, aims to challenge diners with popular South American dishes diners won't often see on the menu
"There's things like grilled quail, which goes back to my growing up, and it's one of my earliest food memories is eating quail in Brazil."
Chef says he doesn't have to do too much to the food when his ingredients are fresh and local – a priority of his when sourcing.
"Local vegetables, seared or grilled, but treated with a lot of respect."
And the steakhouse boasts an impressive wine list, exclusively made in South America
"We have, to my knowledge, the only all-South American wine list in the United States… So, when you walk into El Che, I'd like it to feel as though it's exotic, it's somehow very familiar. We want to greet people warmly and give an experience that will make them want to come back. I know it sounds trite and but it's like it's the truth," Manion said.