NBC Chicago’s Steve Dolinsky takes a look inside two Chicago eateries offering bold Argentine and Brazilian-inspired cuisine.
Cooks need heat-resistant forearms to work the grill at El Che Steakhouse and Bar in the West Loop. That’s because during service, it’s a literal inferno of wood, charcoal and beef: marrow bones, strips, filets, you name it. The guy behind it all? John Manion.
“I feel like El Che speaks to time spent in Argentina, when I was a younger cook and chef. I fell in love with live-fire cooking.”
But Manion was born in Brazil, and so to honor those culinary traditions, he recently opened Brasero in West Town, a handsome, wide open space that also features a large grill.
“The other side is seafood and bigger, bolder flavors. Seafood and more vegetable-focused,” he said.
A good start is the pão de queijo - a traditional gluten free snack of cassava flour and cheese, baked fresh, served with concord grape jam and truffle cheese. Another light starter: raw tuna, resting in a shallow pool of tomato ponzu broth, with some uchuva – the Peruvian groundcherry and fried capers. Never a bad idea to pair with a citrusy caipirinha.
One of the best dishes (and frankly, impossible to find elsewhere in Chicago) is the moqueca, a traditional seafood stew.
“Moqueca to me, is something I’ve been chasing since I was a little kid. It’s what I think of when I think of Brazilian food; it’s from the North,” he said.
The Food Guy
Head-on shrimp and mahi are seared; mussels are stewed in coconut milk; there’s even homemade ramen noodles from Logan Square’s Akahoshi, then everything is buried in coconut broth.
“Obviously influenced by West Africa; nuts, chiles and hot sauce, lime juice, cilantro, fresh herbs,” said Manion.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Salmon is poached in banana leaves, hiding a scallop and shrimp mousse, melted garlic and leeks. The sauce is deceptively complex.
“It’s actually a heart of palm beurre blanc and then we fold in a little trout roe at the end,” he said.
There is some beef on the menu, selectively chosen.
“When you think of a Brazilian steakhouse – a churrascaria – one of my earliest memories is picanha, which has a big fat cap,” he said.
First cooked over indirect heat, then seared to-order.
“…and then yeah, a little bit of [beef] tallow, and that’s it,” Manion said.
Only a couple of desserts, but you would be insane not to get the coconut soft serve. Laced with a chocolate drizzle, the texture is textbook.
“The soft serve was inspired by Urban Belly - Bill Kim. The whole reason I opened this restaurant is to have a coconut soft serve,” he said.
1709 W. Chicago Ave., 872-342-2079
845 W. Washington Blvd., 872-320-4912
