El Llano-- No surprises, just a very good time

Mrs. B. was working late, so I picked up B. Jr. from pre-school nearby and we went looking for dinner. Had always wanted to stop in based on previous threads but Mrs. B. isn't a huge meat fan, so it's been hard to find the opportunity.

Sadly, at 6:30 on a Thurs. there was only 1 other party there the entire time.

I have no revelations or insights to offer except to confirm the established consensus; good cheap steak and yummy starches.

Started with the mango blended w/ milk, which was made fresh and was delicious.

I had the Matrimonio (skirt steak and chicken breast platter). The happy surprise here was the chicken. The breast was pounded flat and grilled, but the combination of lemon (I'm fairly sure) and grill char. and whatever else went into the marinade made it exceptionally tasty for white meat chicken. The steak, too, was a bit on the chewy side (as expected) but very nicely flavored and perked up even more with the addition of green sauce.

Loved the fried plantain, whose deep golden crunchy outside and almost puddingy interior made it taste almost like a creme brulee that grew on a tree. Just as nice were both the fat crunchy fries and small whole potato both of which served as vehicles for more green sauce.

B. Jr. (or li'l Dolcetto, as I may start calling him) is virtually a vegetarian by nature. Eats breakfast sausage and bacon and almost no other meat, except in the form of soup stock. (Big pho fan.) So he had a side of quite flavorful white rice (cooked in stock, perhaps?) and a plain arepa--- like the steak, a bit tough, but flavorful.

Friendly service, light on the wallet. A lovely time had by all.

Anyone tried their brisket preparation?

I've eaten the brisket - I think it was deepfried! Not my favorite item on teh menu. I love their sausages though.

i walk over for lunch all the time...in fact, i was there on wednesday. Cant beat a 5$ "ribeye" lunch special.

Erik.

I have no revelations or insights to offer except to confirm the established consensus

Consensus?

If only there was some consensus-based award they could be nominated for...

Which El Llano location did you visit?

Location: Lincoln just a bit below Irving. 39_ _ N. Lincoln. (Where is another one?)

Re "Consensus?" I had the impression that there was one -- generally appreciative of good flavors and value for money delivered consistently. Was I wrong? I certainly didn't mean to hijack El Llano dissenters in my happy assessment.

mrbarolo wrote:Re "Consensus?" I had the impression that there was one -- generally appreciative of good flavors and value for money delivered consistently. Was I wrong? I certainly didn't mean to hijack El Llano dissenters in my happy assessment.

mr b,

I don't think Mike was doubting the existence of a consensus. Rather, I believe he was nudging you toward a different forum on the board, one where nominations close in a few days.

Amata is correct. (I poked fun at language difficulties there once, but I enjoy going there with the family for a cheap meat fix fairly regularly.)

There's a second El Llano up in Rogers Park (anyone tried it?), as well as its sibling Brasa Roja, which has a very similar menu.

El Llano
3941 N. Lincoln Ave.
773-327-1659

El Llano
7018 N. Clark St.
773-338-0531

Brasa Roja
3125 W. Montrose Ave.
773-866-2252

I've eaten at the Rogers Park (Clark & Lunt) location, twice. I'm a big fan of rotisserie chicken, and that's what I order there. The meals have been ordinary, nothing special, and on both occasions (mid-afternoon (4 p.m.) on the weekend) the restaurant was empty - except for one other table of diners). If I go again I'll try a beef dish.

I've looked at the Lincoln & Irving location, though I've not eaten there - and I like the "look" of the Rogers Park location on better.

RE: "Consensus?" -- Duh.

As I'm only able to skim the surface of LTH chat and activities, I forget or simply don't get to deal with whole areas of the board such as the Great Neighborhood Restaurants section, and most of the actual get-togethers.

Mike's ellipsis should have clued me in to what he was getting at, but I was just skimming too shallowly.

Is Llano actual kin to Brasa Roja, or merely similar?

They're related and the menus largely overlap except that Brasa Roja stresses the rotisserie chicken.

The El Llano in Rogers Park is pretty much identical to brasa roja, its menu is exactly the same. Brasa Roja rather than the lincoln el llano was the model for the outpost. that being said, I like brasa roja much better, mainly I think because they have higher turnover and you have a much better chance that your chicken has not been sitting.

We had dinner at El Llano on Lincoln last night, and it was only OK. Or rather, my "ribeye" was only OK. The pork ribs were good (they are grilled, not smoked, but nicely crispy on the edges and porky tasting) as was the blood sausage. But my "ribeye" was skirt. Which is fine, but I thought I was getting ribeye. I mentioned it to the waiter, who said it was skirt, but didn't apologize for having it listed wrong on the menu. It was also extraordinarily salty, and rather soggy. For only a little more money, I'd rather get an actual ribeye at Tango Sur.

There's some good El Llano chat in this chicken thread, but I wanted to focus on another offering: the char veal. Two monstrous hunks of bone-in veal steak are grilled over live coals after being treated to a garlicky, herbaceous massage, then served on a sizzling platter. The result is compelling: tender, but not too tender, manly meat with terrific seasoning. As a bonus, you get some perfectly fried plantains and cassava to dip into the jalapeno/ tomatillo salsa served on the side. As an even better bonus, a small third piece appears on the plate, and is cut through the bone to expose a small but very appealing dose of luscious marrow.

Char Veal (marrow-exposed piece is toward the rear):



13 bucks or so, and as good and generous as most $40+ hunks o' meat at "fine" steakhouses. I had this at one of the newer El Llano's, which actually happens to be quite fancy compared to the old ones.

El Llano
4011 N. Elston
Chicago, IL 60618
773-478-1650

Looks very good. It's been ages since I've been to El Llano. Many, many years ago, we got a bunch of people together for a combo frittura/bandeja or platters of assorted grilled and fried meats that El Llano offers to parties of 4 or more. It was a very good time. Perhaps we should do something like that again.

Kennyz wrote:Two monstrous hunks of bone-in veal steak are grilled over live coals after being treated to a garlicky, herbaceous massage, then served on a sizzling platter. The result is compelling: tender, but not too tender, manly meat with terrific seasoning.

Looks delicious and very much like what I had for dinner a couple of nights ago, though mine was given a garlicky Greek marinade and grilled with lump charcoal/hickory. I really like this cut it is, as you say, tender but not too tender, and takes well to marination. In addition the veal blade chops were reasonably priced, $2.28/lb at Fresh Farms.

Veal Blade Chops on the grill

I agree with the title of this thread. El Llano is nothing fancy or particularly interesting, but it is one of my most-visited places to grab a quick meal. Things are extraordinarily reliable and I've never had a bad meal.

Their $5 special (available for both lunch and dinner) is tough to beat. They have a ton of other items, several types of steak, sausage (including blood sausage) chicharrones, offal and almost anything else you can think of meat-wise.

But, for $5.00 you get a large, thin piece of juicy, charred chicken (or steak, but I prefer their chicken), soupy but flavorful pintos, white rice, and a salad. On top of that you can add a two empanadas (only one variety - tender shredded beef and potato) or one cheese arepa for $2.00.

So, for under $10 after tax and tip, you get a reliably very good, large meal, served by really nice folks. There are definitely a lot more interesting items to try, for not a whole lot more money; but there is something inherently satisfying about having such a good, simple meal, for such a great price.

Two locations (as the waitress put it "same food, same prices"):

3941 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60613

4011 North Elston Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618

FYI all-

Walked by the 3941 Lincoln Avenue location this evening and exterior signage has been removed, with a handmade sign in the window noting "temporarily closed for remodeling." Must have just started as tables/chairs were visible and even saw a worker inside.

I'd agree it could use a spiffing up and hope it does come back stronger than ever.