El Che Bar
Sweetbreads are usually fried up, McNugget-style, more than likely underwhelming because the breading pretty much overwhelms what can be the slightly funky organ tang of these specialized primary lymphoid organs. At El Che Bar, John Manion uses the huge flames from his massive grill to slowly smoke veal sweetbreads, which are placed off to the side to cook low and slow and yield what is likely to be the gold standard for sweetbreads in Chicago. Or maybe anywhere. With house-made pickles, these are the sweetbreads for both beginners and long-time offal aficionados.
845 W. Washington, 312.265.1130, elchebarchicago.com
Best of Chicago 2016
