Why Chicago Needs Another Steakhouse
You wont find a caesar salad in Jose Garces’ new Argentine steakhouse. Or, creamed spinach. Not even that sacred of sacred sides, the blue cheese coated tomato wedge. Broiled T Bone? Nope. No way. No how.
The Iron Chef is not dissing these classic chophouse offerings. A born and bred Chicagoan, marbled beef and hash browns practically gallop through his veins. Rural Society is just a different sort of spot. It’s a little sultry. Its sausage forward. It is slightly obsessed with quail egg. It’s vibe is decidedly more Modern Family than Mad Men. But, the biggest point of distinction is the fact that the food—matambre tenderloin seared with ash, stuffed pork tenderloin, melt-in-your-mouth Picanha Wagyu and even sturdy root vegetables—is cooked on a custom designed parilla that can only be descibed as the the Tesla of open flamed grills. Cooking over aromatic hardwood ( hickory and oak) desde la parilla is a game changer in the flavor arena. Super high, stable heat locks in juices and imparts a level of mositure and smokiness that cannot be achieved on a standard broiler.
It comes down to this: In a town smothered with top of the line beef joints, Jose Garces’ has disrupted the steakscape. Chicagoans will come for the carne and come back for the charred Tasmanian trout. The Gaucho sausages. And, cha-cha-cha cocktail.
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Some of the dishes that you will find at Rural Society: