The walk-in dry aging room at Chophouse 285 glows like a primeval trophy case. On the back wall, warm lighting emanates from bricks of Himalayan salt, cut and stacked with the precision of an Old World master craftsman. Racks of ribeye hang from steel bars overhead. Three metal shelves up front display beautifully dry-aged strips, filets, porterhouses and assorted wagyu. Many of these glorious slabs of beef have a nice, even pellicle, signalling they are ready to be transformed by fire and smoke.
This is the centerpiece of Englewood’s newest steakhouse, an ambitious concept from Leslie and Keith Farlow, owners of the popular Farlow’s on the Water. With Chophouse 285, they bring a bit of fine dining panache to the Dearborn District, blending Southern, Caribbean and traditional steakhouse fare.
But long before a dry-aged steak sees the grates of a wood-fired Demant Grill—a custom fabricator whose live fuel grills grace Michelin restaurants—Chophouse 285 strikes an imposing figure. The restaurant is big, seating more than 300. The bar alone seats close to 50, every spot a front-row seat to the nightly piano music played on a stage behind the bar. Between lunch and dinner offerings, six or more pages comprise the menu, covering everything from hummus and ceviche to house-made pastas and dry-aged steaks. And they somehow manage to pull it off while having too many (talented) cooks in the kitchen—Executive Chef Austin Davis, Chef Connor Hahn, Chef Andrea Amato and Chef Carson Schiro.
Yet, despite this scale, quality has not been sacrificed. Everything—everything—is thoughtfully executed. Wood tables and beams made of reclaimed Prohibition-era wood from bourbon-aging “rickhouses” in Owensboro, Kentucky. Breads, pastries and desserts baked in-house. Fresh pastas rolled by hand. Many dishes even use herbs grown by the Farlows. It’s the kind of restaurant where every dish is a hit. That includes the rojo triggerfish ceviche. Where more common ceviches simply use a milky leche de tigre marinade—fresh lime juice, fish trimmings, aromatics and chilis—this ceviche incorporates a wood-fired sofrito. This gives the mix of triggerfish and rock fish the same brightness of more common ceviches, with an added bit of kick and smoke.
The yellowfin tuna poke further flexes some of the kitchen’s creativity. Yuzu honey adds a bit of sweetness, while chile almonds and celeriac mousse bring some a dash of spice and earthiness, respectively. The end product is a protein-rich plate that manages to eat both cleanly and heartily.
Tasmanian farmed salmon is said to be some of the best in the world, thanks in part to the cold, pristine, swift waters off the southern coast of Tasmania. Buttery and mild with a relatively high fat content, this rich fish is the crowning touch on the Tasmanian salmon yuzu honey salad. It sits atop a large mound of red and white cabbage, shredded carrots, shallots, cilantro, mint and mixed greens, tossed in a pistachio dressing. Bright, herbaceous and wholly satisfying, these are some of the healthiest calories on the menu, with a wonderful crunch from the cabbage-candied cashews.
But that’s not to say that some of the more risque calories on the menu are any less deserving of your time. The Hemingway onion rings are delightfully fluffy and evenly textured. They are so named because of the Hemingway bourbon used in the 24-hour marinade for the onions, which also includes a bit of Worcestershire sauce. The onions are deep fried, of course, but they won’t leave fingers especially greasy. That has everything to do with the fact that the onions are cooked sous vide first before being coated in batter and placed in the fryer. That means the delicious buttermilk and house-seasoned batter doesn’t get burnt to a crisp. They come served with a tangy Morito pepper ranch.
From the lunch menu, a hefty pastrami sandwich demonstrates the full breadth of Chophouse’s commitment to scratch-made. They brine the top sirloin in-house for 6 days, then roll it in spices before showing it to the grill and a sous vide dip. The rye bread is also made from scratch in-house. This thing is beefy, both in flavor and size, stacked with fried onions and gruyere. Not to be outdone, the tater tots, like the onion rings, are a triumph in culinary engineering. Somehow, Chophouse has managed to figure out how to make them perfectly crispy on the outside, and mashed-potato-creamy on the inside.
Stepping back over to the dinner menu, the Louisville carbonara is an umami bomb. More specifically, the dish’s agnolotti is unfathomably unctuous and silky. It’s stuffed with smoked, braised ham hock and caramelized onion, the former packing a grand glutamate gut-punch. Finished in a cream sauce, then topped with five grilled shrimp and gremolata, this dish truly captures the restaurant’s dual Southern and Caribbean ambitions.
But let’s not forget the restaurant’s primary ambitions lie in its lovingly dry-aged, exquisitely grilled steaks. The cowboy ribeye is a good all-rounder. Most steaks here are cooked twice—or once with a brief intermission, if you prefer. After the first sear, it rests in a mayhaw seasoned butter. Mayhaw is a tart fruit that grows in the Southeastern U.S. Here, it imparts a subtle top note that accents the wonderful mix of charcoal and oak smoldering in the Demant grill. Brussels sprouts and mac and cheese are two good options for accompaniments. The sprouts are roasted with and mixed with a carrot kimchi chow chow and pickled apple, then topped with a bit of grana padano cheese. The mac and cheese strikes a wonderful balance between creamy and firm, made with fiorentina, grana padano, manchego and yellow cheddar cheeses, before being garnished with thyme and crumbled Ritz crackers. Those looking for a more show-stopping steak experience, a Chateaubriand brings a bit of razzle-dazzle. A bone-in tenderloin roast is slow-roasted over white oak, then finished tableside in a fiery flambé before being carved and served.
Standout desserts include the lemon lavender cake—bright, herbaceous, floral—and the huckleberry chocolate cake—fruity, rich and large enough to share, thanks in part to the generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. For cocktails, the signature black cherry old-fashioned is a hint of molasses-sweet with the bite of a Hemingway bourbon, while the smoked old-fashioned cuts a sultry figure when it emerges from its custom smoke box. As with all the offerings at Chophouse 285, there are no bad choices. SRQ
