Che Burrito and Lounge 38 Hess Street South
It had been a while since I went on a foodie date with local food blogger extraordinaire Chanry of The Hungry Gnome. We decided to collaborate on a Crossover post and check another place off our lists.
Chanry and I wound up in a Twitter conversation with Che when we noticed they had a brand new menu on the way. We learned that Uncle Nathan of Uncle Nathan’s Hot Sauce is behind the new menu and were excited to try it.
I’ve been to Che so many times, but had surprisingly never eaten there before. I’m used to Che as a bar and mainly frequented it on Friday nights when my buddies Rockstars For Hire have their weekly “No Standards Night” parties. My friends Kirby and Max Wray also used to play there on a weekly basis, so I’m very familiar with the space. I have to say, I miss it! It was good to be back.
Our approach to the new menu – divide and conquer! There is so much to choose from. Of course, it wouldn’t be Che Burrito without the burritos. You can build your own burrito, choosing from a tasty array of topping and sauces.
We decided to sample a few different items, starting with sharing the Fries Supreme – loaded with mix cheese, black beans, tomato, peppers, green onions, black olives, sour cream, and salsa. Loaded, indeed. It was quite the feast.
For our main meals, Chanry picked out two Jumbo Signature Tacos – the Fish and Pulled Pork. I chose the Mac & Mex – tomato sauce, mixed beans, red and green peppers, green onions, and al dente macaroni pan fried in a garlic cilantro oil topped with cheese. You can add on chicken, steak, shrimp, chorizo, or tofu. I opted to throw some chicken in there. It was a unique dish and delicious! After sharing the fries and a few bites of the tacos, I had to take some of the Mac & Mex home with me, which made for a great snack the next day.
Uncle Nathan came by to chat with us about his famous hot sauces. Nathan has been a chef for 20 years and stumbled into crafting the perfect hot sauce. He stressed that it’s all about flavour – whereas some sauces are all about being as hot as possible, Nathan will not sacrifice the flavour. He put Chanry to the taste test and brought out a few bottles for her to sample. Chanry can handle the heat better than I can, so I left that to her!
I’ll have to tackle the burritos next time and definitely want to try more of their menu, but Chanry and I did a respectable job with our first round. Che has a cool vibe and relaxed atmosphere. I looked forward to lunching there again during the day. Hess is most associated with its nightlife, but you can’t forget about the food scene. There are lots of great options in the Village.
Check out Food at Che on Facebook for a page dedicated to just the bar’s food.
Read Chanry’s post about our lunch date at Che on The Hungry Gnome.
– Kristin
