E3 Chophouse has some fame attached to it with Jason Aldean (country music champ), Willie Roberston (Duck Dynasty), and award-winning country country music star Luke Bryan as partial owners. But don’t be too quick to overlook the farm in this “Farm to Table” restaurant, which is in Fort Scott, KS and owned by professional baseball players Jeff, Andy, and Adam LaRoche, first baseman for the Washington Nationals. But enough about that. You want to hear about this place.
Where. The address is 701 Yampa, but it is between 8th & 9th on Yampa, which is one block closer to the river from Lincoln. There isn’t any parking in front of E3, and if you go on a busy night, you will probably need to park back up Yampa between 6th & 7th. They have street parking there. Or you can shuttle in.
When. They are only open for dinner from 500-1000p every night, but they serve happy hour from 400-600, and then offer a late night menu from 1000-1200a.
What We Had. We started with bacon-wrapped dates and jalapeno goat cheese fritters, both were incredible, although, to be fair, if you put bacon or goat cheese on something it is gonna be good. And these were. I highly recommend them, and between three of us, they were a nice teaser, which was just perfect. We did want to try to Buttermilk Fried Quail, but we were eyeing the Quail for dinner so we passed. But I believe these three things are the best appetizers to go with.
For dinner we both had the Stuffed Quail with Wild Boar Chorizo. Our friend had the Sweet Potato Mushroom Hash with Smoked Gouda Polenta. I think I made a mistake here not getting the prime rib. I grew up on a ranch, so steaks are great but it’s hard for people to impress me. Our waitress said that I should go with the Prime Rib, and I was in a chophouse, but the Quail and chorizo’s siren call won out. Which was good, not great. You really have to work for your food, and I didn’t think the chorizo and quail were working well together from a texture standpoint. You really have to destroy this little bird to get the meat off of it, and then the chorizo stuffing is all over the place. It was good, good flavor, but I was kicking myself for not getting the prime rib, which looked excellent at the table over from us.
Our friend loved all of his polenta. I thought he should have done a little more “when in Rome” like I should have, but if you have people in your crew who aren’t wild about game and red meat, this is an excellent option. Here is their Menu.
Notes. The atmosphere here is very relaxed, and everyone is smiling with post-skiing endorphins dancing with the pre-dinner drinks. It is a big place, but it also fills up quick, so be mindful of this when you are ready to eat. We ended up just sitting at the bar instead of waiting on a table. They have a great wine list and enough beers to keep most anyone happy. Whiskey shelf was solid, but not amazing. More scotches than bourbons. Even though both pair well with steak, bourbon is made here and naturally works better with the salts.
Our Advice. If you are in town for a few days, make sure to call ahead–possibly even before you arrive in town–and make sure they’ll have a place for you. If you forget, aim mid-week. If you really forget and have a small party, the bar seats about 20 people, and there is likely room there. Remember to just aim to park a few blocks a couple blocks up around 6th/7th, since that’s where the most parking is. “When in Rome”. This is a steakhouse, and they raise this grass-fed stuff on the family farm in Kansas. They are a chophouse and this is what they do well.