Argentine National Day is in May, and as is customary when celebrating such events, this year the Argentine Consulate in New York held a reception, which Murray attended. As he was eating an empanada there, he asked one of the hosts for a recommendation of the most authentic Argentine restaurant in New York City. The answer? Gauchas, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (full address below).
The cuisines of Uruguay and Argentina share many dishes and characteristics. And, it just so happens that Murray lived in Uruguay when he was in high school, so when we went to Gauchas, he was excited – completely at home with what to order, and fully confident in selecting the most typical dishes.
Of course, we started with empanadas. There are over 10 varieties to select from, but we chose the Gaucha Picante (spicy beef), the Espinaca (spinach), and the Capresse (mozzarella, tomato and basil). These empanadas were baked, although Gauchas does have a few fried ones on their menu too. The shells were crisp yet light, and the fillings were delightful. Don’t worry about the “picante” variety – It was mildly spicy, not at all overwhelmingly hot.
We also had Chorizo, grilled Argentine sausage, which was much the same as Murray remembers from his South American days (which is to say, not paprika-spiced like the Mexican variety you usually find in American grocery stores). The Chorizo at Gauchas was large, mildly spiced, and grilled perfectly.
Next came the Criolla Mixta, a salad of lettuce, tomatoes and onions, served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to drizzle as desired. To me, there was nothing special about this salad, although the ingredients were very fresh and the balsamic vinegar was particularly rich, but – according to Murray – this kind of salad is very typical of the Platense region (basically, Uruguay and Argentina), and so we had to include it in our meal.
For entrees, we focused on the grill, selecting Churrasco (grilled sirloin steak), Pollo a las Brasas (roasted chicken), and Medallon de Lomo (grilled filet mignon). The filet mignon was huge – the size of a very large man’s fist – and it was especially tasty, which prompted us to ask the waitress if the beef was grass-fed. She was only willing to say that the beef came from Argentina, which raises the odds of it being grass-fed but doesn’t guarantee it. The Churrasco was a bit on the tough side, but that’s the problem with sirloin, and dipped in chimichurri sauce, it was quite satisfying. The chicken was moist and flavorful.
Each of our entrees came with a choice of rice, mashed potatoes, or French fries – We had rice, and two kinds of fries – the regular Papas Fritas (“homemade” says the menu), and Papas Fritas a la Provenzal (with garlic and parsley). We also had Vegetales a la Parilla (grilled zucchini, carrots and peppers). The grilled vegetables helped to balance out the enormous quantity of meat in front of us, and both varieties of Papas Fritas were not only delicious, but addictive too.
You might at this point be wondering how two people could eat so much food. Well, it’s not as bad as it appears. Our 21-year-old son, Ben, was with us. And we knew ahead of time that we’d probably have leftovers, so we planned for that fact, saving room for dessert by deliberately reserving some of our main meal for carry-home (something I highly recommend whenever you go out to eat … Most restaurants serve huge portions that can easily be that night’s dinner, plus at least one following day’s lunch). So we (just barely) had room to try a dessert and selected Panqueues con Dulce de Leche, crepes filled with milk caramel, a comforting, sweet end to a good meal.
The restaurant is larger than it first appears. There are two very separate dining areas, with a total of probably about 30 tables. The back area was completely empty the night we ate there (a weeknight), but you might want to call in a reservation on the weekend.
Prices for entrees range from $12.50 for the roasted chicken to $25 for the filet mignon. There are also two categories of foods we couldn’t fit into our meal – a full page of tapas, ranging from $5 to $9 apiece, and items “de la cocina” (from the kitchen), with prices in the same range as our "de la parrilla" (from the grill) meal. Our bill totaled $180, including wine and tip.
Final key facts: For credit cards, only American Express is accepted. For drinks, there is a lovely wine list with several good Argentine wines, sangria, and beer – but no hard alcohol. And, for vegetarians, I wouldn’t recommend Gauchas, but a decent vegetarian meal could certainly be cobbled together from the tapas menu, empanadas and sides if need be. We have an American Express card, we like good wine, and we occasionally enjoy a hearty steak, so Gauchas works for us, and we will return.
Where and When
Gauchas Bistro Latino
1748 First Avenue (between 90th and 91st streets)
New York, NY 10128
(212) 360-6400
Monday through Thursday
5:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Friday
5:00 pm – 12:00 midnight
Saturday
12:00 noon – 12:00 midnight
Sunday
12:00 noon – 11:00 pm
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