Tango Sur has been one of those restaurants that was on my list to try, but until this week, it had remained an elusive prize. Since last week, with the help of friends and family, I’ve been having a sort of Hanukkah type of birthday, spread out before and after the big day. Wednesday, my friend Sean, whom I met in grad school, took me to the elusive one. Sean had eaten there before, so we arrived close to the time they opened to be assured of being seated. The restaurant quickly filled up with patrons and by the middle of our meal, there was a line outside the door.
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A friend from Argentina had recommended three items, however, on that evening one of those was on the domestic list. Since a good part of the experience was to have Argentinian meat, I decided to go with the Chef’s Specials, and I am very pleased that I did. Normally I am not a huge beef eater, and because of this, when I do eat beef, my preference is to have good cuts. In this endeavor, Tango Sur delivered with panache.
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We were seated near the windows, so the lighting that came in cast a golden yellow glow from the sodium vapor street lamps, which you’ll see in these photos. Despite a high ISO, apparently the cast from the street lamps created an odd photographing challenge, and many of the photos were not as clear as those taken without the street light.
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When we first arrived, we ordered beverages. Tango Sur is BYOB, so Sean brought a half bottle of wine, since I don’t drink and a full bottle would have been too much for him. I opted first for tea and then changed the order to a Brazilian soda called Guarana, which pours as a very light golden bubbly beverage. Originally I ordered mate, but the restaurant only had teabags and not the bombilla. Since I can have tea bag mate anytime, the Guarana sounded more appealing. It is a light, fruity but not overly sweet soda, which was also a pleasant surprise since I’m normally not a soda drinker.
Sean ordered three empanadas: beef, ham and cheese, and spinach and cheese. They were accompanied by a perfectly seasoned dipping sauce of fresh garlic, oil and other seasonings. We both agreed that it would be easy to just eat nothing but empanadas there and then dessert.
All of the dinners come with a salad.
Sean ordered the Cotoletta, which is bone in rib-eye cooked on the grill, topped with an olive oil, garlic, parsley sauce and served with mashed potatoes.
I chose the El Filet, which is range grown filet mignon cooked on the grill, topped with red onion wine sauce and spinach mashed potatoes. The first bite reminded me of the first time I had tasted Chilean Sea Bass, as the taste buds are awakened with an incredibly medley of flavors and sensations. This had to be the best filet mignon I’ve ever had in a restaurant. It also came with the same garlic and oil based dipping sauce, which made the experience even more heavenly.
The waiter brought us a gargantuan dessert tray that he carried over on his arm. Fortunately I knew what I wanted based on a previous recommendation.
Sean ordered the German Chocolate cake, which looked delectable! Next time I dine here, I would like to try the cake, if I don’t get seriously distracted by a different dessert.
I ordered the flan. It was quite possibly the largest serving of flan I have ever been served in a restaurant. It was HUGE, and excellent, with a bit of caramel on top.
