Gaucho Tequila

[ComputerGuy]

Had to find out for myself, so stopped in for lunch. Had the Che-Philly sandwich, which is thinly-sliced pieces of well-marinated beef in a nice sauce, on an excellent and soft sandwich bun. With melted cheese, deelish, as others have reported. Needed something, so they brought me what they called a chimichanga sauce, and that added just the right amount of extra juiciness (at home I would have put on mayo or ranch or something).

Asked if wanted a side of fries, I said reports of their fries have not been kind: greasy, undercooked, etc. That may have influenced the cook: they were about as perfect as frozen crinkle-cuts can get hot, crisp, fluffy inside, no grease.

Everything came out in lickety-split time with good service; my waiter used to be at Pedro's Go and we knew each other from before. Also, it was just after noon today, and there was only one other table in service; I sat outside. Also ordered the agua fresca of the day, which was fresa, and very tasty at 20p for a large glass. Not too many places actually offer agua fresca these days, other than the loncherias, and I like them because they aren't over-flavoured like soda pop, yet have nicer zing than plain water.

So the beef was great, but this kind of cook is much different than the cook you get on a steak. It is, of necessity, well done and very thin, so it's going to be tender anyway, much like taco beef.

[Tomas]

Also 4 of us had lunch outside, 2 Che-Philly's, 1 Chicken Flauta, 1 large special salad, and 1 small salad. A couple of beers, 1 mineral water and one soda. Nice lunch, some highway noise but not overwhelming, temp. OK, service adequate, position of walking room around outside tables perilous due to limited space next to beveled curb...Prices quite reasonable...Bottom Line: We will return..as good or better than most similar type places..

[suegarn]

Had to find out for myself, so stopped in for lunch. Had the Che-Philly sandwich, which is thinly-sliced pieces of well-marinated beef in a nice sauce, on an excellent and soft sandwich bun. With melted cheese, deelish, as others have reported. Needed something, so they brought me what they called a chimichanga sauce, and that added just the right amount of extra juiciness (at home I would have put on mayo or ranch or something).

Asked if wanted a side of fries, I said reports of their fries have not been kind: greasy, undercooked, etc. That may have influenced the cook: they were about as perfect as frozen crinkle-cuts can get hot, crisp, fluffy inside, no grease.

Everything came out in lickety-split time with good service; my waiter used to be at Pedro's Go and we knew each other from before. Also, it was just after noon today, and there was only one other table in service; I sat outside. Also ordered the agua fresca of the day, which was fresa, and very tasty at 20p for a large glass. Not too many places actually offer agua fresca these days, other than the loncherias, and I like them because they aren't over-flavoured like soda pop, yet have nicer zing than plain water.

So the beef was great, but this kind of cook is much different than the cook you get on a steak. It is, of necessity, well done and very thin, so it's going to be tender anyway, much like taco beef.

Thank you, ComputerGuy. After reading your last post on the previous Gaucho Tequila thread...("Agreed places often deserve a second chance. But gringal's point is the overwhelming mix of responses not only suggests, but demands, careful decision making about even trying the place out".) I thought you wouldn't give them a chance!

I was also there today for lunch at around 1 pm, and there were six full tables when I arrived! Everyone seemed to be enjoying their food, and were able to carry on conversations without having to yell over any traffic 'noise'.

As usual, I had a nice meal and very attentive service ( mind you, I've been there so much, the waiters come over to greet me as soon as I walk into the parking lot....lol! )

[dcstroker]

I just had to comment. I've seen several posts with people talking about traffic noise. I just ate at Gossips which is much closer to the road and gets about 10 times as much traffic. It doesn't seem to have hurt their business. From the reviews here I'm looking forward to giving this new place a try.

[ComputerGuy]

Had supper here on Saturday night. I figured by now they'd had a chance to settle in. Only one other couple in the place, so our service was top-drawer. But more than just fast, it was proper. They still have the same menu, I believe. As many tortas listed as steaks. The smaller arrachera is $145, but I opted for the 300 grams at $195. The 300 gr ribeye is a very high $295.

Nacho chips, three tasty salsas and two original warm buns arrived with our drinks (limonadas at 30, but in good-sized glasses; craft beer is available at $55, as well as regular beer at $30.) One of the sauces is chimichurri, which is that garlicky/oily sauce that Tango also serves, apparently from Argentina. The buns were already sauced with it, and were quite good.

My steak came with a large baked potato with a very yummy sweet butter/herb drizzle, and it was properly done. There was also a small and lovingly-prepared salad. The meat itself was very tender and moist, with the taste of a properly-marinated arrachera. The whole presentation of the meal, on a wooden cutting board, was great... it's a nice looking restaurant, if a little spartan.

My date had the chicken chimichurr, which I had seen the chef flipping over the grille flames. It may have been the tastiest and most moist chicken I've tried here. It was a half chicken for $135, completely deboned and spread out. The fries with it, though, reflect earlier comments about frozen, underdone, crinkly chips.

All in all, a very nice meal. Nothing made me go "wow", but maybe their ribeye is at that level. Certainly the meat was much tastier and better-prepared than one of my former favorite steak places.

One more thing. They expanded their patio to include at least 15 tables, but inside at 7:30 in the evening, the traffic noise was still pretty heavy. So eating outside might be a challenge. It was also toasty warm inside, with ceiling fans circulating the excess heat from their wood-fired grille. So summer nights be a challenge inside.

[El Saltos]

What level of "doneness" did you request and was it correct?

[ComputerGuy]

Very good question. I asked for medium, and they brought me almost rare. I sent it back and they redid it to a perfect medium. And much hotter, of course. Arrechera is such a thin cut in the first place, I was glad to have it less done than overcooked, initially.