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Parrilla del Che -- New Argentine Restaurant


kb9gzg

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My wife and I had just finished eating at Tango, yesterday, went for a walk, and discovered a new Argentinean restaurant, Parrilla del Che, on the east side of Ramon Corona, north of 16 de Septiembre. We were peaking inside the open gate when the hostess (maybe owner?) graciously (we explained that we had already eaten) invited us in for a tour. She introduced their chef as being from Argentina, and he was also very welcoming. Upon my cursory scan, their menu looked positively competitive with Tango's. The interior is very attractive, with open-air and under-cover seating, and a bar. I had eaten Tango's chicken and really good grilled octopus, earlier, so I'm going to try Parilla del Che's steak within the week! They're closed on Mondays, otherwise open from 2 to 9.

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Parilla de Che is further south on Ramon Corona, where a long time ago Manuel started out. La Una is moving across Marcos Castellanos to the building that used to be La Tortuga.

They are more or less across the street from Simply Thai before your get to the 16 de Septiembre cross street.

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They are practically at your front door. Have you tried it yet?

I look forward to your report since I generally agree with you about restaurant fare.

We're going there with friends this very evening, so I'll report tomorrow. (Nice to hear somebody agrees with me on what's good to eat.) I like a nice tender, lean steak......so I'm hoping they have one.

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tango has the best prices for the best quality. if the new one is equal please report. it would be nice to just go there, not make resevations. tango is not possible on weekends because of the crowds. new posada is very nice (for wkend afternoon) but nowhere as good as it was years ago. (also expensive).

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Well, my dogs are enjoying the meal I purchased at this new restaurant last evening. We ordered the plate for two people which was arrachara, vacio, sweetbreads two different sausages and something else that I can not remember.The cost was 200 pesos. The only edible thing was the arrachara. I could not chew the vacio. The chef explained to me that this was how things were done in Argentina. The sweetbreads and sausages were just so, so. He then prepared some slices of meat for us and after one bite I had to spit it out in my napkin it was so tough I could not chew it and there was this greasy taste in my mouth. I handed the plate back to him and we paid and left with a doggie bag literally for my dogs. The other thing that turned me off right away was when the waitress brought the table setting of three salsas they were all just about gone. How many other people were using these before it got to us. The chimichuri sauce was inedible due to way to much garlic. I can say that the slices of warm bread that served was good.

I for one will stick to Tango.

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Four of us went last evening. We ordered ham and cheese empenadas for starters. The crust was good but the ham was lunch meat in bits. Maybe one of the other many options would have been better.

My spouse ordered the vacio, which turned out to be high end arrachera; very chewy. Another ordered "chorizo" which was supposed to actually have been a thicker kind of steak. What arrived was a thin spencer steak. It was okay. The third member got what was supposed to be vacio, but it wasn't as good as what my husband got. I, unfortunately, ordered the arrachera sandwich, which consisted of small, tough pieces of something on a baguette.

"Salad" was several pieces of lettuce on the plate covered with a couple of tomato slices. Prices were comparable to Tango; maybe a bit less.

It appears to be both smoker and dog friendly, if one is looking for those features. :unsure:

The garden setting is pleasant at this time of year, as it is very open.

In summary, Tango's has no competition here. Too bad, since the people are friendly, the service was attentive and I don't like to give a bad review to a new restaurant. In this case, the problem lies with the quality of the food.

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The Chef/owner needs to go to Tango. I do not give them long before they are done here unless they change. Of course my boyfriend is Mexican and he did not appreciate my telling the chef that the meal was not edible. I am a strong believer if the food or service is bad the owner needs to know so they can attempt to improve for their own benefit.

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Someone did complain about the meat, and the chef replied that "this is the way we do it in Argentina", so I'm not going to be the messenger. We know what happens to them. :unsure:

If I want a really tasty steak, I'm heading West to Arileo's, where they buy good meat and cook it right.

Tango is fine, too.

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Funny, one of my moto buddies did a tour of South America on his bike with another guy and he came back and noted that the food was mediocre to awful practically everywhere including Argentina. He was very grateful to be back here. This is not some green expat, he's lived here for years and traveled all over Mexico and Central America before the trip.

Maybe they really do tough and chewy in Argentina. Unfortunately for these folks, that isn't how it is done here.

It will be gone in short order.

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Funny, one of my moto buddies did a tour of South America on his bike with another guy and he came back and noted that the food was mediocre to awful practically everywhere including Argentina. He was very grateful to be back here. This is not some green expat, he's lived here for years and traveled all over Mexico and Central America before the trip.

Maybe they really do tough and chewy in Argentina. Unfortunately for these folks, that isn't how it is done here.

It will be gone in short order.

Maybe that explains it. I won't be heading to Argentina for the food.

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the food in peru is amazing, but i didnt have steak only fish. i wouldnt even bother talking to these new owners. im sure they have heard it several times. they dont have clue & will never be "tango". its rude (IMO) to have these kind of conversations w/strangers unless they ask. (btw, good steaks @ new posada).

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Very sad reviews. We will not take the chance with our money.

I don't blame you. For many, dining in a restaurant is a treat rather than a daily event.

Right now, what's going on in the restaurant scene is a bit of a mystery to me. The economy is not exactly thriving and the snowbirds aren't here yet. Still, new restaurants seem to be popping up like mushrooms while the old ones are struggling to make ends meet. A new arrival on the scene needs to be very special in order to compete. I would think that the owners would check out the competition very thoroughly before committing money and time to joining the fray. Competing against the well-established Tango would be a daunting challenge for any restaurant.

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So, some Web research shows that the majority of Argentinian beef is still grass-fed, rather than grain, which leads to a tougher chew but "beefier" taste. However, they spend an inordinate amount of time making their cooked beef as palatable as possible to combat this. SO... two things are evident here: one, makes it a lot easier to buy the cheaper, tougher cuts here and claim "that's the way we like it", which doesn't ring true unless one grew up eating tough steak (much like many Mexicans prefer unripe mangos), and two: this isn't Argentina. Just because Peru, for example, has 3800 varieties of potato doesn't mean anything compared to how much I prefer PEI potatos.

Not only that, I think they'd be hard pressed to actually be importing beef from Argentina...

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