Good Eats: ARGENTINEAN FOOD & EMPANADAS!!

People flock to this cozy (they have only around 8 tables) restaurant for their authentic baked Argentinean empanadas. This spot was once featured at Food Network's Pastry segment for its excellent empanadas.Gauchas is located bet. East 90 - 91st Street & 1st Avenue

LINK:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_sf/episode/0,1976,FOOD_17616_41117,00.html

During the course of our recent dinner, about 4 people came in to order empanadas for take-out. It's priced quite reasonably well at $2.00 each, so I ordered half a dozen assorted ones. They're great to bring as snacks for work or school. They have 8 kinds of fillings, and you can tell what the different fillings are by the shape of its dough (tasted a bit like puffed pastry). Easier said than done. The drawings were more well-defined. When I got home, they all kinda looked the same to me. Not that it mattered anyway - every single one tasted scrumptious.

Ham and Cheese {---------------------------------------------} Corn

Capresse (tomato, basil, mozzarella)

Had Provoletta Argentina (grilled imported provolone cheese with olive oil & oregano) for starters. It goes great with their freshly baked rolls.

For those who'd rather eat light: aside from the Empanadas, they also offer Sandwiches (Sausage, BLT, Breaded Beef Cutlet), Salads, and Pizza (Margherita, Ham & Sweet Peppers). For chicken lovers, sorry - they offer only a couple of poultry dishes, Pollo a la Brasas (roasted chicken) and Suprema de Pollo (breaded chicken breast). The main attraction is their grilled meats. Their 10 oz. Filet Mignon priced at $18.00 is way cheaper than most restaurants. All their entrees are served with a choice of 1 side (rice, mashed potatoes, criolla salad or french fries). For tonight, we had the Asado (Grilled Short Ribs) with Criolla salad. Since S. was not too keen on eating veggies, she had an extra side order of rice ($4.00) instead. They have a paste-like herb/olive oil condiment on the table that you could liberally slap on top of your meats. I love it! WARNING: - it has LOADS of garlic. For those who are planning to kiss anyone right after dinner, you may want to skip this one.

We didn't need anyone to prod us to order dessert. Their Panqueques con Dulce de Leche (homemade crepes filled with milk caramel) was simply divine. We polished 2 orders of them!!