The Weekly Eater
GEORGE LEE/ GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Above, Gaucho Grill's dining room.
You do have a gym membership, don't you? You're gonna need it after setting foot in Gaucho Grill, the new Argentine restaurant (finally something different!), in the Ward Entertainment Complex, where beef is king. Beef speaks for itself when
grilled Argentine styleIt's a long way from the pampas, where gauchos, like the Hawaiian paniolo or Western cowboy, herded cattle and worked ranches, but the staff do their best to re-create the evening barbecue. There's no campfire and no guitar-accompanied sing-alongs, but that's the price we pay for city living.
It's good enough that a whole crew from "Rrr-hen-TEE-na" has come down via California to produce a menu almost as good as your own backyard barbecues.
Meat lovers must check it out. Entrees are so heavy, you don't really have to order anything beyond a single dish. I ordered a salad only as a guilt response to pigging out on all that protein.They will first ply you with bread and chimichurri sauce, a wonderful condiment more traditionally used as a marinade for steaks, so save some or ask for more to accompany the main course. Who would have thought parsley -- most often presented as inedible garnish -- could be as delicious as it is here, coarsely chopped and mixed with olive oil, chopped parsley, lemon, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper.
It's quite possible for conservative types to fill up on bread, the chimichurri sauce and a salad, but eyes and appetites do wander ...
Speaking of which, do you believe in love at first sight? You might feel it when you see the mixed plate, which serves two or three for $28.95. It features a half-chicken, which was quite dry, a skirt steak, two short ribs, chorizo, morcilla (grilled beef sweetbreads) and mollejas (black or blood sausage). This was also served with rice and black beans.
The sweetbreads actually taste fatty and will therefore be palatable to those who like the crisped fat of something like beef short ribs, but some won't be able to get past the idea they're ingesting a thyroid gland. The staff understands the morcilla is not for everyone, so in this case will allow a substitution; they'll most likely replace it with a shortrib.
The meat is largely undressed as they let the grilled flavor speak for itself. I would have been more impressed had I not also tried the superbly juicy and tender 12-ounce rib eye steak ($15.95) topped with whole cloves of roasted garlic. This is the one to get, and for steak lovers, a warm-up act just before Morton's opens at Ala Moana Center Nov. 27.
Meeker souls may simply try an Angus burger ($6.95) served on a French baguette. There's also fish on the menu in the form of salmon ($8.95) topped with roasted garlic, tomatoes, basil and olive oil; and grilled rainbow trout ($8.95) drizzled with Dijon vinaigrette.
Roast pork ($8.95) is like kalua pig spiked with red chilies. Contrary to popular belief, Argentine food is not spicy or flashy in any way, so this Cuban-style dish is as fiery as it gets here.
For dessert there is usually cheesecake or a fruit tart, but if you're going native you might as well go all the way and order the caramel-coated flan.
As for ambience, the room is cozy and suave with dim lighting perfect for grown-up dates if you want to know in advance how much your partner will cost you in food bills. It's a welcome respite for those who want to take in dinner and a movie while avoiding the bluster of Dave & Buster's upstairs.
Ward Entertainment Center / 593-9906 Gaucho Grill
Food 
Service Ambience Value Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Cost: About $20 to $30 for two
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Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to nkam@starbulletin.com
excellent; very good, exceeds expectations; average; below average.
