Don Asado is an Uruguayan meat house. They call it a restaurant, but let's face it people, it's all about the meat. It's dressed like an ok place, with murals, writings on the wall and sturdy wooden furniture. Aiming for that Uruguayan gaucho look I think. Oh and no restaurant would be complete without some big TV's with live performances of latin-american pop stars.
Prior to eating here, I was inclined to make a reservation to ensure a table for us. "Silly Europeans!" my Mexican friends said laughingly, "... you don't need a reservation!". And right they were. The place was practically empty on a Wednesday night 8 pm.
Lucky for us, cause it meant we were attended to promptly. The waitress was funny and helpful and explained everything we wanted to know about the things on the menu. The empanadas we ordered as appetizers were big and flavorful. Enough to satisfy me on a night when I wouldn't be terribly hungry.
Soon after that the meat arrived. Again, huge portions of meat with sides of fries or salad. Mine was tasty, although overcooked and not 'rare' like I ordered it. One of my friends seemed to be eating mainly fat, as half of his cut was fat and therefore inedible. Pity.
None of us could finish our main meals, by the way. So they offered kindly to wrap them up to take home. But as any human being knows, there's always room for dessert! Cue the - I bet you already guessed it - HUGE piece of chocolate pie. Split four ways to compensate for its dietary damage, but still we weren't able to finish it. It was definitely delicious though (chocolate with dulce de leche).
But I think that's what my main beef is with this place: the insane portions. I'm just not such a big eater, so that might be part of it, but normally I have no problem finishing a meal. Mainly though: should you aim for quality or quantity? Personally, I'd think quality. Here at Don Asado I feel like they aim for more of a middle way. The quality isn't bad, but the quantity is too much. Compensate a little on the sizes of the meals, and I think you could gain a little more quality for the same price. If so, I'd definitely come back for some more of that divine chocolate cake. read more