Read as 3.51. This restaurant is just down the block from our hotel. It was recommended by one of the front deck staff. She made us 7:15 reservations and we walked down a little early because the walk was shorter than we had anticipated. As we walked up to the restaurant we could see their immaculate basement kitchen through plate glass windows. It's on the corner, up three stairs, through the front door and up 4 stairs more. We were celebrating 35 years of having lived together, though we didn't tell them that, so we wanted a special occasion restaurant. We were greeted promptly, seated at a two top against a wall of windows and given menus. They have 4 prix fixe dinners. If you deviate from them you are charged à la carte prices.
Then we waited, maybe as long as 10 minutes, to be acknowledged. Eventually our server came over. We both ordered the empanadas, which had been well reviewed, and the churrasco, which appealed to us both. The churrasco came w polenta sticks and sliced mushrooms. These were from two different dinners. Alan didn't order dessert. I ordered crème brulée, though I really could have been fine w/o it. We had still water to drink and I had a glass of their house red blend, which was full and delicious. We were brought a basket of their house-made bread and a small container of butter The bread was amazing, slightly sour, very crusty, w/ the inside tender and almost custardy but firm in texture. We could have eaten it all, but we didn't.
The empanadas were delivered, accompanied by a mixture of lettuces. They were filled w/ ground beef, cranberries and nuts. They were good. The steaks come in a small portion (I forget the number of grams) and a large one. We both opted for the small, mine rare and Alan's medium rare. Alan explained his need for low salt, so there was no salt added and the sauce was served on the side. After we had ordered, Alan decided to order fries, flagged our waiter down and requested them. When the steaks arrived they were more than adequate in size. We were glad we hadn't ordered the larger portion. Alan's was too rare for him, so he requested it be done a little more, a request our server readily accommodated. He brought it back and then, as he brought the fries, noted that they had salt on them, apologized for not making sure they were salt-free, turned around and took them back to have them redone w/o salt. We very much appreciated the way he had handled it, although Alan said he (Alan) should have said something about it when he ordered them. The steaks were delicious and the polenta sticks were tasty. The mushrooms were a meaty festival of umami. The fries were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and very good.
Our plates were cleared and then we waited and waited and waited, perhaps 15 minutes. Finally Alan asked about my crème brulée. Our server said they were just preparing it. By this time I was regretting having ordered it. After another 5 minutes or so he brought it. It was very good, but the wait had left a bad taste in both our mouths. Then we waited again for the check. Alan went up to the front and paid and then we left. Granted, there was a bit of a crowd tonight, but not enough of one to cause such lengthy waits. Given the excellent quality of the food, the restaurant would have easily rated 4+ stars. Absent the waits, service was good enough that we couldn't rate them less than 4. read more