When my mom and Poppy Sam came to town, Poppy Sam requested that we go out for steak. The traditional steakhouse options were not good ones for us because they are either chains (boring) or fancy (not appropriate for a 3 year old). I had heard murmurs of good things this new place in the Strip District called Gaucho Parrilla Argentina and we decided to check it out.
The menu is surprisingly large for a place that focuses primarily on steak and veggies. They offer multiple kinds of steak (flank, filet, NY Strip, etc) and multiple preparation options (on a plate, sandwich, salad, etc). There are many kinds of grilled veggies and, a personal favorite, grilled bread. Gaucho offers plenty for herbivores and carnivores alike.
A bonus: it is BYOB! A downside: it closes kind of early (at 7pm), so you need to keep your eye on the clock if you want to make it for dinner.
The seating in Gaucho is very limited. It was empty when we got there, so we were able to sit at the barstool seating. The whole place seats maybe 8 people tops. There is outdoor seating as well, but that won’t be much of an option until the winter subsides. While Gaucho is an excellent option for take out, I recommend snagging the barstools if you can, because I think the food would taste better fresh from the fire instead of sitting through a drive home.
I foolishly forgot to bring the iPad with us on this outing. An iPad is imperative to surviving a restaurant outing with a 3 year old. Lucky for all of us, Gaucho serves corn on the cob, and Baby Beez loves corn on the cob. She didn’t eat any of the delicious chorizo we ordered for her (so we all ate it), but the corn on the cob kept her plenty busy and plenty full.
I had a salad with flank steak and grilled veggies. It was all so fresh, and such a wonderful departure from the typical Pittsburgh steak salad, dripping with cheese and french fries. You got me, I love Pittsburgh steak salads too, but this was a huge step up.
We have to be careful when we take Poppy Sam to a restaurant, because if he likes it, he’s going to want to go there every time he comes to visit. And if he loves it, but we don’t, that’s going to be a bummer. Gaucho, however, got thumbs-up all around. This is an excellent spot, and we’ll be thrilled to return every time Poppy Sam comes to town.
Also, sidenote, the owner looks exactly like Rainn Wilson. I stood there staring at him because I swore he looked like someone I know, I just couldn’t figure out who. Then I realized that HE IS DWIGHT SCHRUTE.
