It takes two to tango...
Saturday night found Steve and I dressed up nice to go to a detective ice cream party which was ultimately canceled - what to do?! Obviously we had to go out for a nice grown-up dinner. Steve suggested Tango! near Arlington Center and, since the weather was beautiful, we walked on over.
Tango! advertises itself as Argentinian cuisine, and it was wonderful. We got there around 7:00 and were delighted to have beaten the crowd and were seated right away. There were lots of things on the menu I couldn't eat (most of the chicken items were breaded) but the rather lengthy meat section and small seafood section seemed safe. I turned down some grilled salmon for lamb chops roasted in chimichurri sauce. They were delicious! Honestly, I couldn't believe I ate all of it (5 chops! plus the sides, and this after an appetizer of prosciutto, mozzarella, and tomatoes) but I couldn't help myself. It was so incredibly good. In keeping with my new-found theory of sides as an indicator of superior chefdom, I tried the Pure Porteno, a squash and sweet potato mash. Divine! Steve had 'fries' with his dish, which were more like fried potato crisps or chips and were also amazing. We both had some sangria to wash down our delectable meals. I'm no connoisseur of sangria, but was particularly partial to this one because it did not have that harsh alcoholic bite of others I've had. Quite mellow and a good fit with the spicy chimichurri sauce.
On the walk home we compared our dining experience with another recent one we had at the Atlantic Fish Company. The price was relatively the same, but we both agreed we liked Tango! best. For me, it definitely has to do with the choices. Atlantic Fish Company had an amazing selection of seafood, but the only safe thing for me to have was just plain fish grilled. They do it really well (and their sides of roasted new red potatoes are to die for) but honestly I can get that anywhere. Whereas so far my experience at more 'ethnic' places have given me perhaps not as many choices, but more choices that are interesting and do not have to be so far altered from their original menu state. Why would I go out to eat to get a salad? Plus, we don't have to drive into Boston to go to Tango! - and we can always visit The Chilly Cow across the street for some cheap dessert!
Tango! advertises itself as Argentinian cuisine, and it was wonderful. We got there around 7:00 and were delighted to have beaten the crowd and were seated right away. There were lots of things on the menu I couldn't eat (most of the chicken items were breaded) but the rather lengthy meat section and small seafood section seemed safe. I turned down some grilled salmon for lamb chops roasted in chimichurri sauce. They were delicious! Honestly, I couldn't believe I ate all of it (5 chops! plus the sides, and this after an appetizer of prosciutto, mozzarella, and tomatoes) but I couldn't help myself. It was so incredibly good. In keeping with my new-found theory of sides as an indicator of superior chefdom, I tried the Pure Porteno, a squash and sweet potato mash. Divine! Steve had 'fries' with his dish, which were more like fried potato crisps or chips and were also amazing. We both had some sangria to wash down our delectable meals. I'm no connoisseur of sangria, but was particularly partial to this one because it did not have that harsh alcoholic bite of others I've had. Quite mellow and a good fit with the spicy chimichurri sauce.
On the walk home we compared our dining experience with another recent one we had at the Atlantic Fish Company. The price was relatively the same, but we both agreed we liked Tango! best. For me, it definitely has to do with the choices. Atlantic Fish Company had an amazing selection of seafood, but the only safe thing for me to have was just plain fish grilled. They do it really well (and their sides of roasted new red potatoes are to die for) but honestly I can get that anywhere. Whereas so far my experience at more 'ethnic' places have given me perhaps not as many choices, but more choices that are interesting and do not have to be so far altered from their original menu state. Why would I go out to eat to get a salad? Plus, we don't have to drive into Boston to go to Tango! - and we can always visit The Chilly Cow across the street for some cheap dessert!