Gauchos Argentinian Steak Restaurant, Amsterdam

...an Argentinian steak sauce to Gauchos own recipe of chopped pepper herbsand garlic in oil and vinegar - difficult to describe and impossible to refrain from keep spooning more and more on the plate.

The wine list features Argentinian wine. My tip is to to for the Malbec; it is a grape that grows to perfection there. I think the wines are a tad overpriced, but a half litre carafe of an excellent house Argentinian Malbec/sangiovese blend ...
...a dessert, I go for Dame Blanche - vanilla ice cream served with a side of hot thick chocolate sauce.

Gaucho´s in Spuistraat is quite small so if you do not intend having the salad bar please try one of the other branches - I hate waiting for a table.

But try Gaucho´s at least once to know what the competition is trying to copy.

(Note: The reason Argentine steak is so good is it is raised and lives in ... more

South America produces the worlds best beef. I´ve not yet travelled there, but I have enjoyed the most wonderful Argentinian steaks in Amsterdam. The city has many Argentinian and Uraguayan steak houses. My favourite is the daddy of them all, Gaucho´s. Its rough hewn wooden booths and black and white cow hide seats have been copied by scores of lesser competitors, many of whom also duplicate their menu word for word. That´s an indication of just how good Gaucho´s is.

There are at least six branches of Gaucho´s in Amsterdam, including one just off Dam square in Dam Straat, but I am going to do something I know I will regret, which is to give the location of my favourite one which is in Spuistraat - a few minutes walk from Centraal Station. It is my preferred Gaucho´s because it has a self-serve salad bar, and I like to choose my own salads. Apart from that, the menu is the same as the other Gaucho´s.

So what do you find in Gaucho´s at Spuistaat? A dark wooden interior with pools of light over large wooden tables and cow hide bench seats. In the centre is the kitchen behind glass and a fierce wood burning grill. Facing that along its length is the salad bar.

The menu focuses on meat and majors in beef. There are starters, Argentinian sausages etc but people come for the steaks. Rump, sirloin and fillet in three sizes up to 300 grammes, or they´ll gladly cut you a larger slice. A 225 gramme (about 8 oz) sirloin cost me 29 NLG last night. That covers just the meat. Optional sides include jacket potatoes, fries, grilled corn-on-the cob, and the salad bar. Also freshly baked bread rolls with herb butter.

I like to wait a while after placing my order, then go and build my salad. You can feel the fierce heat from the grill and see your steak over the red fires, the odd flame leaping up as some meat juices splash down.

The same chef has been there for many years now, calmly cutting the steaks at one side, moving them onto the grill, turning them and then placing them on a warmed plate with a lettuce garnish.

I have never had a steak cooked other than I requested it. The open fire gives a slightly charred other crust, rendolent with the smoky smell and taste of open fire cooking, while the inside is red and juicy. A separate plate for the fries keeps them crispy.

On the table is a pot of Chimichurri, an Argentinian steak sauce to Gauchos own recipe of chopped pepper herbsand garlic in oil and vinegar - difficult to describe and impossible to refrain from keep spooning more and more on the plate.

The wine list features Argentinian wine. My tip is to to for the Malbec; it is a grape that grows to perfection there. I think the wines are a tad overpriced, but a half litre carafe of an excellent house Argentinian Malbec/sangiovese blend costs 24.50 NLG.

If I can face a dessert, I go for Dame Blanche - vanilla ice cream served with a side of hot thick chocolate sauce.

Gaucho´s in Spuistraat is quite small so if you do not intend having the salad bar please try one of the other branches - I hate waiting for a table.

But try Gaucho´s at least once to know what the competition is trying to copy.

(Note: The reason Argentine steak is so good is it is raised and lives in herds on the open grassland of the pampas. It feeds on natural grass - not the artificial feeds used in UK. The cattle are managed by cowboys - called gauchos, hence the name of the restuarant)

This opinion refers to a meal at Gauchos, Spuistraat 3, Amstedam enjoyed on 18 March 2001. The phone number of the restaurant is 020-6257272)

 

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