This New $40 Steakhouse Lunch Is Good!
Plus: Gui's grilled short ribs and pastrami sandwich, Fish Cheeks's dry-aged krapow and raw crabs. And more!
Hey Friends!
What a great time to be alive in New York. It’s finally getting warmer. The Whitney Biennial is in full swing. The Knicks are heading to the playoffs. And it’s Steak Season again here at The Lo Times!!!
So today, we’ll talk about my NYT review of El Gauchito, a rollicking Argentinian grill that’s more interesting than, like, 93 percent of the city’s steakhouses. I’ll also have some quick reviews of Gui, Fish Cheeks, and Soothr.
I’ll try to be back later this week or over the weekend with some price hikes.
No single item is more expensive than $35 in today’s column!
Let’s get to it.
The case for El Gauchito
Delmonico’s opened in 1837. Keens launched in 1885. Peter Luger debuted in 1887. And Gallagher’s first set up shop in the late 1920s as a speakeasy.
Some of the city’s most prominent steakhouses have been around for a century or longer. And perhaps a new collection of high profile meateries like La Tete d’Or, Cuerno, and Cote will have a good long lifespan ahead of them too.
But let’s not forget about another class of beefy restaurants.
Let’s talk about a group of South American hangouts that sometimes go overlooked, longtime venues that Matt Rodbard and New York Mag’s Matthew Schneier would fairly call middle-aged (check out their Food Time/Taste discussion).
I’ve long believed that Argentine grill spots — restaurants that showcase morcilla, short rib, and offal — deserve more attention in our Red Meat Metropolis. And that’s why I was so excited, and a little nervous, when I got the thumbs up to review El Gauchito for the NYT.
Mario José Civelli opened El Gauchito in 1978 as a butcher shop, and then as a restaurant the following year.
Nearly half a century later, it’s still a community staple.
On a Saturday night in March, folks were nearly spilling out the door while queuing up for tables. Quoted wait time: 45 minutes. A couple behind us wondered whether they should’ve swung by the Rockville Center outpost instead…until they guessed that the Long Island location would’ve been even more crowded.
I hope you spend a few minutes with my full review, but let me tease you with a few quick observations:
Like other Argentine steakhouses (and Korean BBQ joints), you’ll find that grilled (not braised) short ribs figure prominently on the menu. Be sure to appreciate their chewy, springy texture.
The parrillada is the highlight of any proper Argentine steakhouse, and El Gauchito is no exception. Steaks and organ meats arrive in disheveled heaps on a hot steel platter. I like letting the mollejas (sweetbreads), chinchulines (stomach), and other cuts sizzle up a little longer so they develop a deeper, saltier char.
El Gauchito is one of the few restaurants I know of to offer a veal skirt steak on the regular menu. It was unavailable on my last visit!
Let me know how you like El Gauchito if you go! The other year I tried out Baires Grill, a fancier and more expensive Argentine steakhouse in Hell’s Kitchen. I didn’t like it.
By the way…
Since we’re talking about middle-aged spots: El Gauchito is the only restaurant I know of that still hands out floppy magnet calendars with every guest check. It’s a nice homage to a pre-iPhone era when folks looked at their refrigerators to admire photos of their spouses and children…and to find out what day of the month it was lol.
Every check also comes with a branded packet of toothpicks! It’s another throwback touch for a restaurant that’s nearly 50 years old…and a restaurant where every menu is somehow on an iPad. I can’t explain everything!!!
94-60 Corona Avenue, Elmhurst
For further reading on El Gauchito, check out this fine Caroline Shin column over at Gothamist.
The article dives into the owner’s immigration to the U.S., his dreams of becoming a world class boxer in New York, the early days at the Elmhurst location, and the expansion to Long Island and Flushing (Published: 2025).
Let’s try a $40 steak lunch at Gui in the Theater District!!!
Plus, notes on the dry-aged krapow at Fish Cheeks, the braised beef at Soothr, and more
