What kind of food can adventurous diners expect at an Argentinian restaurant? In a word, steak. Argentina ranks among the world's premiere grilling cultures, its legendary steakhouses renowned for their mastery over such cuts of beef as skirt steak, ribeye, short ribs and filet mignon. Most famous may be churrasco, the Spanish term for barbecued meat that, in Argentina, is synonymous with center cut sirloin.
Authentic Argentinian Steakhouse In Little Italy
Customers enjoy all this and more at Puerto la Boca, an authentic Argentinian steakhouse in Little Italy. The family-owned restaurant has been serving traditional Argentinian dishes on India Street for 11 years, providing the neighborhood quality and comfort through lunch and dinner, plus daily happy hour from 4:30 to 7:30 and all day Sunday.
Happy Hour Food And Drink Specials
Happy hour food and drink specials provide a delicious opportunity to sample Argentinian wines while snacking on bread and homemade chimichurri, South America's famous herbaceous sauce. But the best introduction to take on Argentinian food may be found on Puerto La Boca's shared plates dinner menu. Intended for two, the Parrillada "El conventillo" combination platter is loaded with classic Argentinean dishes covering the gamut of grilled meats: short rib, skirt steak, sirloin, chicken breast, chorizo, blood sausage and sweet breads.
La Parrillada
The word parrillada loosely translates to cookout, while the term El conventillo has a unique historical meaning. After the US, Argentina has taken in more immigrants than any other country. At the end of the 19th century, nearly half the residents of Buenos Aires were European immigrants. Housing was difficult to come by, so mansions and other large properties were converted into shared multi-family dwellings, called conventillos.
Immigration And Argentinian Cuisine
This wave of immigration heavily influenced Argentinian cuisine. On Puerto la Boca's menu, you may spot Spanish influence with chorizo sausage and saffron rice. French influence with a creamy Roquefort cheese sauce used to dress halibut, tomatoes, or cullote — the top cut sirloin popular in northern Argentina.
Along with Spain, the highest number of immigrants to Argentina hailed from Italy, meaning pastas are also a big part of the menu, where they may be spotted with alternate, Argentinian spellings such as ravioles, canelones and spaguetti. Argentinian cuisine also embraces milanesas — Italy's breaded and fried cutlets of chicken or beef. Milanesas are served a number of different ways, but lend themselves quite nicely to the restaurant's lunchtime sandwich offerings.
Come Try Traditional Argentinian Food At Puerto La Boca!
However, any time of day, visitors to Puerta la Boca may sample Argentina's most famous savory pastry, the empanada. The traditional Argentinian turnovers are stuffed with a tantalizing variety of fillings including spinach and cheese, corn and cheese, beef or chicken. Empanadas make a great starter for steak, pasta, sandwiches or fish — every single one an excellent reason to try traditional Argentinian food, soon and often!