It's refreshing when your memories of a restaurant hold up after several years, and Carlitos came through in the biggest of ways. Located on Melrose near Fairfax in LA, Carlitos Gardel is an amazing Argentinian restaurant that is family owned. Max is the one that owns and runs the place with his brother, and his mom makes most of the desserts.
I know that this might sound strange, but the fries from this place would easily make my last meal list. They are perfectly cooked and then tossed with garlic, sea salt, parsley and garlic. I can't begin to explain how amazing these things are. They are simply the best fries on the planet, and I'll stand by that statement until proven different. Crisp outside, buttery-creamy inside, with impecable seasoning.
Who in their right mind would put that much garlic on anything? A genius, that's who!
For the main course, I went with which is their signature steak Ojo de Costilla a La Criolla, they use grass fed Argentinian beef that they fly in. The steak is grilled to perfection, and finished off with their signature chimichurri sauce that I've been trying to recreate unsuccessfully for years. It's served with steamed vegetables (still crisp) and a puree' of yukon gold potatos. The beef is far superior to any that I've had, and we are blessed to have grass fed, organic beef here in Wimberley. There is however a taste and texture that is more complex than any I've had anywhere else.
http://www.carlitosgardel.com/index.html
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