Carpaccio

The Great Argentinean Brochette was brought next, a very long skewer of assorted grilled meats coupled with a variety of sausages. This dish is more than enough for two people to share. Our brochette included four cuts of beef, chorizo and French boudin sausage. The chorizo is very different than the Mexican chorizo we are accustomed to. It is a link sausage, mildly spiced and grilled. The French boudin is not to my taste, a bit on the livery side. The cuts of beef were tender and savory.

Great Argentinean Brochette

This dish was served with three dipping sauces: salsa creola, a sauce made of onions and red and green bell peppers; caper mayonnaise, homemade mayonnaise with tangy capers (very béarnaise sauce-like); and traditional Argentinean chimichurri sauce made with olive oil chopped parsley, chopped herbs, garlic and lemon juice. Each sauce brought a different dimension to the beef. I can’t claim to like one better than the other because they were all good. Grilled vegetables accompanied the meat.

Apple Panqueque

We finished our meal with two delicious desserts, Apple Panqueque and poached pears in a Malbec reduction sauce. The Apple Panqueque were crepes filled with caramelized  apples and pastry cream topped with a dulce de leche sauce and accompanied by vanilla ice cream. I declare this dessert “yummy!’

But the real stars were poached pears accompanied by a spicy complex reduction of Malbec wine with just a little whipped cream on the side. These were an absolute delight, light yet offering multi-layered tastes that tickled my taste buds.

Malbec New Argentinean Cuisine is located at 1001 E. Green Street, Pasadena. Their hours are Monday - Thursday, 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Prices are moderate, appetizers and salads; $6.00 - $10.00; pastas, $14.00 - $17.00, entrees, $14.00 - $26.00 and desserts, $5.00 - $7.00.  For more information and reservations call (626) 683-0550 or log onto www.malbeccuisine.com.