It Takes Two to Tango Sur

Hello dear readers! You may ask yourself, where the hellodolly have you been, No Olives? Well, between a summer vacation, searching for a venue for my 2009 wedding, and freelance writing projects (oh yeah, and a day job), I’ve been a busy lady. But, no excuses! My love for No Olives is recharged! Now, back to business…

Last Saturday, after a long day of wedding venue visits and in need of multiple drinks, good food and some fun, we sauntered over to Southport with a few friends to dine at Tango Sur. Tango Sur is an Argentinian steak house that’s as well-known for its fantastic food as it is for its huge popularity, no-reservations system and long waits on the weekend. After being told at 9 p.m. that a table would be ready for us in an hour and a half, we decided to pop into Que Syrah for a few bottles of red wine as Tango Sur is a BYOB establishment. Aaron is the sommelier of our family, and discussed the merits of a few bottles under $25 with the wine chick, who had that whole 1940’s pin-up girl meets tattoo artist vibe going on. Armed with libations, we headed outside to the Southport strip.

After spending the rest of our wait at a dingy sports bar conveniently located next door to Tango Sur, we finally received a phone call notifying us that our table was ready. The feast was about to commence. Now, I know, I’ve said I don’t eat meat, I do eat meat, I avoid meat, blah blah. Well these days, I’m eating meat a couple times a month, but still try to avoid it as much as I can. When I am in the mood for meat, I’m happy, thrilled, and eager to wait for hours for the succulent steaks at Tango Sur.

Tango Dancers, Photo By N-Root.

Once seated, we started our meat-fest with Empanadas con carne & pollo: flaky, Argentinian turnovers served with Chimichurri sauce. Our entrées came with unimpressive house salads (which I skipped completely to make room for the main course).

Empanadas, Tango Sur.

Aaron and I shared the Vacio: half a slab of range-grown flap meat, sliced and filled with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and sage, and cooked and served on a grill with sliced sweet potatoes. Grilling temperature is suggested at medium-the result is a buttery, mouth-melting mass of herbs and meat. I urge all Chicagoan meat-eaters to order this divine concoction, eat half and take the rest home to prolong the pleasure. Our friends ordered the Bife Vesuvio: grilled prime steak filled with spinach, mar del plata cheese and garlic in a white wine sauce, accompanied with Argentine style potatoes, and El Filet: range-grown filet mignon cooked on the grill, then topped with a red onion wine sauce and accompanied with spinach mashed potatoes.