Libertango Steakhouse

He said:

I’ve had my eye on this place since I first noticed it last week, captivated by just its name and logo. Then when I learned it was an Argentine steakhouse, I couldn’t wait to try it out. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long, and my eager anticipation was well rewarded.

As we entered the restaurant, the fragrant aroma of the wood-fire grill greeted us, heightening my anticipation. A photo of the famed Argentine musician Astor Piazzolla playing a bandoneon watched over us in the reception area. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have recognized Piazzolla, but I’ve since had the pleasure of learning a piano solo of one of his compositions, Milonga del Angel.

Astor Piazzolla is a prolific composer, whom the New York Times called “the world's foremost composer of tango music”¹. I can’t quite say that he popularized that quintessentially Argentine musical form, the tango, which had already found widespread popularity, but he did much to elevate it. Some say he revolutionized it, even that he “single-handedly invented ‘the new tango,’”² or nuevo tango, by incorporating influences from jazz and classical music. Indeed, his Milonga del Angel is an example. Among the most famous of Piazzolla’s works is his Libertango, its title a portmanteau of “liberty” and “tango,” symbolizing his break from classical tango, moving to tango nuevo. The Libertango Steakhouse claims to follow in his revolutionary footsteps, only with the cuisine of Argentina instead of dance.

We didn’t have a reservation, but that didn’t seem to be a problem at the early afternoon hour on a Saturday. Everything about the place contributed to our enjoyment: the smartly clad employees, the colorful décor, the thick leatherbound menus, and more. Beautiful paintings and photographs depicted traditional Argentine scenes: tango dancers, gauchos, polo matches, bandoneon players. Cowhides adorned one entire wall.

When we opened the leatherbound menus, we encountered a brilliant presentation. At first, I thought I was looking at a pair of iPad screens. On closer inspection, I discovered that the menus were printed on transparent paper and backlit by some sort of electronic device.

Kathy and I both ordered from the Mocktails menu. Kathy got the Sangria Sin Alcohol, and I got El Cayman, a ginger beer with lime and mint. Kathy’s drink came with a row of skewered fruit slices; mine came in a hammered copper mule cup. The copper cup didn’t surprise me, but it also came with a copper straw! I let Kathy have a taste and she thought it was strong with ginger, while the first thing I noticed was the added lime. Either way, it hit all the right notes.

Two appetizers caught our eye, the Burrata and the Provoleta Dehumada. We let the waiter guide us toward the latter, and wow! It consisted of smoked provolone, melted on the grill and sprinkled with fried garlic, and garnished with finely cut cherry tomatoes. It appeared on a plate shaped like a painter’s palette, dimpled with spaces for the cheese. It reminded me of an escargot plate. A couple of Sweety Drop peppers adorned the plate. The result was beautiful, but the magic was in the taste. I can easily believe that heaven is made of this Provoleta Dehumada. Each bite contained creamy, smoked provolone, but the seasoning took it to another, incredible level.

For my entrée, I chose the Picanha steak. The Picanha, well known in Brazil (and perhaps Argentina, as well) isn’t well known in the United States. If you find it in a restaurant, I recommend you try it. This one still carried a generous cap of fat, which gives the steak its great flavor. In Brazil, the fat is usually retained until after cooking, but in the United States, it is unfortunately often removed before preparation. Thankfully, that isn’t the case at Libertango. The steak came straight off the wood-coal grill, beautifully charred while still red in the center. The pink Himalayan salt at the table enhanced its natural flavors. A waitress brought five bowls of “steak sauce” to the table, but I’m not sure they were necessary. I particularly enjoyed the guava barbecue sauce and the picante sauce, which I warned Kathy not to try due to its spiciness.

Side dishes at Libertango serve two (or possibly even more). We ordered the Puré de Papas (mashed potatoes) and the Parillada de Vegetales (grilled vegetables). Both were excellent, but the vegetables, from the Premium Sides menu, really impressed. Hot off the grill, the cast iron dish presented a colorful variety of grilled vegetables, including tomato, zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, eggplant, yellow bell pepper, red onion, and a generous smattering of more Sweety Drop peppers. If you’re not familiar with those, they are little bell-shaped peppers, about the size of a candy drop. They come from Peru and are typically pickled, giving them a sweet and tangy flavor.

That was plenty of great food, but I couldn’t visit an Argentine restaurant without trying their dulce de leche. The dessert menu had two dulce de leche options, a cookie and a crepe. We ordered the crepe, or Panqueque de Dulce de Leche. It was really just that simple: a crepe filled with pure dulce de leche, drizzled with honey and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I think Kathy was surprised that it had a slightly burnt taste, but I told her that was typical. Despite the similarities, dulce de leche is not the same as caramel, after all. At least one version of its history claims that dulce de leche was first discovered when somebody left their sweetened condensed milk on the stove for too long.

What a satisfying, enjoyable experience! That was enough to tide me over the rest of the day. I didn’t even need dinner later that night.

She said:

Oh my! What can I say about Libertango without accidentally leaving anything out? The attention to detail in this place is remarkable. From the walls, floors, ceiling, seating, silverware, and food, it’s obvious that a lot of thought was put into the creation of this wonderful restaurant.

Warmth derived from the deep copper, embossed tiles on the ceiling, the gray wood-grain look of the porcelain tiles on the floor, and the wainscotting and artwork on the walls. Polo players, cattle, tango dancers, and gauchos surrounded us from framed photos and paintings. The booths were tucked up against the walls on both sides of the dining area.

Where we sat, we were afforded privacy as the booth was set back and tucked away by dividing walls and a cowhide on display on a steel rack on the wall above our heads. Our table had a black cloth tablecloth draped across it, with a cream-colored tablecloth set on top of it on a diagonal. The slate-blue linen napkins’ color was repeated in the leather booth bench, and the back of the booth was constructed of navy-blue tweed upholstery.

But the attention to detail and sophistication did not end there. The silverware had handles that resembled dark wood grain, and our steak knives were laser-etched with the name of the restaurant and their logo, an image of a couple dancing the tango.

All of that, along with the backlit menus, swept me off my feet. And that was all before getting to the food. Everything was wonderful. My New York Strip, called Bife de Chorizo, was perfectly seared medium-rare. Even without any of the sauces, the meat was deliciously seasoned with salt and pepper. However, my taste buds positively danced when I dipped a piece of my steak in the Gorgonzola sauce and bit into it. As Brian already mentioned, the mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, and dessert were simply delicious.

I definitely want to return to Libertango sometime.

Conclusion:

The Libertango Steakhouse began in Brazil, where it won many awards. Following two successful locations in Brazil, the Sandy location is their first in the United States. How fortunate we are to have this great restaurant in our community. They have obviously paid attention to every detail to make this an elegant, exciting dining experience.