El Gaucho

El Gaucho Restaurant Review:

Step back to a time when guests dressed for dinner and sipped expensive martinis --- El Gaucho's dining room, darkly lit with a theatrical ambience, sets the stage, rising like an amphitheater around the open kitchen. Waiters clad in black topcoats parade up and down the steps bearing retro classics such as flaming lamb shish kebab and Châteaubriand for two. Some dishes are prepared tableside, like the zesty Caesar salad or spicy tuna tartare. Favorites include the dry-aged porterhouse and the New York peppercorn steak. Not a meat eater? Fish is handled with equal finesse, with three seafood choices offered nightly along with a respectable Northwest bouillabaisse and an 18-ounce Australian lobster tail. For a steak and surf combo, ask to have this paired with a small filet. To finish with a blast from the past, choose bananas Foster for dessert. The wine list is extensive and pricey.