Catch 22

Only had a nightcap here but I love the space and the customers were quite fashionable bunch (though it is fashion week …)
Has an upstairs section that would be the perfect space for a small party, and the tables near the front window is a great spot to watching the mingling crowd. Just don’t wear flip flops because you’ll get turned down.

Edit: Spoke with the owners. They’re re-​opening soon somewhere on Berry St.
I’m a big fan of the basics at this place. Their paninis are top notch and they make a good empanada. Problems erupt when you try to buy more expensive stuff like steaks and whatnot. Stick to the basics and you won’t be disappointed.

Yum. Had two great meals.
Lunch:
Fried calamari — Tender. No overplayed red sauce here. Lightly coated in a mix of honey and minced cashews. The huge portion was framed by thinly sliced cucumber and topped with julienne of carrots/​cucumber. Unique, refreshing, filling.
Ceasar salad — Another huge portion. With sliced flavorful, tender grilled chicken. Dressing was not too creamy not too oily. faint hint of essential anchovy. Spot on.
Empenadas — had one sweet corn and one oxtail, both piping hot right out of the oven in the front of the restaurant. Meat filling was dry but great dough.
Nice bottle of MALBEC from Argentina.
Dinner:
BERRY SANGRIA — I wish I could fill a pool and drink my way out of it. You can’t taste the alcohol, but after 2 glasses, you def know your buzzing around… beautiful blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries are waiting for you at the bottom… heaven.
Paella (special) — Best one eve had, more like risotto. I’m used to dried out carboard paellas, not this one, Tender shrimp, chicken, chorizo, clams, mussels, peas… wonderful!
Pizza — broccoli rabe, spicy/​sweet sausage, garlic sauce… do I need to say more? Perfect marriage, and again like the empanadas, the dough was stellar… thin, crisp and quickly gone. Personal plate sized.
STEAK!!! — Skirt Steak was a treat. Tender yet had a well seasoned crust. Cooked perfectly medium rare. Tasted like beef, unlike many flavorless slabs you come across. Again, HUGE portion.
Side — Fries: garlic & parsley… delicious, could eat a bucket full
Potato croquettas — 2 huge logs of soft creamy potato lighly fried breadcrumbs on the outside

Vile.
The only thing that could make this place worse would be the addition of Off Track Betting.

Sort of confused about what it wants to be — take-​out pizza joint, or upscale Argentine steak house?
Waitstaff was new and inexperienced but very sweet.
Plate of grilled meat that I ate was very authentically Argentine, and well prepared. Very simple. The mashed potatoes and french fries were both great.
The bottle of Rioja we ordered was decent, if not a bit too dry for my taste, but went well with my pile of charred meats.
Dessert was dulce du leche-​filled crepes — honestly the sweetest, richest, overly sugary indulgence I’ve had in recent memory. Not that that’s a bad thing, just intense.
Worth a return trip, but definitely some kinks to work out.

A nice little merging of two cuisines into a single restaurant. I’ve only sampled the Argentine side of the menu so far, but what I’ve had (Lomito pork loin and the chorizo/​steak/​short ribs Combinacion) were excellent, and perfectly simple. A little salty for my tastes, but in keeping with what I’ve had in Argentina.
The french fries were the parsley & garlic’ed ones you get everywhere in Argentina as well, which was a very nice touch.
The wine list is decent and reasonably priced (around $ 20 – 25 for a good number of bottles).
The atmosphere is simple, with a very comfortable small-​town aesthetic. Brick walls and nice tables and chairs, but staying very understated, in keeping with the old Italian neighborhood.
I’m a little desperate to go back and try the empanadas now that I’m reminiscing about the meat…

Checked out this place after seeing a blurb about it in Time Out. I’m always a sucker for anything listed as «Pan Latin», with chef Alex Garcia associated with it. But Pan Latin is a bit of a misnomer. This place is Argentine — Italian — no two ways about that. Not a stroke of Pan Latinoness to it (sorry I had to label as Pan Latin as Unilocal does not have an Argentine food choice, and I wouldn’t want to label as Italian cuz there wasn’t any pasta on the menu).
This place is definitely a little off the beaten path (Graham Ave on the L train, anyone?) but it’s about 3 blocks from the train. The setup is pretty interesting — you walk in and there’s kindof a deli counter setup immediately on your right. In front of you is a wire wine rack and then on the other side of the wire rack is the seating. It’s nice enough. The menu consists of a few salads, about 8 different types of empanadas, some paninis & pizzas and — the crown jewel — grass fed South American steaks. I tried a glass of Nieto Malbec (goes great with steak), and my boyfriend and I shared the following:
Green Salad with Tomatoes
Choclo Empanada (Corn)
Strip Steak
Calamari with Patagonian honey glaze and a few veggie garnishes
Garlic Mushrooms
Everything was good. I liked the empanadas — I really like choclo empanadas and sometimes it can be hard to find good ones. The Calamari was nice, too — crispy & tender with the slightly sweet glaze (I’m a sucker for the savory/​sweet combo). The steak was very tender and lean — not too far off from the yummy steaks we’ve had in Argentina. Would definitely come back if I were in Billyburg… or whatever that neighborhood is called.