Pretty much anyone you ask who has been to Tango Sur raves about the food and laments over the long waits (“but it’s worth it!”). An Argentinian BYOB known throughout Chicago, people come from all over the city at all hours of the weekend to try their amazing dishes – and drink plenty of wine.
Last week, I asked a group of Tango Sur veterans to come with Bobby and me and made a – gasp – reservation! It’s something you can only do when there are six people or more. Otherwise, it could be up to three hours before you get seated. We all showed up just in time for our 7:00 p.m. slot.
Clockwise: Bobby, me, Kelli, Jill, Andrew, Lauren, Kyle and Alex
We got the meal off to the right start by opening a couple bottles of red wine to share.
Jill also recommended we start with the Provoleta, an appetizer of Argentine provolone cheese cooked on the grill with olive oil and roasted peppers. It’s served with unlimited amounts of bread and tasted amazing – warm and, well, cheesy, with a bit of kick from the red peppers.
Another appetizer recommendation courtesy of Alex were the empanadas. We all shared one of each flavor: lamb, beef, chicken, ham with cheese and spinach with cheese. These were great! I was able to try the beef, chicken and spinach with cheese. The latter was my favorite, but they all had a deliciously flaky crust and flavorful middle.
For our entree, Jill and I shared the Lomo, a filet mignon cooked on the grill and served with salad.
Unfortunately I couldn’t get my pictures of the Lomo to turn out, but it was perfect. A little undercooked for me – I’m a crazy medium-well girl – but I saved a portion for leftovers the next day. With a little extra cooking time, it was easily one of the best steaks I’ve had.
I did, however, get a picture of Alex’s dish, the Bife Vesuvio, a grilled (range grown) prime steak sliced and filled with spinach, mar del plata cheese and garlic in a white wine sauce, served with Argentine style potatoes. These were the same potatoes that were served with my dish.
Our stomachs were content, to say the least. Jill was kind enough to bring champagne for my birthday, so we all shared in a glass of bubbly to wash down our fantastic meal.
Then they surprised me by telling the waiter it was my birthday! It was a great serenade, as evidenced by the cheesy grin captured by Lauren. Love Bobby’s expression in the background. 🙂
The flan they brought out was the icing on the cake, so to speak.
We had a great time, and now Bobby and I can officially say we’re Tango Sur veterans, too.
We’re already excited to go back again! The atmosphere is dark and cozy, which would make it perfect for a date night. Not to mention there are still so many great dishes we need to try!
Have you ever been to a BYOB – or Tango Sur, for that matter? If so, what did you think?
Abrazos,
I’ll have to look out for that resturant – not sure if it’s a chain. But the food looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Lauren! They have a couple of “sister” restaurants in Chicago that I’d be curious to check out, too. You’ll have to let me know if you go!
You are so great at describing your dishes, Jenn! I would have been like, “We had grilled cheese. It was tasty!” 🙂 (And I am definitely a medium-well/well girl, even after all of the “flavor” lectures. The color of rare meat weirds me out a bit, I think.) Anyway, so glad to hear you had such a great birthday celebration—you certainly deserve it!
I am also in love with that serenade photo. Super-adorable!
Quick follow-up: It was fabulous catching up and I’m looking forward to our next chat already!
Haha – I have definitely expanded my brain thesaurus for words that are similar to “delicious” and “tasty” over the past four years! 🙂 Glad to find another medium-well/well girl, though I’d expect nothing less considering how similar we are! It was so wonderful to catch up with you, too. Can’t wait for our next chat this weekend!
LOVE it! Its sister restaurant Folklore is right by us and we were just there on Thursday. The filet on the specials menu is fantastic. Anyone try it? Sauce is amazing. And, like you, I am a HUGE fan of the empanadas!
Love it, Thi! I was checking out the Folklore website earlier – I’m glad to know you enjoyed it! The sauce I had with my filet was amazing, too. Do you know what it was called/made with? I couldn’t figure it out!
Apparently it’s a red wine onion sauce?
That cheese app? YUM! So necessary 🙂 And you know I love the picture of them singing to you. Too cute! OK – favor…can you go to Bill & Giuliana’s restaurant? Josh and I want to live vicariously through you 🙂
So completely necessary, haha! And I would LOVE to check out Giuliana and Bill’s restaurant! I think it’s called RPM Italian. My business partner Jill actually attended their grand opening as part of a non-profit that works with Giuliana, and she said the food was fantastic! Consider it a new mission of mine. 🙂
What a fantastic meal! I will have to remember Tango Sur for the next time I am in Chicago 🙂
Next time you are in Chicago I will take you there! 🙂
Ah, what a great dinner with Bobby and friends!! I haven’t had that type of food before but in Australia most of their restaurants are BYOB. I enjoyed that a lot back then…haha!
I could BYOB every day! 😉
So much fun! Looks delish. Great way to celebrate.
Thanks, Cara!
That Provoleta looks blissfully delicious. I might scout our local restaurants for anyone that serves the same dish.
I would highly recommend it! I want to recreate it at home.
That place looks SO fun and the food looks amazing! I’ve been itching to take a trip to Chicago, and I think it is your fault!
You are welcome here ANY time!! 🙂
I have been to Tango Sur and it was amazing! I love that you can bring your own wine, that it is dark and mysterious and the food is delicious.
I completely agree, Leah! Can’t wait to go back.
I love Tango Sur- I think we’ve talked about this. 🙂 Next time you go, see if you can get a steak with their chimichurri sauce, it’s incredible. I would go back there every week if my waistline didn’t care.
Yes, we have! I was tempted to get that steak – next time, for sure. We should go there together this summer!
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