Tango & Malbec

Two weeks ago was my wedding anniversary.  So my wife and I decided to try a new restaurant.  We had spotted Tango & Malbec a couple of times while driving through the Galleria area and were intrigued by its name.  My wife is a big fan of malbec wines.  Tango & Malbec is a South American steakhouse.  While a little on the pricey side (special occasion type of restaurant), the food and atmosphere were well worth it.  I did make reservations, but when we got there it did not seem as if we needed them.  There was plenty of seating available.  The dining area was warm and inviting.  The lights were dimmed to set the perfect mood for a romantic night out.  We were seated close to the open staging area.  What I mean to say is there was a big opening where the waiter would pick up plates from the kitchen and we could look into and see the guys working over the grills.

The first thing that the waiter brought to our table was a bowl of different types of bread and house made chips with a smaller bowl of chimichurri sauce. The chips were exquisite. They were nice and crispy without being burnt or hard.  The chimichurri was equally as good having a nice balance of tang from the vinegar, eathiness from the herbs, and sweetness from the sugar.  They both played very well with each other. The bread was just your standard sliced baguette, some small bread sticks and some sliced parmesan bread.  Good, but nothing spectacular.

While looking over the menu, my wife and I decided to order a bottle of wine.  We got the Humberto Canale Estate '11, which is of course, a malbec.  This was a very robust wine that was good right out of the bottle but really opened up once you let it breath a bit in your glass.  Our waiter was also very good about keeping my wife's glass filled.  I was taking my time with it, so I did not need as many fill ups.  The wine also made for a fine accompaniment of our dinner.

Before we placed our order, the waiter informed us of the specials for the night. The thing is, he did not just tell us about it, he showed us.  An assistant and he brought forth a very large butcher's block filled with various types and cuts of meat ranging from a filet mignon, to a dry aged ribeye, to a couple of tomahawk steaks. In the end, we decided to order something off the menu.

As a started we decided to go with the ceviche.  The ceciche was fresh fish and shrimp cooked in lemon juice and jalapenos and topped with some avocados and freshly made tortilla chips.  The fish had a very fresh taste.  It was very citrusy with some kick from the jalapenos.  The shrimp had good flavor, but was a little rubbery as if it had be overdone slightly.  Still, the ceviche was a nice way to start our meal.

For our main course, my wife and I decided to order the Como En El 50, which is a sort of sampler plate for two.  It comes with skirt steak, lamb chops, tenderloin, short ribs, sausage and blood sausage as well as accompanied by grilled vegetables.  My wife and I also decided to order a side of fried yuccca.

The meat was served on a metal served platter with hot coal underneath it and place in the middle of the table where my wife and I could serve ourselves.  We were both given a plate with our accompanying vegetables.

The vegetables were prepared with the utmost care and respect they deserve.  They were flavorful and tender without being mushy and overcooked.  The yucca was also very good.  It was the perfect starchy compliment to our mostly meaty meal.  Like well made fries, the yucca was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  

The meat, of course, was the star of this dinner show.  Given so many options it was difficult to know where to start.  We started with the black sausage.  My wife was a little hesitant about it, but I told her to be adventurous.  The sausage had a very mild flavor with an almost boudain like quality to it in texture.  Next we moved on the the normal sausage which was also very good.  Next I tried the tenderloin. It was cooked just as I like my meat, medium rare.  The meat was very well seasoned, moist and tender.  The flank steak was equally as good.  

The two meat that really shined were the lamb chops and the spare rib.  My wife described the lamb chop as possibly the best she's ever had.  It was moist and tender without any gamyness to it.  It was so good, we were both gnawing on the bone.  We both know you are not really supposed to do that in public, but screw it.  It was that good.  The spare rib was incredible.  The meat had a buttery quality that was beyond description.  My only fault with it was that there was not more of it. There was, however, plenty of food to go around.  My wife and I both had our fill and still had enough to take home to make steak and eggs for breakfast the next morning. 

In just in case we were not stuffed to the gills on delicious meat, Tango & Malbec threw in a complimentary dessert.  I had mentioned when I made our reservation that it was our anniversary, so I guess they decided to add some tres leches to our meal.

Not really a birthday.  Unless you consider it our marriage's birthday.

The tres leches was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise end to our dinner.  As far as tres leches cakes go, it was above average.  It was also a very good portion size.  After having such a big meal, the cake was a perfect size for sharing with another person.  My wife and I both got a taste, but it was not so much that we would feel sick after eating.

Tango & Malbec left a good impression with me.  I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere and would definitely return.  Given the possible hefty price tag, this will not be a place in heavy rotation of our favorite places to eat, but it will always come into consideration for special occasion meals.

Don't Mistake the Steak Sauce

Let me first start by saying that for the most part I am not a fan of using steak sauce on an actual steak.  For me, the flavor of a good steak should stand on its own with little more seasoning than some salt and pepper.  That being said, I have come to realize and accept that steak sauce has its place and can serve as another condiment option.  So what does that mean exactly?  If I am not using steak sauce on steak, then what is it for?  Well, for starters it goes great on burgers.  It can be used as a substitute for either ketchup or BBQ sauce.  It goes well with chicken or pork.  The only real limitation is what you want to do it.  Get creative and crazy.  You never know what you might come up with or accidentally discover.

In today's culinary world steak sauce wide variation and diversity.  The most commonly known steak sauce is A.1. Steak Sauce.  But that is far from the only one.  It seems every grocer has at least half a dozen options on the shelves for everyone's particular taste ranging form the sweet and tart to the hot and smoky.  The origins of steak sauce come from Great Britain and something they called "brown sauce". 

Truth is you don't need any fancy labels to enjoy a great steak sauce.  You can make one yourself quite easily.  And the thing about making your own is that you can customize and adjust it to your liking.  I am including a recipe for a very basic steak sauce.  From here you can take it and make it your own.  If you like it spicier, add a little of your favorite hot sauce.  If you like it sweeter, try some brown sugar or molasses to your liking. 


2 cups ketchup
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup vinegar (apple cider or red wine work best)
2 tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Mix all the ingredients in a heavy sauce pan and let them simmer on low to medium-low heat for at least half an hour.  This will allow the flavors to meld and mingle.  

Roquefort Flank Steak

2 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions and tops
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (1 1/2)-pound beef flank steak

Combine the cheese, green onions, garlic, hot pepper sauce and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Grill the steak over medium hot coals for 10 to 15 minutes for medium rare or to desired doneness, turning once and spooning the sauce over the steak during the last 5 minutes of grilling. Remove to a cutting board. Let stand for 5 minutes. Slice at an angle against the grain.

The Perfect Steak

I am sure we have all had at least one steak in our life time.  At least that is what I hope.  I also hope that when you have consumed this flesh of a bovine, it was an experience that left you satiated and happy.  A great many people only really experience good or great steaks at a steak house restaurant.  There are even some that are afraid to cook their own steaks for fear of screwing up the meat.  Steak after all is not exactly cheap.  Have no fear for I am here to impart some simple knowledge that will make cooking tasty steaks not only an easy task, but one that you enjoy.

Let's start with how to pick a good steak.  What you are looking for in your meat is a steak that is shiny vibrant red. This means the meat is still fresh and full of moisture.   If it is starting to brown or look dull, the meat is getting old and dried out.  Not sexy.  Dried out meat means less flavor.  Next look at the meat itself.  You are looking for plenty of intramuscular fat.  This is called marbling and the more marbling you have, the more flavor and juiciness your meat will have.  In fact, it is the amount of marbling that helps distinguish a choice cut of beef from a prime.  Last comes the thickness of your meat.  This is a matter of personal preference but there are some important things to consider.  Meat that is too thin will more often over cook and dry out.  Meat that is too thick will take forever to cook to where you really want it, unless you want it blue (read raw in the middle).  Chances are you will burn the outside before you get it to that perfect state of doneness.  I personally recommend a steak that is from no less than 3/4 of an inch to 1 1/4 inches.

We now have our steaks and are ready for a great steak experience.  We just need to cook them and are on our way.  Well, yes and no.  Before we get to actually cooking them we need to let them get to almost room temperature. Leave them out for about a half hour.  Why?  Well, simple really.  The steak you are about to cook is a muscle, even if it is dead.  What do muscles do?  They contract, especially if you shock them.  If you take a nice cold steak and just start cooking it on some hot grill, the muscle will get shocked, tense up and leave you with a rubbery, chewy steak.  Let your meat come up to temp. Trust me, waiting that half hour wait is worth a nice tender juicy piece of heaven.

So we have our steaks at home ready to go.  How are we going to cook them?  The most well known way is just to simply slap them on the grill and cook them that way.  There is certainly nothing wrong with that.  I enjoy a nice grilled steak as much as the next guy.  I just want to point out that there are other options out there for those of us who don't own a grill or even a grill pan or are just afraid of the outside.  You can cook a perfect steak from the comfort of your own indoor kitchen.

To me, when cooking steaks in the kitchen, nothing is as indispensable as the oven.  Yes, that is right the oven.  Now, I am not saying you are going to roast your steaks like you would, say, a roast, but you will help them cook in there.  To me the oven is the best way to help get your steaks to that perfect degree of doneness.  Just preheat that bad boy to 350-375 degrees. 

Now, don't just stick your steaks in there and call it a day.  No, there are some steps to take before hand.  One way I love doing steaks is using the good ol' saute pan.  If you have a cast iron pan, even better.  What you want to do is get this pan nice and hot.  As hot as you possible can.  Next thing you do is put your steaks in the hot pan.  There are two things you need to know when you do this.  First of all, don't add fat to the pan.  The steaks has enough fat to do its thing.  You just need to be patient and let it do its thing.  If the meat sticks, don't worry about it.  As it cooks and caramelizes the meat will "let go".  When it does, you know it is time to flip it over.  This is what we call searing the meat.  Contrary to popular belief, this does not "seal in the juices".  It does however give you nice eye appeal, a nice crust on the steak and excellent flavor. 

The second thing you need to know when searing meat is do not under any circumstances season your meat until after you have seared it.  For one thing, if you season your meat there is a good chance that you will burn said seasoning.  Nothing can ruin a tasty steak like burnt bitter seasoning flavor.  Secondly, if you season your meat the salt will draw out the moisture of the meat and make it more difficult to caramelize in the hot pan.  So show a little restraint and wait until after searing the meat.

The meat is now nice and seared, but do not be fooled.  While the outside is nice and cooked, the inside is still pretty darn raw.  Granted, some people like it this way, but most of us like our meat at least a little more well done.  This where the oven comes in.  You have two options.  If your pan is oven proof, you can just stick it in the oven and move on to other things.  If it is not, or if you want to make a pan sauce, then you will have to transfer your steaks to a baking sheet and put them in the oven that way.  While the steaks finish cooking you can make your pan sauce out of the leavings in the pan.  For how to make pan sauces, just refer to my previous article.

The amount of time the steaks stay in the oven depends on several things.  Factors such as the oven itself, how thick the meat is, how well done you like your steak all play a role in how long the steak is in the oven.  Generally I say start with a time of about 8 to 10 min.  then take the temperature of the meat.  The best way to check doneness is with a meat thermometer.  It is more accurate then the touch method and not as hard to learn.  For a rare steak you want the final temperature to be at 125 degrees.  For medium-rare you are looking for 135, medium 145, medium-well 155 and for shoe leather you are looking for 165 or over. 

Another way to use your oven is to use the broiler.  Most ovens today have a broiler setting.  The problem is most people don't even know what it is or how to use it.  The broiler is essentially the same thing as a grill.  That is to say it is a cooking method using intense and direct heat.  The only real difference is that with the grill the heat comes from the bottom up and with the broiler the heat comes from the top down.  Knowing that you can use your broiler to cook steaks in much the same way you would on a grill.  You could also used the broiler to sear your meat then finish it off in the same oven only under the conventional setting.

One thing to consider when cooking with the oven is that you want to pull stuff out about five to ten degrees before you want it to be since the meat will continue to cook for about ten min. after it has been out of the oven.  You want to let the meat rest during this time.  If you cut into the the meat, all your juices will run out and leave you a nice dry steak.

Now that you have your steaks cooking, how are you going to season them?  The perfect steak seasoning is salt and pepper.  That is it.  If you have good meat you don't need to embellish any more than that.  The salt and pepper make the flavor of the juices sing in your mouth. 

That being said, I know a great many people that will say, well, that is all fine and good, but it is boring.  Well, if you want to sass up your steak then there are endless ways to do so.  Try some crushed red pepper flakes or how about a squeeze of fresh lemon juice after the steaks are done.  Or how about making a garlic and herb compound butter and putting a pat of that on the steaks and letting the residual heat melt it into the steak.  As stated in a previous part of this article you could even make your own pan sauce for you steak.  You could try the countless rubs and steak sauces available at your local grocery store, and there is nothing wrong with that.  However, when you make that steak your own with your own seasonings and sauces, then you really have something special to enjoy.

Deliciously Decadent

Today at work we created something deliciously decadent.  What is better than a perfectly grilled steak?  How about a perfectly grilled steak topped with a chile lime butter?  Yeah, that would be good, but what if you added lump crab meat tossed in more chile lime butter?  That would be a version of surf and turf so good it would be outlawed in the deep south.  The moist and juicy beef played the perfect canvas to the topping of crab, butter, chile and lime juice.  The sweetness of the crabmeat masterfully combines with the acidity of the lime juice and spiciness of the chiles.  One would think that the two together would be too rich, but the combo was quite good.  I can't say it was light, but it was not overwhelming.    The way to make this is quite easy.  Make your chile lime butter ahead of time (recipe to follow).  Grill your sirlion to your preference seasoned only with salt and pepper.  As you turn your steak to grill the other side, put a couple of dollops of the butter over the steak.  If you don't have a grill, you can do this under the broiler.  When your steak is done cooking and resting, add a little bit of the butter to a saute pan and let it heat up.  Toss about 1/4 to a 1/2 pound of lump crab meat with the melted butter so that the meat heats up, then top your steak with it and enjoy.


Chile Lime Butter

1 Tbls Cooking Oil
1 Shallot Minced
1-2 Serano Chiles finely minced
1-2 Jalpeno Chiles Finely minced
1 Medium Lime juiced and zested
Salt to taste
1/2 stick of butter softened

In a small saute pan heat oil then add shallot, chiles and zest.  Cook until you can smell them and shallots are translucent.  Add the juice of the lime and then adjust salt.  Remove the mixture from the heat and mix with the softened butter.  For best use, take the mixture and make a roll from parchment or wax paper then set in the refrigerator overnight or in the freezer for two hours. 

In a pinch, the butter can still be used soft, but it will keep much better and have more use once hardened.  This compound butter is very versatile and can be used on fish, shellfish, beef, chicken, pasta... In other words, just about anything you can come up with.