Santa Maria del Sur

We have lived in our flat for two years, and this is just around the corner, but we have never been there. I’m not sure why. We have both heard good things about it, and read the menu and thought it looked good. I guess we are a bit spoilt, as we tend to go to Tom Ilic if we are treating ourselves, and Le Pot Lyonnais or Bombay Bicycle if we want something cheap and cheerful, all of which are nearly as close.

Last night however, we decided to give it a go. It was pretty busy when we walked in at about 8 pm, even though there was an England match on. We turned our noses up at the offered table for two, which was right between the waiters station and the kitchen, and luckily they were happy for us to have a bigger table that was slightly more out of the way.

Wanting to try as much of what they offered as possible we shared a starter and then went for a mixed grill. The starter was cheese and spinach empanadas, which were hot, crispy and not too greasy. The cheese was on the verge of being too salty, but it just stayed on the right side. A good start.

The mixed grill consisted of sirloin steak, cooked rare as requested, sausage, black pudding, mushroom with pesto and provolone cheese. It all arrived on a sizzling baby grill, which had charcoal underneath (I think) to keep it hot. This worked well for everything except the steak, which continued to cook and therefore some of it was a bit more well done than we would have chosen.

The steak was tender, and well flavoured. I’m not normally a fan of Argentinean steak, as I find it too soft, but this I liked. The sausage was powerfully spiced, in a good way, and the black pudding had a great flavour, but was a bit softly textured for me. The cheese was great in a way that only melted warm cheese can be!

The side orders were a bit disappointing. Chips were crisp and piping hot when the arrived, but by the time we got the ordered mayonnaise to eat with them they weren’t quite so hot. The rocket and garlic salad had a large amount of raw garlic on it, and no other dressing, which wasn’t really to our taste.

With a bottle of Norton Malbec, which we have drunk quite a bit at home too, the bill came to £70. For this money we could go to Tom Ilic, and even though we enjoyed most of the food here I know which I would choose.

American Steakhouse

I am working in Sarasota, Florida, for a couple of weeks, where it is sunny and 25 C – it’s a tough life! Although we do have to do some work we should get the weekend on the beach, weather permitting. But one of the best things about being here is eating out. Our hotel doesn’t do breakfast, so we have to eat out for every meal. I’ll cover breakfast another time, but first the steakhouse.

One of the things I really love about the States is the steaks. As much as it pains me to say it, this is one area where they truly do things much better than us. We had spotted this rather smart looking steakhouse in the centre of town, and decided we needed to try it on out first proper night.

Having been given really lovely warm bread, we ignored the appetizers, as we knew we weren’t going to be able to manage everything anyway. My colleague and I then shared a New York Strip, medium rare, with béarnaise sauce. It came with crispy onions and we shared creamed spinach and an enormous baked potato with sour cream.

What arrived must have been over an inch thick, with a blackened exterior and the tenderest red meat in the centre, which barely even needed the steak knife to cut it. It was perfect, but even with only half each we couldn’t manage to finish it! We barely touched the potato either. The meat had been dry aged for 28 days, and I think it is well up there with the best steak I have ever eaten. I’m going to have to go running every day so I don’t come back the size of a house!