Seattle Restaurant Guide

El Gaucho is a unique dining experience. It is pretentious, overpriced, and so dark that not only can one not see the food, one cannot read the menu. I was forced to move to one of the distant dim lights to read my menu, which shocked the waiter, who hustled me back to my table and, guess what, handed me and one of the other guests (there were 5) a tiny El Gaucho flashlight! The wine list leaves you breathless! Few bottles cost less than $100, many cost more than $900. The least expensive cost $42. The food was good, but not exceptional. It was probably attractively presented, although I could not see everything in the tiny beam of light. I travel extensively to Argentina and know the Argentine food well. This is not really an Argentine restaurant, it is a remarkably expensive steak house with a poor lighting system. The place is probably very clean (too dark to tell in the restaurant, but the bathroom was impeccable). The waiters were attentive. I kept the flashlight. It cost me $600 bucks, so what the heck? On the way out I noticed a Rolls parked in front. Must be the owner's.

I've been to many steakhouses in my quest for perfection and found it at El Gaucho. Fabulous and I can't wait to go there again.