By Rob Stapleton
Alaska Journal of Commerce

In search of a location that would meet my criteria - a quiet spot that offers good food - for an interview for a story, I thought of El Tango Restaurant, a place not too far from the office.

Located in Midtown Anchorage, on the corner of Tudor Road and the Old Seward Highway, in the Gold and Diamond Co. building, El Tango turned out to be a nice surprise.

No, it's not a Mexican restaurant, but more of an Argentine parrilada, or steakhouse.

The interior of the restaurant is decorated in a South American fashion, complete with red brick tiles over the bar and various alcoves on the dining floor. Soft Latin music sung by Julio Iglesia could be heard wafting from the full bar, sitting across a dance floor meant for a tango.

A quick glance around the restaurant showed that there were 10 others eating lunch at five other tables during the height of the Thursday noon hour. Not too crowded, but popular with those who know it. Both Spanish and English are spoken at this restaurant.

Most tables seat six, but there are booths and larger areas in the corners. Perfect for this meeting: My interviewee is a bit hard of hearing and speaks loudly so we asked to be tucked away into a corner table. We were seated immediately.

Examining the menu showed that most lunch entrees were a bit on the pricey side, at $10.95 each. Sandwiches, such as the Cubano, Choripan, Milanesa, Steak, Chicken, and Ham, Egg & Cheese, were all priced at $9.95, which included a choice of salad or fries.

The menu contained a mix of cuisines, from Colombia to Puerto Rico, and was well represented by meats cooked Argentine-style over charcoal grill.

Once seated, a soft-spoken waitress greeted us and asked if we were ready to order. We were.

My guest, a burly Viking-esque man, chose the Puerto Rican Beef Stew (Carne Guisada). My choice, a half-rack of Baby Back Ribs with barbecue sauce. The next question was whether we wanted rice and beans or a baked potato, and if we wanted soup or salad.

The Viking chose soup. I opted for a salad. To add to the experience, I ordered a side of tostones de platino, or fried, smashed plantains.

We got our drinks, 20 ounce glasses of dark ice tea, and a basket of oven-warm French bread. The soup and salad were served immediately. The meal was served in just a little over 15 minutes from the time we placed our order.

The stew had a generous portion of one-inch cubes of tender beef, well cooked potatoes, with green peppers and onions in a homemade tomato-based sauce that looked and smelled like something grandma would make.

My barbecued ribs spilled over the plate, and came with white rice and a cup of red beans. The ribs were superb, cooked rare to medium with just the right amount of barbecue sauce. This was a meal meant for a ravenous appetite. I could have done without the white rice though, it was a bit on the dry side.

The portions were more than generous. In fact, after the eating and interview were completed, we both decided on a take-home box so as not to waste the tasty leftovers.

While the word on the street is that the food at El Tango is good but the service is a bit slow, our experience differed. Despite having several other customers, our server managed to return to our table no less than five times. In the course of this South American lunching (almorzando) experience, we received refills on water, ice-tea and an additional basket of bread.

El Tango's portions are generous, the food is well prepared, the meats are marvelous, and the service, perfect.

El Tango Restaurant

4300 Old Seward Highway,

STE D1

Anchorage

(907) 770-2888

Bottom Line: For a more formal and quiet lunch, El Tango excels. It is located in Midtown, only a few blocks off the New Seward Highway. It offers privacy, meats cooked to your taste. It is a bit pricey, however, especially if you add side orders.

Rob Stapleton can be reached atrob.stapleton@alaskajournal.com.