Las Vacas Gordas
- 933 Normandy Dr.
- Miami Beach, FL 33141
- 305-867-1717
- Report an error
- $$, $10 - $20
- Argentine, Steak House
Las Vacas Gordas translates to The Fat Cows, and it is an utterly appropriate name. Like any parrillada, Las Vacas Gordas exists almost exclusively to facilitate the consumption of beef. The centerpiece of the restaurant's interior is the massive parrilla, over which the grill master stands, preparing steaks, sausages, chicken, sweetbreads and fresh-grilled vegetables. The scent of charring meat dominates the air. Large families gather inside and out for a big time. Wine flows freely.
You may have to sit on a bench alongside Normandy Drive while waiting for a table but count on an energetic server to bring bottles of Argentine wine to enjoy while you watch the traffic go by and inhale the heavenly scent wafting out from the grill.
A neighborhood's range of dining options ought to reflect the diversity of its population. Judging from the array in North Beach, the Census people must be giddy with delight at how many nations of origin they get to check off around here. You can eat Brazilian, Italian, Japanese, German, Glatt Kosher, Middle Eastern, Colombian, Mexican and, of particular note, Argentine.
On the rim of the Normandy Fountain, the shimmering centerpiece of this emerging neighborhood, are two parrilladas, or Argentine steak houses. The newer and more upscale is Tango Beef Cafe. The older and more casual is Las Vacas Gordas, or The Fat Cows, an utterly appropriate name. Like any parrillada, Las Vacas Gordas exists almost exclusively to facilitate the consumption of beef.
Centerpiece of the restaurant's interior is the massive parrilla, over which the grill master stands, preparing steaks, sausages, chicken, sweetbreads and fresh-grilled vegetables. The scent of charring meat dominates the air. Large families gather inside and out for a big time. Wine flows freely.
This is a 6-year-old sidewalk café with a sense of humor, and it's quite a popular one. We had to wait for our table and did so on a bench alongside Normandy Drive, but we weren't left there to rot. Our energetic server brought us a bottle of Argentine wine and glasses, and there we sat, sipping away, watching the traffic go by and listening to the boisterous native music piped out onto the street from indoors.
The fun didn't stop there. Our waiter donned a cow-print bandanna and got to work on selling us on the pleasures of the flesh. First came a classic appetizer, matambre con rusa ($5.99). This is pounded veal stuffed with spinach, carrots and bits of hard-boiled egg, rolled up and then cut into slices five or six inches in diameter, a beautiful thing to see. It's a surprisingly light bite, until you factor in the rich, creamy Russian potato salad served alongside.
Langostinos con salsa golf ($9.95) were half a dozen shrimp, boiled and served with a chilled pink sauce, an even lighter treat, if at the expense of much flavor. You can't say the same, though, for grilled provolone cheese ($6.99) with sausage ($1.95), a gooey, salty, intensely flavored concoction. Cut a bit of cheese and a bit of sausage, bite them together and indulge in something you might regret later, but seems perfect now.
Other starters include a potato omelet, tomatoes stuffed with tuna, mussels vinaigrette, empanadas and more. Do not overdo it on these, though, lest entrées go uneaten.
The signature dish of any parrillada is, of course, the parrillada, or mixed grill. It's often prepared for two; here it's served for one, at the bargain rate of $13.99. This comes on a platter piled high with enough meats to inspire, after night's end, a week at vegetarian camp somewhere in the woods, scrabbling the hard ground for berries and nuts and even twigs, competing with the squirrels. But enough Euell Gibbons, for now. This parrillada features a blood sausage, an Argentine sausage, sweetbreads, entrails and what's described as ''a few different grilled meats,'' which roughly translates as ''three steaks.'' You'll get some filet mignon, some skirt steak (churrasco) and perhaps some ''flap meat,'' the cheapest cut of the three, but all are plenty flavorful.
Each of those steaks is available as its own entrée. Our baby filet mignon ($14.99) was delicious, thick and juicy and generous. Boneless chicken breast on the grill ($8.99) was a full, double-sided pounded breast, juicy as well. Argentine menus often make a gesture to Italy, accounting for the many Italians who have relocated there. Las Vacas Gordas features four pastas, each offering a choice of sauces from among tomato, Bolognese, white, pesto or pink. Our fettuccine with white sauce ($6.99) made one long for meat, though, indicating that you'd best stick to the basics here.
Desserts are simple. Our choice, recommended by the wine-pushing waiter (watch him justify purchasing a bottle over two glasses as more economical and seem right), was the panqueque de dulce de leche ($4.99). This is a crepe, oozing with caramel, the perfectly over-the-top finish.
Hours
Noon-11:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 1:30 p.m.-midnight Saturday, 1:30-10:30 p.m. SundayDetails
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Location
- Current 78.8 °F
- It's a tennis day
- Take a lesson in Brickell
