Pampa's Argentine Bar & Grill   

8690 Aero Dr # 105
San Diego, CA 92123
858-278-5971
www.pampas.signonsandiego.com

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Located away from the main San Diego restaurant rows, this cozy establishment next to Montgomery Field (an airport for private planes) offers an extensive and, we think, highly enjoyable menu of Argentine classics, from empanada pastries stuffed with a "choclo" mixture of corn, onions, chives and thick white sauce, to a lavish "parillada completa," a mixed grill served to a minimum of two guests. Brought to table sizzling on a portable grill, this $14.95 per person spectacular includes generous portions of sweetbreads, mildly-spicy, Argentine-style chorizo sausage, beef ribs and thick cuts of notably chewy loin steak. The two garnishes are simple but great: a huge mountain of freshly made, truly excellent french fried potatoes, and a bowl of chimichurri, a sauce elaborated from a variety of green herbs minced with garlic and sharp paprika, and made liquid with olive oil. The menu offers quite a variety of steaks, as well as a boned, marinated and grilled half- chicken, a couple of unusual pastas (a large number of Argentines claim Italian heritage), and a Chilean-style steak with grilled onions and garlic. The crepes filled with dulce de leche, a fine caramel sauce, end the proceedings nicely.