Simply the best

Exactly 11 months ago my article on the Weekly’s Best New Restaurant. Il Capo, hit newsstands. Cadging the name of the winner from my editor, I took my husband to the year-old Argentinean eatery prior to the announcement. From bread with garlicky chimichurri to the two-for-one dessert (a double-decker slab of flan over bread pudding separated by banana slices), we enjoyed it all.

We had empanadas: The pastry was flaky, the fillings (ham and gooey mozzarella for one, chopped beef for the other) rich and tasty. Pleasantly plump may not be an “in” compliment for women nowadays, but it sure is a nice thing to say about a turnover. So, consider it said. You’re welcome.

We tried a “milanesa,” at heart Italian (as are approximately 20 percent of the Argentineans); though Austrians have been contesting ownership for centuries (can you say “schnitzel?”). The meat is pounded to a fare-thee-well. Then, flat as a pancake and unable to defend itself, it’s barely coated in crumbs and crisped in oil and molten butter. Omigod! What’s not to like? To quote my niece: “I ‘heart’ butter.”

I have to admit the milanesa “Maryland” was excessive: a WHOLE fried banana balanced on a Technicolor pile of sautéed red and green peppers and diced ham. Hot damn, a chicken sundae! A heap of fries, some lemon wedges and a dish of béchamelled corn with, of course, the plate-wide milanesa peeking out at the bottom. Ole!

There was a tempting list of 23 tapas, from mussels to tongue (in evolutionary order) that we were planning to try on future visits and a great bunch of Argentinean wines to pair them with. Plus, since Il Capo was part deli/take-out, part restaurant, you could shop for wine, cheese, meats and condiments while you waited for your meal.

But, as they say, “sic transit gloria mundi.” Or, in today’s lingo, “that was yesterday.” A few months later, Il Capo was as dead as the Norwegian Blue Parrot in the infamous Monty Python skit. Who says a popular vote guarantees the winner’s success? (And less than two months from the big one, don’t get me started on voters!)

At any rate, Il Capo has been replaced by Malbec, another Argentinean restaurant with way more flair. It’s got the same telephone number and, for all I know, is owned by the same people, or maybe not. But, whoever the proprietor, Malbec’s mission is definitely a cut above its predecessor’s. And, judging by the crowds, it’s succeeding.

Gone are the shelves of goods for purchase. The interior’s gone formal. Black leatherette banquettes; fancy black-and-white linens, lemon and terra-cotta walls, a stone-faced bar and servers who really know the merchandise, from entree ingredients to the South American vintages they pour.

We’ve had a lunch and a dinner there in fairly quick succession. All starters met our expectations. Empanadas ($5.95 at dinnertime, $4.95 at lunch) — good. Matambre ($8.95/$7.95), rolled beef filled with veggies and herbs served with potato salad — good. Bread with chimichurri sauce — addictive.

Salads are creatively fashioned. The fabulous campestre ($9.75) is a complex variant on Italian caprese, the fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and olive oil augmented with kalamata and the world’s largest green olives, lemon, arugula and roasted peppers. Beet (golden and red) salad ($8.95) with roasted pears, toasted walnuts, arugula, blue cheese and red wine vinaigrette is great.

Among the entrees, don’t miss the skirt steak ($17.95) unless you’re a vegan. The meat is bountiful, subtly marinated, beautifully cooked (medium rare), butter-tender and topped with spoonfuls of zesty chimichurri, of which one can never get enough. The grilled veggies they pair it with at night are a little oily, a minor flaw. We prefer the lower-priced lunch prep ($14.95) with its side of salad.

The sorrentino ravioli ($14.95), stuffed with a harmonious trio of ham, smoked mozzarella and asparagus in a pink creamy sauce with still-firm white mushroom slices, are magnificent. But they’re only available at night. At lunch, the spinach ravioli in tomato-basil sauce are a reasonable, if less inventive substitute.

The only dish I wouldn’t order again is the “house special” Napolitana ($15.95/$13.95). It’s essentially a milanesa topped with tomato sauce, ham, melted cheese and oregano. Too much like chicken parmesan and, without the endearing quirkiness of Il Capo’s banana garnish, it’s boring, the light crispiness and delicate flavor that elevates a milanesa drowned out by goopy cheese and sauce.
We’ve sampled the “adult” dessert of grapes with triangles of imported gouda, quince and sweet potato “jams” (more the consistency of fruit rolls than preserves) — $5.75. And we’ve indulged in the baroque excess of crepes filled with caramelized apples and pastry cream, topped with vanilla ice cream and dulce de leche sauce ($7.95). Which did we prefer? Both.

But whatever we order (other than the Napolitana), we’re happy campers at Malbec and recommend it highly. By the way, PW’s 2008 Best Of issue is coming up soon; to assure Malbec’s survival, we’re hoping the vote for Best New Restaurant goes to somebody else.