It's what's for dinner

Salt is a weapon to be used for good or for evil. Used for the latter, it can overwhelm nearly every flavor and offend nearly every taste bud. Used for good, however, it can elevate the experience of tasting quality ingredients, and its intuitive use is a testament to a skillful kitchen.

So it's a good thing for meat lovers that El Barrio de Angel in Smíchov uses not only the best cuts of the world's best beef, Argentinean, but also knows how to salt them. And, while the prices are commensurate with what one expects for top-of-the-line steaks, the restaurant doesn't sting you on the other stuff: Starters, sides and drinks are incredibly reasonable. 

For those who aren't enthusiastic carnivores, there are still plenty of non-steak options to enjoy at El Barrio, and the menu is expansive, including quite a few chicken, pork, lamb, fish and vegetarian dishes, as well as salads, risottos, pastas and light bites.

The labyrinth of brick-lined cellar rooms (half of which are nonsmoking) was busy on a recent weekday evening visit with people enjoying drinks and listening to the live Spanish guitar music. But it's hard to ignore the thought of what one knows is sizzling in the kitchen.

The steaks are massive, most of them available as either "small" - 300 grams, which I found to be more than enough - or a 600-gram version, which takes up a whole plate. Sides are served separately, even with the more modest portion, ensuring that no sauces mix. The dark-wood tables are vast, too, so even multiple people with multiple dishes won't feel crowded.

Every dish sampled was definitely good, but the steaks are the true stars of the menu. A starter of carne empanadas, or Argentinean meat pies, was tasty and filling but verged on bland. The thick pastry crust seemed a bit dry after a few bites, and the stuffing of lightly seasoned ground beef, pork, olives and peas could have benefited from a sauce or dip other than the sweet stuff drizzled around the plate.

Indian soup - which the menu sourced as Bolivian - was hearty and looked the part for fall: carrots, peas and corn in a thick, mildly spicy cloudy broth with chunks of chicken and pork, a swirl of oil on top and a generous smattering of Argentinean oregano.

A main course of baked provoleta cheese would have made more sense on the appetizer list. The disc of provolone, steeped in chimichurri spices, is commonly eaten in the run-up to meat in South America. It's also a more social dish, perfect for several people to scoop up with El Barrio's wonderful, chewy homemade bread (perfected with a dusting of coarse salt) as a prelude to entrees. But it is delicious. The chimichurri - a blend of parsley, garlic, oil, vinegar, oregano and cilantro, a sauce of which is recommended for most of the steaks - complements the milky, subtle cheese well. But eat the cheese fast; left too long it hardens, glue-like, to the earthenware bowl.

I didn't get starters on the visit when I ordered steak: I had a hunch the 300-gram strip loin (349 Kč), with baked potatoes and sour cream on the side (40 Kč), would be more than enough. The bouncy cut came just as requested - medium-rare - and spilled juices when pronged. Coarse salt dotted the outside of the steak, and the chimichurri sauce, which has more the consistency of pesto than gravy, added a tangy twist to the bites I scooped it on. The baked potatoes were also excellent, and the servers didn't roll their eyes when I asked for the sour cream on the side.

Another steak, the rib-eye, was equally tasty, the thin but wide cut breaking apart easily under the knife. A side of grilled eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers went very nicely with this one. Again the chimichurri sauce was recommended with this steak, although there are other options, including green salsa, mustard sauce, pepper sauce and habanero chutney. But the beef is best left unaccompanied.

Other items were winners, as well: The risotto with sirloin strips was rich and comforting; a skewer of beef, pork and vegetables was a lighter option than steak; and a 250-gram pork tenderloin, marinated in "Argentinean spices," was tender and flavorful, and a good deal at 199 Kč. Even a side of French fries was expertly done, thickly cut, piping hot and perfectly salted.

A Chilean friend once told me that he would often travel to Argentina simply for the steaks. Lucky for those in Prague, there's El Barrio de Angel, and it's worth its salt.

Fiona Gaze can be reached at
fgaze@praguepost.com