El Gaucho Market

Have a tasting party with as many dishes you’d find at a Chinese wedding banquet!!

One would not think that a place called El Gaucho Meat Market would have a place to sit down to eat, but it does. In the back of the store there are tables and chairs and a large plasma TV where one can order the sandwiches and their renown empanadas and play the lottery.

Don’t let the name scare off the vegans and vegetarians, this place has a large assortment of South American packaged products, mate teas, probably as many as you find at a Cost Plus or Pier One at a lower price and fresh bakery goods .

The reason that I went and what makes this place so special, is that you can arrange to have a tasting party IN THE MARKET with the owner’s wife, Nancy. Not only do you get to try a large variety of Latin American dishes (not Chinese if my first line confused people!) though most are from Argentina (and yes, they are mostly meat based,) down to even mate teas (where you drink as they do in Argentina and NOT for the squeamish) and desserts, she also tells you about the history and customs of the foods and culture.

Although she may not charge for the food (however if this becomes a popular option, that could be subject to change) as I think her main purpose for holding this is to share her love of the foods of her native culture (and perhaps to give you ideas if you wish to use them for at home catering) however if she does not, then it would only be right and appropriate to give her a generous tip, as our group did, which was about $10 a person; she even packaged the leftovers to take home and gave us a jar of their sauce Chimichurri, which retails at $2.29 It was a wonderful experience and although I live close by, I’m sure that others from our group who came from as far as Northridge, Monterey Park and Burbank felt it well worth the trip.

If interested in arranging a tasting party, gather your own group together and contact Nancy at her email glabena@yahoo.com or call her at 310 413 1901;