Lomo Argentine Grill is a winner

Ever since our trip to Florida in February, wifey and I have been looking for that perfect skirt steak and chimichurri combo she had at Lario's in Miami Beach.  We've been to San Francisco and to a few restaurants in Sacramento, including Aioli, but we weren't able to find the right steak.  Until now.

Lomo Argentine Grill has been open about a month in the former Jazzmen's Art of Pasta space at   1107 Front Street in Old Sacramento.  They've painted, added better lighting, taken down the false wall at the back of the courtyard and upgraded the furniture.  The place was nearly empty at 6:00 PM on Saturday night, but the restaurant's official grand opening isn't until October 27.  Should you go?  Well, the food is outstanding and the service is excellent, so I definitely recommend giving them a try.

Lomo starts off with fresh bread - and then they jump right into the chimichurri, which is served with the bread.  This stuff is an amazing mix of garlic, olive oil, cilantro a hint of peppers and probably a few other ingredients I'm missing.  I ate more than my fair share of bread.

To start, I ordered a tossed green salad with tomatoes and a little onion in a nice tart vinaigrette, which is just the way I like it.  My only complaint is that the tomatoes were refrigerated, and as I've said before, I AM a tomato snob.  (Yes, I know this is a very weird thing to be snob about.)

Wifey and I both ordered the skirt steak (medium) which, like all of their steaks, is served with chimichurri.  The steak was grilled perfectly.  It had the beginnings of nice crust while remaining juicy and tender on the inside.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE the chimichurri?  The steak and chimichurri are every bit as good as what wifey had in Miami.  Wifey ordered a nice side of roasted potatoes with her steak and I ordered what turned out to be delicious grilled asparagus.  The asparagus tasted like it had been marinated in some sort of wine sauce, then grilled and seasoned with salt and pepper.  My wife even liked the asparagus, and that's like saying a cat liked a bath.

The service was attentive without being invasive.  Our waiter was friendly, helpful and very willing to engage in conversation.  They also kept our water glasses topped off in spite of my drinking at least a half dozen glasses.  Lomo is moderately expensive, but their combination of great food, excellent service and a nice location make this a place I highly recommend. 

One final note: Lomo isn't easy to find.  It's through or a nondescript doorway and down a corridor in Old Sacramento.  You really have to go looking for the restaurant, so I think they could do a better job marketing themselves than placing a simple sign on the wall.  They ought to either put a big sign out on the walkway, or purchase one of the overhead signs so that passerby know the restaurant is there.  In addition, I would strongly recommend Lomo setup a web site, which is almost a standard now with upscale restaurants.  If food and service have anything to do with it, Lomo will do fine on word of mouth.  However, Sacramento is a bit of a fickle dining market and tends to be obsessed with chain restaurants, so quality is no guarantee of success.  Lomo is open now, but their official grand opening is on October 27.

Lomo Argentine Grill
1107 Front St.
Sacramento
916-442-5666

Comments

[Wifey]

Wifey adds....

In the summer they will offer outdoor seating and live music in the courtyard. For the grand opening they will offer tango dancing. Hubby says "Dancing? Not dancing!"