Malbec puts an end to your search for the best Argentine restaurant in L.A.

Finding quality restaurants in the Los Angeles area is hit or miss, especially if it's cuisine of a particular country you're after. It's often challenging to find a restaurant that gets it just right. Well, Malbec does that and much more to offer you the best in authentic Argentine delights. Named after the signature grape of Argentina, Malbec has two locations, one in Pasadena and another in Toluca Lake. Both provide an elegant, yet casual dining experience, where people of all types can feel welcome. But the best part is the prices at Malbec are unbelievably affordable, especially for the high quality of the food.

Owners Javier Pardini, and brothers Luciano and Pablo Alcorta, all born in Argentina with backgrounds in restaurant management, design and culinary arts, respectively, opened their Pasadena location a little over two years ago, and May 1st they will celebrate the anniversary of their Toluca Lake location. Both locations are already thriving and have achieved an excellent reputation for fine Argentine cuisine in a relatively short time.

Malbec stands above other Argentine restaurants in the L.A. area, mainly because of its attention to detail and the superb quality of every ingredient in every dish. Astoundingly, the prices are comparable, so there's really no reason to go anywhere else.

For starters, the empanadas at Malbec are absolutely amazing, the best I've ever had in L.A. They're lightly fried, but taste more like they're baked. They're plump and filled with a generous amount of either beef, spinach and cheese, chicken or ham & cheese with mushroom, basil and cherry tomato. The empanadas are a must, but pace yourself because you'll want to leave plenty of room for your entree and dessert. Also, don't stuff yourself with the bread and chimichurri sauce they bring you to start with, no matter how tempting it will be. I almost made that mistake until one of the owners warned me to save room for everything else. ;-)

Another exquisite appetizer, on the lighter side, is the Carpaccio, thin sliced raw beef with baby wild arugula, shaved parmesan cheese, capers, red onions, avocado and fresh lemon dressing. The carpaccio is divine, and an excellent way for you to try raw beef if you never have before. If you're in the mood for something more sinful to start with, try the Provoleta a la Criolla, melted provolone cheese served in an iron skillet with roasted peppers, shallots, tomato and toasted bread. Don't worry, you can walk it off later. ;-)

Malbec offers a variety of delicious salads, including the Ensalada de Remolacha (beet salad) with golden and red beets, roasted pears, toasted walnuts, baby wild arugula, blue cheese and red wine vinaigrette. There is also a Salmon, Chicken or Spinach salad.

The lunch and dinner menus vary slightly at Malbec, with more options at dinner. There are also slight variations of menu items between the two locations, with more specials offered at the Toluca Lake location since the head chef and one of the owners, Pablo Alcorta, is at that location, coming up with different specials daily.

You can't talk about an Argentine restaurant without talking about the meat, and the meat served at Malbec is top notch, free range cattle cooked on a wood fire grill. My favorite is the Entrana al Chimichurri, skirt steak with traditional Argentine light chimichurri marinated and served with either a salad for lunch or grilled vegetables for dinner. That's what's so great about Malbec too...they don't load your plate with fillers, like mashed potatoes, though you could order them as a side if you like. But the main attraction is the meat and no more is needed to accompany it than some fresh grilled vegetables. And these are not your average vegetables...they're grilled zucchini, red and yellow peppers and asparagus, seasoned with rosemary to create a flavorful treat. One bite into the amazing entrana and you'll be transported to the Argentine pampa and you can just taste the quality...delicious! Do yourself a favor and order it medium rare to do the meat justice and accompany it with a glass of red wine from their Argentine wine list, a Malbec for instance. I had the lunch special, which was Dry Aged New York Steak, sensational, not an ounce of fat and bursting with juicy flavor. No steak sauce needed here! Malbec also offers an excellent ribeye steak with roasted garlic-demiglase sauce served with roasted potato and sauteed green chard, called Ojo de Bife al Ajo.

Malbec serves two versions of an Argentine favorite, Milanesa. You can get the simple version, breaded thin steak with parsley and garlic, lightly fried served with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables, or you can choose to indulge in the Milanesa Napolitana, which comes with tomato sauce, ham, melted mozzarella cheese and oregano. You can choose to get it with chicken too, if you prefer, but go for the red meat if you can.

Malbec also offers grilled salmon and chicken dishes, but if it's not protein you're after, then you have to try their homemade pastas, which are to die for. The Sorrentinos are scrumptious....traditional Argentine ravioli stuffed with imported Italian ham, smoked mozzarella and asparagus, served in a light pink sauce with mushrooms. They also offer spinach canneloni, spinach ravioli, seafood pasta, or if you really want to go for a rich Argentine favorite, Noquis con Estofado, potato dumplings served in a traditional Argentine beef stew and porcini mushroom sauce.

If you're not too stuffed by now, for dessert, the Panqueques de Dulce de Leche are a must! They're two crepes filled with dulce de leche (caramel) accompanied with berries and bananas. One bite of these and you'll likely have the same reaction I did..."they're orgasmic!" Sorry, but there is no other word to desribe them. We're all adults here, right? ;-)

Malbec's Toluca Lake location also serves weekend brunch from 10 am to 3 pm, where you can get treats like the Argentine version of steak and eggs and bottomless mimosas for 25 bucks.

I can write about the amazing food at Malbec for days, but words don't do it justice. You just need to head there and experience it for yourself. Both locations are open every day of the week, so there's no excuse. The Pasadena location is located at 1001 E. Green St. Reservations are recommended. You can reach them at 626-683-0550. The Toluca Lake location is located at 10151 Riverside Dr. You can also book private parties in the back dining area, which has the look and feel of a Spanish bodega, and outside patio and lounge area. You can reach them at 818-762-4860. For more information on both locations, visit Malbec's website at www.malbeccuisine.com. Buen provecho!