Feb. 1, 2008 at 8:04am

Asado Craving Burns Within

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of joining my lovely wife and our friend ensie out for dinner at Asado [ map ]. Sad, I know, but this was only my first time there. Right away the atmosphere stuck me as thoughtful but not snooty. The waiting area where the host greeted us was a velvet lined quarter round that I later realized was a complete soft wall with the soft material hanging from a pole. Sounds cheesy but it separated the entry from the dining area really effectively. The not-too-dark setting was punctuated by great smells coming from the kitchen.

I ordered a Bloody Mary to start and it was delicious. Just the right amount of spicy spices and a good balance of juice and alcohol. At first glance, the dinner menu is a bit intimidating. If you don't know Spanish, don't look at titles -- just the item descriptions. I started with a chorizo sausage appetizer that was amazing then went for the marinated flat iron steak (the Espaldo Asado) for dinner. I ordered it medium-rare and it definitely came on the rare side of things. Must not have been as evenly cooked as it could be because it started out just perfect then got pretty dang rare as I ate. If that sort of thing offends I'd just punch up your style a notch. Next time I'll probably order it medium. Nevertheless, that's the only nitpick I have. The steak was delicious! Well marinated throughout and combined with a rub on the outside left no corner of meat untouched by some great flavors. I subbed my choice of sides for grilled asparagus and it made a perfect combo.

So, yea, I'm craving the place. Overall a dinner for two will easily hit $60 or so but for the over quality of place, service, and food it's well worth it. My favorite feature is that once you start breaking that price range things can tend to get pretentious but the folks at Asado keep things warm and welcoming throughout. So, when are we heading back?