Uneasy Rhetoric

Lomo Argentine Grill

1107 Front St.
Sacramento
916-442-5666
Entrees $16-$30
Full meal for 2: $75-100+

At Carl’s invitation, a group of us visited Lomo’s Argentine Grill on their official opening night, even though they had already been serving for a few weeks. Generally, I think this is a good idea. I’ve dined at a few restaurants within a day or two of their opening and the experiences have been spotty. By not having the “real” opening until later, you’ve had a chance to work out the kinks before you bring in the crowds. And boy was it crowded. The bar was packed and the tables were nearly all full. Apparently, everyone read Carl’s review and decided to give it a try.

First, the bad news. I really can’t say much for Lomo’s ambiance. They are going for, I think, the spartan, square, two-color, minimalist look that seems to want to signify “high class.” Unfortunately, the room feels like a basement box (which it is). I think the dining room could use some rearranging, a paint job, and new carpet. Also, there are about three or four different ways to enter the restaurant, and none of them are well marked from the outside. Because I knew the address and because of Carl’s review, I knew where to look, but on the Old Sac. boardwalk, the only sign I saw for Lomo was the doormat. Worse, the lights flickered the whole time were were there.

Now, the rest of the news. Don’t bring your vegetarian friends. Lomo’s menu is, as our waiter put it “meat, meat, and meat.” There are token selections of chicken and duck for those who don’t like beef, and the appetizer list included mussels cooked in beer and a number of other tantalizing options. They also offer several salads and a soup of the day.

The meal starts with bread and chimichurri, which is excellent and which you should make sure to have plenty of (the chimichurri). I opted to skip the tantalizing appetizers and go for the soup of the day, which turned out to be a spicy but otherwise bland tomato and rice soup with carrot chunks that were too big and undercooked. My wife had a salad and insisted it was very good.

Then there is the beef. Lomo uses free range beef. This means it probably won’t melt in your mouth like butter because it won’t have as much fat as an American steak. It also means the meat will require a little more mastication. I had the skirt steak, a long thin fillet, and I had it cooked rare at the waiter’s suggestion. The meat was excellent, and was better with the chimichurri. The side of asparagus was well seasoned and complemented the beef perfectly.

I did not have dessert, but their dessert menu is small, and includes a short selection of after dinner drinks that were surprisingly low-priced, especially given the San Francisco prices of their main menu. (I hear Lomo is a spinoff of El Raigon in San Francisco.)

The wine list was good and included, predictably, a selection of seven or eight Malbecs. I chose the second to cheapest (Famiglia Bianchi) and it let me down. I probably should have asked for a recommendation.

Service was impeccable. Often times, in “high end” restaurants, service tends to be aloof and strives to be invisible. I’m never comfortable in these situations and prefer my restaurant service to be available, knowledgeable, and ready to make recommendations or accommodate special requests. When our food ran late, our waiter kept us informed (actually, he informed us that it was running late - I don’t think any of us really noticed) and took the initiative to get it corrected, even though no one complained, as far as I know. He did let us know that it was their first “big” night, and I’m sure there were plenty of snafus in the kitchen and among the servers, but I thought they did an excellent job hiding it from us.

Lomo is a welcome addition to Sacramento’s list of what I would call “special occasion” restaurants. If they were still shaking out their food and their service, then I look forward to going back when they’re really on the ball.

One thing is certain: I intend to go back, have a drink at the bar, and try the mussels.