Funny story: Hollywood's most popular Argentine steak house, Beefeater, closes shop after eight years in business. At the exact same time, Angus Bar & Grill, an Argentine steak house with a nearly identical menu, opens across the street. What a strange coincidence!

We're still not sure if there definitely is a relationship between Angus and Beefeater, but we're looking into the origins of this casual new Argentine restaurant, where the beef is big and the chimichurri strong.

Angus opened two weeks ago at 1917 Hollywood Blvd. (across the

street and just west of the old Beefeater). It features a compact menu

of Argentine-cut steaks, from churrasco and the prototypical skirt

steak (entrana) to short ribs, sweetbreads, rib eye, sausage, and "flap

meat," AKA vacio.

Hailing from the flank, vacio is a cut that's nestled in a wedge of

fat, which melts over the meat while grilling like a skirt steak.

Cheap, flavorful, and moist, vacio is actually one of the tastiest cuts

you can find at such a steak house -- I far prefer it to a rib eye (my

usual fave) or a sirloin. A monster vacio steak at Angus costs $12.50

and will likely feed you for two meals.

Like all the steaks (none priced higher than $21.95, that for the

rib eye), it comes with one side. Baked potato, mashed sweet potatoes,

potato salad, fries -- yes this is steak and potatoes country. I prefer

to get the fresh fettuccine with tomato cream sauce. Something about

the pink sauce mixing with the juice from your steak and the

chimichurri slathered on top is intoxicating. That chimichurri, by the

way, is some amazing stuff. They put a practical trough of it on each

table, which, at the start of your meal, seems like too much. By the

time you're stuffing down your last bite of beefy goodness, however,

that bowl will likely be empty.

Aside from steaks, you'll find a few Argentine appetizers like

empanadas, griddled Provolone cheese, sweetbreads and sausage, and

roasted red peppers. For non-beef eaters, the restaurant serves

chicken, salmon, and some Argentine-style Italian dishes, all priced

from $9 to $14. A small wine list and a few beers compliment house

sangria, which at $16 a carafe is quite good (though they could stand

to use real apples, pears, oranges, and grapes as opposed to the fruit

cocktail we found floating inside it).  

We'll keep digging into Angus' history and keep you posted. For now, check over this menu from the restaurant (click on the images for larger sizes). Compare that to Beefeater's, if you like.

Angus Bar & Grill

1917 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 33020

954-920-8118