"Pampa Grill And Market might be in only place in Houston you can bring your own bottle of wine, eat a large platter of sizzled Argentinian meats, listen to a mustachioed man croon opera, watch a soccer match, and buy Argenentinian pantry staples all at the same time. The casual Spring Branch spot serves excellent empanadas, grilled steaks, and other Argentinian staples that make any casual dinner or date night feel extra special. The vibe here combines the aesthetics and atmosphere of an Italian deli with the wood paneling of a barbecue joint and the service and familiarity of a neighborhood’s staple restaurant. A full shelf of pantry items like specialty flours and yerba maté greet you when you walk into Pampa Grill from the busy strip center parking lot. If it’s Friday night, a somewhat loud but incredible live performance of various opera and Rat pack crooner classics fills the main dining room tables with regular diners who often sing along. We imagine this is what being inside of a Nora Ephron movie feels like. photo credit: Liz Silva Once the food arrives, the romantic atmosphere deepens, because good food counts as romance. There are cheesy empanadas made with enough buttered pastry that each piece almost slips out of your hands, tender grilled short ribs and chewy, flavorful slabs of picanha, earthy sliced morcilla sausages, and a tableside condiment ramekin filled with housemade chimichurri that compliments everything. You can also try just about every meat by ordering the Argentina Grill for only $73. So if you need to restock your maté stash or want to get down on some delicious thin cuts of fat-capped steak, check out Pampa Grill. While this place makes just about any casual dinner feel special, especially if you BYOB, it’s just low-key enough to make a first or second date feel impressive but not too intense, mostly because the lights are always a bit too bright and none of the tables are candlelit. No one needs to overdose on that much ambience, just chimichurri. photo credit: Liz Silva photo credit: Liz Silva photo credit: Liz Silva photo credit: Liz Silva Food Rundown photo credit: Liz Silva Empanadas Each empanada here, whether stuffed with just cheese or scorching hot spiced ground beef, resembles a little golden pillow seasoned with butter and maybe more butter. Each bite also has just enough sweetness in the fried dough, and that makes us feel special. photo credit: Liz Silva Argentina Grill For the bargain basement price of $73, you can get a massive spread of meat: asado de tira (short ribs), vacio (flank steak), extraña (skirt steak), chorizo, morcilla blood sausages, and grilled chicken. Everything arrives grilled until tender and juicy. photo credit: Liz Silva Empanadas Dulces Having empanadas again for dessert not only nicely calls back to the empanada appetizers, but also happens to be a fantastic sweet and savory pairing of cheese and quince fruit. Split one over hot coffee." - Chelsea Thomas
