Business Profile: Gaucho Grill, White Plains
Moises Mera wanted to open a restaurant like no one in the area had ever seen before. Next month, his dream will finally come true.
After nearly a decade and a half since the idea’s formation, his new restaurant, Gaucho Grill, will open in White Plains at One North Broadway on Aug. 6.
“[It is] the one and only high-end Argentinian Steakhouse with the super classic Italian cuisine here on the east coast,” co-owner Mera said. “Gaucho Grill is a rough diamond that has become a dream, a nice piece of jewelry. We’re willing to work three times harder for you as a customer because this is what we love. Our passion for the restaurant business and for food goes beyond the dollar sign.”
Nestled in the heart of White Plains, Gaucho Grill offers what fellow co-owner Maria called “an incredible combination” of food from Argentina and Italy with a bit of Spanish influence.
Chef Angelo will cook up meat-based dishes like Churrasco, the most popular cut of steak from Argentina; and Parrillada, a sample of meats including steaks and sausage, paired with potatoes and yucca. While the owners are still finalizing the menu, Gaucho Grill will also offer traditional dishes like paella and ceviche.
For dessert, patrons can end their meals with homemade passion fruit or coconut panna cotta. Customers can also sweeten their palettes with Argentinian pancakes, which is a homemade crepe-like dish topped with Dulce de Leche, flambé with rum and vanilla ice-cream.
“We do everything as simple as possible,” Mera said. “Our food and ambiance is simple and sophisticated. You get the simplicity and the sophistication – and that is what most people melt for. And our intention is to seduce people with our menu. We have a lot of Latino flavors here.”
The restaurant’s décor is only black and white, featuring black chairs, floors and doors, alongside white booths, tablecloths and walls. Keeping with the “gaucho” theme – which translates to South American cowboy – some walls in the main dining room are adorned with black and white cowhide placards and smoky mirrors.
The co-owners chose to open their restaurant in White Plains because, as Maria stated, they believe in the city’s people.
“We could have gone to any other town,” she said. “But the people in White Plains are really great. They try the restaurants and they go out and they really want to experience something different. It’s lively, that’s what it’s all about. There is no Argentinian Steakhouse in the area. It’s something new and exciting. I hope that this will be a great place for all of White Plains. That would be awesome.”
The restaurant’s bar will offer “Cocktail Hour” from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., with Argentinian and Italian wines alongside Spanish tapas. Maria recognized that Gaucho Grill was in the center of a busy city near many businesses, so the co-owners decided to lower prices more than any other high-end restaurant in the area, Mera said.
“Definitely, we want to be part of this community, so we want the community to be here,” said Maria. “It’s exciting. I really like White Plains.”
To continue with the trend of high-end affordability, the take-out menu will be different and cheaper than the dine-in menu. Mera explained that this is to encourage residents to test their food, even if they think that they cannot afford high-end fare.
“We are the Neiman Marcus of the food industry for everybody,” he said.
To find out more about Gaucho Grill, visit their website at www.gauchogrillnewyork.com.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
