Pasional

Some restaurant locations just seem jinxed. These venues can't seem to house a business for more than a few months. I have one friend in the business who promised himself years ago he’d never open a place where another had failed.

But then there are exceptions.

Pasional, on Κapodistriou Street in Filothei, occupies a space that two other restaurant operators tried to succeed in but didn’t. Somehow, this place feels different though. On a recent Tuesday night, not a great night for eating out anywhere in Athens, Pasional was pretty busy. They’ve done a great job of renovating the place and have managed to create an atmosphere that’s totally in sync with the concept: Argentina. The décor is pleasantly baroque, done up in black and burnished gold, with ornate mirrors, waiters donning black ribbon ties, and pictures of an Argentina that captures our imagination. They’ve created a feel that works. The finishing touch is the grand piano replete with a singer who serenades well into the night as couples dance.

I liked the fact that whoever designed the place and the menu had something very specific in mind and stuck with it even through the wine list, which is 100% Argentinian and ranges in price from the low 20s to more than 150 euro. Something for everyone.

Considering the area, which is on the periphery of one of Athens' poshest suburbs, the place is reasonably priced. Three of us shared appetizers, one huge 700 g piece of beef, and a 32 euro bottle of Malbec for about 33 euros each. Prices go up the more carnivorous your leanings. (Meat runs between 15 and 30 or so euros per portion).

We started with the empanadas, which are like Greco-Turkish boreks, filled with ground meat or chicken. They were competent, but not especially memorable (a little dry). The provoleta, a plate of tomatoes and melted cheese was what it promised to be: meltingly attractive to this cheese lover. The salad Pasional was an overflowing plate of all sorts of vegetables, including hearts of palm.

Argentinian barbecue – parilla – plays prominently on the menu and we went for the 'oura kilotou' (rump), a piece of boneless meat the size of Argentina, which was cooked exactly to our specs (medium rare) but a little underseasoned (it needed more salt).

I liked the simplicity of the menu and its small size, which to me always means a conservative, careful approach to the food that is coming out of the kitchen. Carnivorous northern suburbanites beware: Pasional is poised to become the neighborhood steakhouse.

Cuisine: Carnivorous pleasures from the land of the gauchos

Athens Area: northern suburbs, Filothei

Decor-Atmosphere: Argentinian concept, black and gold, baroque and inviting, piano and singer

Service: Good

Wine List: Argentinian wines only

Prices: 35-50 euro a person

Address: 54, Kapodistriou str., Filothei, tel. 2106800200