2-Fisted Menu

The impressionistic flowers painted on Pampas’ powder-blue walls belie its two-fisted cuisine. It’s run by three amigos from Buenos Aires, one of them chef Daniel Goldenberg. Like any Argentine restaurant, it features meat, though the menu also lists plenty of appetizers, pizzas, sandwiches and desserts.

Start with picada Buenos Aires, an appetizer selection that varies according to the whim of the chef. It always contains the savory turnovers called empanadas, which are filling and delicious. The best empanada is filled with picadillo (spiced ground beef), but the chicken empanada runs a close second. My picada also included fork-tender marinated beef tongue (lengua a la vinagreta), berenjenas en escabeche (eggplant pickles) and two large potato dumplings (coxinhas brasileiras) that look for all the world like knishes from Coney Island.

But these are just starters. For meat lovers, there is parillada. They bring your table an iron grill, about 2 square feet in area, covered with grilled meat. The menu says it serves two, but that is a gross understatement, considering that the grilled meat comes with a large platter of crisp fries and a huge salad with tomatoes and onions in a creamy vinaigrette. Two people? Try three or four.

The meats in question are a half-chicken, a huge blood sausage (morcilla), a pair of foot-long short ribs (asado de tira), spicy Argentine sausage (chorizo) and, skirting the edges of the grill, a pile of calf sweetbreads.

For an extra charge, you get filet mignon (lomito) or skirt steak (entrana) too. Of course, they are also available a la carte, in case you prefer something more tender than short ribs. But no matter what you order, smear it with chimichurri, a delectable mulch of olive oil, garlic and herbs.

The pizzas have a thick, bready crust, too much cheese and a variety of quirky toppings. Portuguesa means onions, ham, hard-boiled eggs and marinated peppers. Pizza faina is a flourless, cheeseless model made from garbanzo bean flour. It recalls socca, the garbanzo bean pancake of Nice.

Among other dishes, there are surprisingly firm gnocchi al pesto and a nearly perfect milanesa sandwich, a breaded veal cutlet on a chewy, fresh bun with all the trimmings.

Desserts are based on caramelized milk, and it’s the thickest, creamiest dulce de leche a tango dancer ever dreamed of. My favorite is panqueque, two crepes oozing with the stuff. Even to finish this simple dessert, it takes at least two to tango.

BE THERE

Pampas, 17239 Ventura Blvd., Encino. Open 7 a.m.-midnight Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday. Parking in rear lot. Beer and wine only. All major cards. Dinner for two, $32-$49. Suggested dishes: picada Buenos Aires, $8.95; milanesa sandwich, $6.95; parillada, $24.95; panqueque dulce de leche, $3.95. Call (818) 783-4025.