Cambalache.

For those looking for an intimate dining experience in a quiet ambience, stop reading now. The day we happened upon this bustling Argentine restaurant in the posh dining district of Polanco, it was absolutely packed with families, friends and co-workers probably chattering away over the past year's conquests and their upcoming Christmas vacations.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Upon entering, an usher politely led us to the busy second floor where we were seated at a table uncomfortably near a path used by the restaurant's numerous waiters and busboys to rush to and fro. Under the waitstaff's stomping feet shined an impeccable wood floor that reminded of a well-preserved old home, and the images hung on the walls illustrating diverse facets of Argentine life added strokes of authenticity to the ambience.

But the most memorable aspect of Cambalache's decor--and the one I'd most like to forget--was the yellow ... well, everything. The yellow exterior, the yellow walls, the yellow lampshades and, especially, the yellow lighting bathed everything and everyone in a sickly hue that made us all look like we had jaundice.

It took a bit longer than expected for our waiter to bring us the menu but when he finally did, we were delighted with our options that included a slew of Argentine appetizers, pastas and prime cuts of beef. To begin our meal, we opted for a pair of beef and spinach empanadas and the house salad. The medium-sized empanadas were good but undistinguished, and the oil-soaked, hardly-green salad was a definite loser and not worth its 70-peso price tag.

Despite those initial disappointments, we maintained faith that our main courses would live up to Argentina's high culinary standards. After all, we figured, the restaurant was full for a reason.

We decided to stick with what the South American nation is known for best: meat. We ordered bife de chorizo, bife de lomo, arrachera and sides of regular French fries and a more elegant French fry souffle.

Three different dishes cooked exactly to our individual specifications were what the waiter gave us, along with huge knives to cut through the juicy hunks of meat. The bife de chorizo was a tender yet hearty strip steak, rounded off by its signature fat around the edges. Fitness buffs and dieters might want to avoid this dish.

The bife de lomo, or the Argentine version of filet mignon, was a fat, circular and succulent chunk made for those who want to leave with an overly stuffed stomach. Lastly, the arrachera was a very thin, long and fatless slice of meat that was so soft it almost melts in your mouth. Our two side dishes were probably the most abundant portions of French fries I have ever seen, both elaborately served in large baskets made of fused potato chips.

Unfortunately for us, our pressing schedules did not permit time for sweets but the dessert menu was quite extensive and tempting, so treat yourself if you still have room in your belly after a heartily carnivorous feast.