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In 1991, Hector Rolotti opened Novecento with the aim of exposing New Yorkers to authentic Argentine eats. A year later, in a self-affirming if, perhaps, counterintuitive, move, he opened an outpost in the Las Cañitas district of Buenos Aires, a part of town loosely equivalent to Soho. Four branches have since spread throughout North and South America. Tightly packed tables overflow with 20-to-40-something sophisticates, whose boisterous chatter compete with alternating Latin and jazz tunes. The resulting vibe—chaotic, casual, and exhilarating—reflects Buenos Aires at least as much as tangibles like the tin street signs on the walls and the Quilmes bottles over the bar. Then there's the meat: grilled tenderloin or rib eye, chorizo or blood sausage, lamb chops or pork chops, a slab of breaded beef or chicken stuffed with spinach and goat cheese. Best of all, the straccetti, a stack of juicy filet mignon slices, is steeped in pungent balsamic vinegar, with raw spinach leaves, oyster mushrooms, and the sweet antidote of cherry tomatoes. The less carnivorous can choose from perfectly fine pasta and seafood dishes. Ultimately, the Argentine wines and people-watching should keep you happily in your seat long enough to make room for the dulche de leche-heavy desserts. — Kate Appleton

There's more than a meal to be found here. Novecento broadcasts Argentine soccer games to throngs of Boca and River fans, and its upstairs room is available for private parties—when not playing host to periodic raves or dance parties.

Straccetti, $25; Argentine empanadas, $7 for two; dulche de leche crepe, $8