New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Chimichurri brings taste of Argentina to Milford
MILFORD — Diego Goldstein has visited 20 countries in his 38 years, but never far from his heart is his homeland of Argentina.
The accountant welcomes his wife and children learning as many languages as possible — he speaks five — but at their home in Milford, everyone speaks Spanish only. The Goldsteins want 6-year-old Emma and 3-year-old Sofia always to appreciate their family’s native home and culture.
The same idea is behind their new restaurant, Chimichurri, which opened March 2. Diego and his wife, Daiana, a graphic designer and social media manager, hope the former home of Nate’s Plates at 2 Schooner Lane will become a haven for Argentinean Americans who hunger for the country’s food, comradery and customs. The day it opened, the restaurant had dozens of Argentinean customers from all over Connecticut, he said.
Argentineans don’t even have to eat there. Just visiting to play cards, sit and talk, dance tango or chat up the latest news from Argentina in the manner they would have in Buenos Aires, where the Goldsteins emigrated from, would be welcome, he said. In that sense, their latest venture is part of an ageless story of immigration everywhere. It’s a place where visitors can warm themselves to the memories of a capitol city now 5,347 miles away as the crow — well, passenger jet — flies or experience some portion of that culture anew.
“I want people to come here for fun. If you eat something, fantastic. If not, OK, I will let you know that I am here,” Goldstein said. “I want this place to be more than a restaurant. I want it to be an event place, a culture place.”
Don’t think the restaurant is exclusive. A couple for 12 years and married since 2015, the Goldsteins have peppered the place with traditional Argentinean clothes and products to give Americans a sense of a culture they know little about, but mostly because Diego and Daiana like to share their pride. Yerba mate teas and Argentinean art, cowboy ponchos and hats are among the products sold at the restaurant — a collection they hope to add to.
With the restaurant open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the menu features basic Argentinean breakfast, lunch and dinner food, with some American dishes mixed in. The Argentinean dishes include pionono dulce, or sweet roll cake; sweet Argentinean croissants; choripán, traditional sausage with Chimichurri sauce; Milanesa, or traditional breaded steak; and an array of American sandwiches and salads.
A fellow Argentinean who found and befriended them, Milford architect Teresa Gonzalez Panico, likes the Argentinean food. She wants to see the Goldsteins add a large-screen television to the restaurant so they can watch Argentina play World Cup soccer, a plan the Goldsteins endorse. Having met them about a year before they opted for the restaurant, Panico helped them design the restaurant space.
The Goldsteins think of Panico and her husband, Jerry, as members of the family, and the Panicos return the favor, she said.
“People from Argentina are very social,” Panico said. “We like to join, and I love the food here. It’s bad that people find it hard to find this spot. They don’t know what’s going on here, but with all the social media (work that Daiana has done promoting the place), I think that is going to change.”
Much of the fun of Chimichurri is the Goldsteins themselves.
Married eight years, they have an easy warmth, an energy sprinkled with humor and frank affection. Seldom can Daiana walk by her husband behind the counter without putting a gentle hand on his arm or shoulder, and they laugh often, sometimes seeming to speak their own language.
And their humor is contagious. Ask Diego what ideas went into the decor of the restaurant and he immediately says he has no idea — that’s Daiana’s department. Ask them who is the better salsa dancer and he agrees just as quickly that she is, and she laughs.
“When we went to a dancing class, I was better than you because you did not dance salsa,” Diego said.
“Oh, yes, because I always danced alone,” said Daiana, who speaks very fluently for someone who started learning English less than two years ago.
“At our wedding, we did a salsa show, and we practiced for many, many months with me doing the lead,” Diego said. “During the wedding, she wanted to lead and she made a mistake because she thought something was coming” — Daiana squealed with laughter at the memory — “and it wasn’t. I finally had to say to her, stop doing what you’re doing. Follow my lead.”
The Goldsteins came to the U.S. to escape crushing inflation and a severe economic downturn. Diego was an accountant who helped run MercedesBenz’s bus and truck division for several years before they opted to come here. Emigrating was a risk, but it seems to be a risk the Goldsteins have enjoyed taking.
“This,” Diego Goldstein said, “is an adventure. I am completely out of my comfort zone. But I look forward to it.”