Hot Dish


El Gaucho Inca Ropes in a Naples Bistro

The Fort Myers pioneer of authentic South American cuisine has harnessed its best Argentinean and Peruvian recipes for a splashier sister spot in Naples.

BY November 9, 2016

Photos by Dorothea Hunter Sönne

The intimate dining room

 

The cowboy is traveling south, and he’s picked a stylish spot to land.

The illuminated bar. 

On Nov. 7, Naples said hello to the new El Gaucho Inca Bistro in a strip mall off Immokalee Road.

For what seems like ages, the original—which is still going strong on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers—has delivered everything from ceviche and empanadas to flank steak and lomo saltado. It’s a blend of the culinary traditions of its two owners, an Argentine wife and Peruvian husband. (Let’s also not forget those milanesas, raviolis and more, an inseparable part of both cuisines from the influence of the Italians who settled there.)

We can expect the same, more or less, once the bistro takes off. (The opening week’s menu was tightly edited, with just a handful of dishes, many with a Peruvian accent.)

White lounge seating at the entrance. 

The Naples spot, although open daily, will just be dinner-only, whereas the original attracts a big lunch crowd. But where the two differ most is that for as large as the first is, the second is intimate, with almost a sultry feel—it has the same woven ponchos, cow hides and Incan sculptures adorning the walls, but the way in which they’re presented, with mosaic tiles and accent lighting, would make a 21st century tango dancer feel just as at home as a cowboy.

 

To plan a visit:

El Gaucho Inca Bistro

2700 Immokalee Road, Naples

(239) 431-7928

elgauchoinca.com

 

Aljajores, Argentine shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche (milk caramel) are a temptation sitting under a pastry dome on the bar.

 

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