Food, service, ambiance all rank high at Loew's South American in South Beach restaurant.

The Scene
Real gauchos never had it so good. Here, you'll pass through a palm tree- and fountain-bedecked patio to the posh dining room with two-tone parquet floors, faux-cowhide banquettes, giant sprays of flowers and gleaming, expensive tableware. Black-and-white photographs lining the walls and ornately tooled saddles set about the room hint at the gaucho theme, but the only range rovers you'll find around here are limey SUVs.

The Food
Real gauchos know their beef, and the Gaucho Room does too. Both Argentine and American steaks are expertly grilled, presented on individual wooden platters and carved at the table. Argentine beef is a treat, leaner than its American cousin, with a firmer texture and intensely meaty flavor. Seafood is first-rate too. But perhaps the sleeper is the three or five-course tasting menus, which begin with an array of tasty appetizers delivered in shiny silver goblets