Jaunted

Standard's menu is variously described as "porteña," "classic" and "Argentine," but it's anything but basic. While the menu does tend toward, ahem, standard fare, the execution deserves more attention than anyone seems to pay this place.

On our first visit, we jumped into the deep end with an order of veal brain ravioli, which comes out smothered in a sauce of sausage and ribs. (We think they put Mario Batali to shame.) You'll want something to help cut through a pasta dish that rich, though: We can recommend the beet-and-bitter-greens salad.

Stopping in another night, we found the whole roast chicken to be marvelous, and the chili-cheese empanadas were three notches above what you'll get at the average BA pizzeria. (And, yes, again with the beet salad.)

Standard also serves up a steak the size of a hubcap while the priciest thing on the menu is a 99 peso ($32) serving of "Twelve Hour Ribs," something we've been too intimidated to try.

One note: Since this is a sort of re-imagined diner, everything comes out as it's ready. Obviously, we didn't mind.

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[Photo: Guía Oleo]