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Dining Review | Long Island

An Argentine Makeover for a Former Pub

Sur Argentinian Steakhouse is less expensive than the typical steakhouse. There are a few steaks under $30, and a 26-ounce rib-eye for $32.Credit...Uli Seit for The New York Times

Long before Huntington became Suffolk County’s unofficial restaurant capital, it was home to Canterbury Ales, which opened in 1976 and rapidly became the go-to place for big burgers, abundant portions and a rustic pub atmosphere. It closed last summer, and in February, Sur Argentinian Steakhouse opened in its place.

Patrons familiar with Canterbury Ales will find the newcomer much airier and more upscale than its predecessor. Diners enter through a small combination dining room and bar that is somewhat familiar with its dark paneled walls, but a larger dining room is light and bright, with two new picture windows and a wall of shiny marble tiles. Across from that wall is a white one, dominated by a gigantic painting of an Argentine finca, or farmhouse. Floors are shiny light wood; tablecloths and napkins are white cloth.

The restaurant has three owners: Osvaldo Sanchez, his nephew Nicolas Kalaitzis and Juan Reartes, who is from Argentina and is also the chef. Mr. Sanchez, who is from Uruguay, is also the owner of Tango Argentinian Steakhouse in Central Islip, which he opened 16 years ago; his nephew arrived from Uruguay and joined him later. Mr. Reartes worked with them there before they opened Sur.

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Appetizers include fried shrimp.Credit...Uli Seit for The New York Times

Sur (which means south) is less expensive than the typical steakhouse. There are actually a few steaks under $30, and a 26-ounce rib-eye for $32. Other meats are even more reasonable. An entree of two huge, juicy glazed pork chops set over homemade apple sauce and crowned with a handful of arugula was a steal at $18.

Sur also differs from the competition with its Argentine-inspired appetizers and salads. Our favorite starter, though, was the straightforward panko-breaded fried shrimp atop mixed greens with house-made mayonnaise on the side. Shrimp also put in an appearance, sautéed with garlic, white wine and Spanish paprika and served in a small black skillet. We also liked another skillet offering, the sliced chorizo and caramelized onions in tomato sauce.

There were a few appetizer misfires. Empanadas ($3 each) were overly bready, with scant filling. And the provolone Argentine, a skillet of melted cheese mixed with green olives, ham and roasted red peppers, rapidly cooled into a hard-to-eat, stringy mass.

Beef is the top priority for Argentines (as we learned a number of years ago when Argentine friends invited us to Thanksgiving dinner and steak was the headliner, with a small turkey lurking in the background as a sop to their Americanized children). The best steak we sampled at Sur was the juicy, tender rib-eye. A huge portion of skirt steak, two 10-inch-long strips, was tasty and more tender than the typical version. The grilled, bone-in short ribs were surprisingly tender, too; usually this cut is braised. The 22-ounce strip steak was the least successful of the steaks sampled, a bit dry, though still acceptable.

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Entrees include pork chops crowned with arugula and served over homemade apple sauce.Credit...Uli Seit for The New York Times

All steaks are teamed with chimichurri sauce (olive oil, garlic and parsley) and criolla sauce (olive oil with onions, tomatoes and red and green peppers). Every entree comes with a choice of French fries, mashed potatoes or a small salad. The creamy mashed potatoes were best; the French fries were ordinary and the salad, lackluster.

In addition to all the red meat, we tried a chicken dish consisting of two large sautéed breasts topped with spinach and melted provolone cheese and a broccoli cream sauce. It was a bit over-orchestrated, but very moist and juicy.

The house-made desserts are not the ubiquitous ones like cheesecake and tiramisù. Our favorite consisted of thinly sliced apples covered with a caramelized crepe that was flambéed with rum at the table. Big enough to share, it arrived with two scoops of ice cream. Also good were the silken flan and a skillet of poached pears, apples and strawberries baked in brown sugar and served à la mode.

Sur is a welcome addition to the vibrant and diverse Huntington dining scene.

Sur Argentinian Steakhouse
314 New York Avenue (Route 110)
Huntington
(631) 470-6300
surhuntington.com

Very Good

THE SPACE Bright new steakhouse with seating for 70. Two steps at the entrance; restrooms have no grab bars.

THE CROWD Couples and small groups, including some children. Servers are competent and attentive.

THE BAR There is a small, shiny wood bar with five stools. List of 17 wines by the bottle ($26 to $99), with many from Argentina, and six by the glass ($8). Sangria is $26 a pitcher, $16 a half-pitcher and $8 a glass.

THE BILL Lunch entrees are all $10. Dinner entrees range from $18 to $42 (surf and turf). Prices are more reasonable than at most steakhouses. American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted.

WHAT WE LIKED Fried shrimp, shrimp with garlic and white wine, chorizo and onions in tomato sauce, pork chops, chicken with provolone cheese, rib-eye steak, grilled short ribs, skirt steak, mashed potatoes, flan, flambéed apple crepe, baked fruit à la mode.

IF YOU GO Lunch: Monday to Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Dinner: Sunday to Wednesday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday, 4 to midnight. Reservations are recommended. Parking is on the street or in a large municipal lot one block north of the restaurant.

RATINGS Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section LI, Page 8 of the New York edition with the headline: An Argentine Makeover for a Former Pub. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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