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Tango Steak in Moonachie is an expanded version of El Tango Argentina Grill, BoozyBurbs reports.
Ariel Espejo opened the restaurant when he was just 23 years old.
The menu boasts Spanish delicacies such as:
- Grilled octopus, quinoa, pesto, cauliflower purée, parsnip chips
- Oven baked chicken stuffed with spinach & cheese served over a tomato ratatouille
- Skirt steak, LTO, egg, ham, muenster cheese on a baguette, with provenzal French Fries and more.
El Tango — which has a second Englewood location — has 60 seats in its dining room and 40 on the patio, BoozyBurbs says.
Espejo was just 14 when he started working as a busboy at an Olive Garden in Paramus and then as a server at Burgerwood in Englewood. After that he worked as a teller at a TD Bank, and also moonlighted as a DJ.
Throughout each job he saved his money, and the big payoff came April 22, when Espejo opened El Tango in Moonachie.
"I have always wanted to be my own boss," Espejo told Daily Voice. "So growing up everything I did, I had that goal in mind."
Espejo's parents moved to Teaneck from their native Argentina so Espejo and his brother David could grow up in a land with more opportunity. His restaurant was a way of paying them back for their sacrifice, he said.
"They left all their family and friends behind so now I feel like I have the responsibility to make their trip worthwhile," Espejo said.
The young restaurateur also tries to incorporate his family in his business. The entire menu at "El Tango" is pulled directly from his mother Ivana's cookbook. She trains every new chef how to cook her dishes before they start.
El Tango is located at 35 Moonachie Road, in Moonachie.
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