Pop-up of the week: Argentine street eats courtesy of Gaucho Bites

We live in a golden age of chef-driven pop-ups and Los Angeles is at the epicenter, with pop-ups happening at farmers markets, breweries, and other places all over town. We're regularly highlighting our favorites, and would love to hear any suggestions you have. Email me at gchabran@scpr.org or reach out via Instagram.

Who: Marcello Palazzo of Gaucho Bites wants to provide hungry Angelenos with a taste of the Argentine experience. He honed his chops in the kitchen at Nancy Silverton’s Chi Spacca and most recently worked front of the house with Jordan Khan’s Metreoa. Now, he’s striking out on his own with a specific take on Argentine street food.

Marcello Palazzo of Gaucho Bites wants to provide you with a taste of the Argentine street food experience.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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What: The Gaucho Bites menu features two cornerstones of Argentine street food.

The first is the choripán, best described as a combination of a hot dog and your favorite hot submarine sandwich. The choripán at Gaucho Bites ($13-14) is made with specially sourced ingredients from Catalina’s Market, the first Argentine grocery in SoCal. Palazzo starts by firing the pork, using a sheet pan to cook it at high temperatures, and allow the fat to render in its juices to maximize flavor.

The Choripán from, Gaucho Bites, an Argentine street food pop-up oozes with textures and flavors.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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Then he takes a gently toasted bolillo bun and adds his signature chimichurri sauce, thinly sliced onions, and mozzarella cheese, topping it all off with a fresh-tasting arugula, providing a peppery finish. A perfect combo of the juices from the meat, the savoriness of the chimichurri sauce, and the crustiness of the bread. There are vegan and vegetarian options, too.

The second specialty is empanadas ($5 each, or 3 for $13), encased in a pastry dough that Palazzo makes himself.

He par-cooks them beforehand, firing them to order in just a few seconds. (His weapon of choice is his trusty Gozney Roccbox pizza oven, powered by propane and able to reach temperatures over 900 degrees.) Empanada selections rotate regularly depending on availability and include his “carne cortada a cuchillo,” which translates to “knife-cut beef.” It's a slivered skirt steak sauteed with white onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and the slightest of spices, as Argentine food isn’t known for spicy foods. There are vegetarian options, too.

For dessert, there are decadent dulce de leche-filled alfajores, $3.50 each, or 2 for $6.

Gaucho Bites serves up some of their tasty empanadas as part of their rotating menu.

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Marcello Palazzo

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Courtesy of Gaucho Bites

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Where + When: Gaucho Bites pops up throughout Los Angeles and usually posts his weekly schedule on Instagram. This weekend — Sunday, June 29 — Palazzo will be outside The Festival Of Forgotten Grapes at FRANKIE Los Angeles, 300 South Mission Rd. near DTLA. The festival showcases more than 110 unique wine varieties grown in California.

Why: For Palazzo, Gaucho Bites is a labor of love, partly inspired by his yearly visits with his grandfather, who would travel from Argentina to the Bay Area to celebrate his grandson’s birthday. His grandfather passed away a few years ago, but his grandfather’s spirit is felt in all aspects of his dishes. “I want to do what I can to make him proud,” Palazzo says.