The backstory: Prior to opening Gardel, Pelaez served food under the name Gauchos Argentine Cuisine, a takeout and delivery business that operated out of Bath Food Co., a ghost kitchen hub at 65 Bath St. in Providence. After less than a year, Pelaez was able to close Gauchos and open Gardel.
Prior to cooking in Rhode Island, Pelaez worked as a wine and spirits broker and restaurant consultant.
The dining room at Gardel in Providence, R.I.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Boston Globe
Owner Tomas Pelaez of Gardel in Providence, R.I.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Boston Globe
What to eat: Check out the specials, and be sure to snag one or two. (They recently served a delicious Rhode Island squid dish with roasted macadamia nuts). Start with the empanadas, which come with three per order (beef, chicken, and a seasonal option). Share the olives and pan con tomate, which come with four pieces of warm baguette.
The matrimonio is served with Argentinian chorizo, morcilla (a traditional Spanish blood sausage), and chimichurri that you pile on top of a crostini.
For entrées, split the Milanese, pounded and breaded pan-fried chicken with finishing salt, served with a side of tiny, crispy potatoes. Also try the fish pil pil, which is cod served with peppers in a yellow sauce made from olive oil, garlic and chili.
Steak Gardel.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Boston Globe
The Empanadas at Gardel.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Boston Globe
What to drink: Try a delicious dry white that has hints of stone fruit and minerals. I’d suggest a glass of the Nakcool Canelones white, a Uruguayan natural white wine that has a crisp citrus aroma with hints of grapefruit and lime, and a bright acidity with a taste of pear and apricot for a clean and dry finish. Or reach for a malbec from Tinal that doesn’t taste like what you’ve had in the past. Their grapes from the Uco Valley in Mendoza, Argentina, are hand-harvested, and the chillable red goes well with Gardel’s vacio flank steak with potatoes.
Final say: There are few restaurants in Providence that focus on traditional recipes and wine from Argentina, making Gardel immediately special. It’s also part of a new cohort of hip restaurants opening on Ives Street, which was historically a small side street seen as an afterthought for culinary giants. Dune Brothers recently opened a restaurant there, and Syrian restaurant Aleppo Sweets, wine bar Glou, and other staples are on the street, and Club Frills will soon make its debut later this year.
The Basque Cheesecake at Gardel in Providence, R.I.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Boston Globe
Gardel, a new restaurant in Providence, R.I., serving Argentinian food that has hints of Spain and Italy throughout.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Boston Globe
102 Ives St., Providence, R.I., 401-537-4133, pvdgardel.com, follow them on Instagram for updates and specials. Sharing plates $9-$34; small plates $9-$15; entrées $19-$29; sides $7-$9; dessert $8-$9.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.