How to eat like an Argentinian for Lionel Messi's Cincinnati visit

Lionel Messi is here this week to play against FC Cincinnati. If you're a fan of good soccer – or just good restaurants – you might want to celebrate the moment by trying dinner at one of these locally owned spots that specialize in his native Argentinian cuisine.

Most of the restaurants listed below are owned and operated by Ignite Entertainment, whose founder, Juan Imeroni, moved from Argentina to Cincinnati in 1991 to attend Mount Saint Joseph University as an international student.

Argentinian cuisine is heavily influenced by food traditions from the world over, most notably Italian, Spanish and German cuisines. But the keywords at these restaurants are chimichurri (a bright, verdant sauce of vinegar mixed with oregano, parsley and cilantro), empanadas (which are said to have been introduced by colonists from northern Spain in the 1500s) and, of course, beef. Argentina is known for its many cattle ranches and the legendary gauchos (similar to Western cowboys) who ran them. It is also home to the second-largest per-capita beef consumption in the world, just behind Uruguay.

According to a recent story on Dallas news station Fox 4, Messi's favorite dish is milanesa napolitana, which a Dallas Argentinian restaurant called Chimichurri Argentinian Bistro and Bar completely sold out of when Messi played there earlier this month. According to the restaurant's owner, Jesus Carmona, "What we have here is a beef that we lightly pounded and lightly breaded, we finish it with marinara, ham and sliced tomatoes."

The closest dish I've found to that one is the steak milanesa at Butcher and Barrel, Downtown. What we have there is chicken fried steak with risotto, wild mushroom sauce and a sunny-side-up egg on top ($35).

Butcher and Barrel also offers parrilla, which translates to "grill," but can also refer to either an Argentinian steakhouse or to Argentinian-style open-fire cooking in general. Here your options include an 8-ounce USDA filet ($49), a 14-ounce USDA New York strip ($49) or a 10-ounce skirt steak ($34). You can also order grilled Chilean sea bass ($45) or chimichurri-marinated chicken breasts ($25).

Big spenders can splurge for the whole "Argentinian Parillada Experience," which includes a variety of meats, including New York strip, skirt steak, grilled short ribs, chorizo and Argentine farmhouse sausage, with traditional garnishes and sauces. It's served with a sharable Caesar salad, fries and caramelized Brussels sprouts ($89 for two, $169 for four).

700 Race St., Downtown, 513-954-8974, thebutcherbarrel.com.

Also owned by Ignite Entertainment, Che is a more casual spot with locations in Over-the-Rhine and O'Byronville. Specialties include Argentine street tacos filled with your choice of short rib, shrimp or grilled chicken, all of them topped with chimichurri ($13-$15). There's also a wide variety of empanadas and several chimi-topped (or infused) entrees, including shrimp scampi, steak skewers and chimi chicken ($26-$28).

3009 O’Bryon St., O'Bryonville, 513-918-3006, cheobv.com; and 1342 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-345-8838, checincinnati.com.

Yes, it's owned by Ignite. Pampas, located in O'Bryonville (right next door to Che). The food focuses on a trio of skewers of blackened shrimp, chimichurri chicken and skirt steak ($29). There's also chorizo clam chowder ($8) and the same Parillada Experience ($79 for two) as available at Butcher and Barrel.

2038 Madison Road, O'Bryonville, 513-321-0863, pampascincinnati.com.

Located in Hyde Park Square, this popular spot is owned by Imeroni's former business partner and fellow Argentinian, Alfio Gulisano. The menu was inspired by both the Argentinian cuisine Gulisano grew up with in Buenos Aires, as well as his Italian grandmother's cookbook. While the menu seems more focused on the latter (buon cibo translates in Italian to "good food"), there are some standout Argentinian-style dishes, including the 10-ounce skirt steak topped with chimichurri and served with fries and grilled asparagus ($55) and a plate of four empanadas filled with spiced beef, Korean barbecue, spinach and cheese, and peach barbecue ($20).

2724 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, 513-321-0555, alfios-cincy.com.

Diego Nunez, a native Argentinian, offers an imaginative array of empanadas, including the Chicago, with pepperoni, mozzarella and tomato sauce; the Cinci-Chili, with ground beef, onion, tomato, cheese blend, Colonel De Cincinnati chili spice; and the more traditional Buenos Aires, with ground beef, onion and green peppers. Most of Nunez's empanadas are $4.50 each, though you can purchase packs of 8 or 12 at a discount. There are also plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.

212 W. Pike St., Covington, 859-279-3297, theempanadasbox.com.