Three young, enthusiastic, native Argentine entrepreneurs are behind the success of Malbec. Pablo Alcorta, Javier Pardini and Luciano Alcorta were all born and raised in Argentina. Pablo and his younger brother Luciano came to Los Angeles from the province of Chubut in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina. Luciano came a year before his older brother Pablo, at the age of 25. He had studied film in Argentina and worked on some films and commercials there, so he decided to come to the heart of all the action and try his luck in Hollywood. That didn’t last too long, and he began working for David Maman Design as Project Manager, helping design luxury homes and high- end restaurants, including Dolce Ristorante in L.A. and Geisha House in Hollywood. He worked with David Maman for nine years, building up his experience, which would later serve to help design the beautiful décor and ambience of Malbec.
Pablo came to L.A. at the age of 30, after already having built a name for himself as a chef in Argentina. He studied at Argentina’s prestigious culinary institute, Instituto Argentino de Gastronomía (IAG) and worked for some of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires. Then he decided to open his own restaurant called “Buona Parte” in the city of Córdoba. Falling victim to Argentina’s worst economic crisis in 2002, he decided to head to L.A. to look for new opportunities. He began working for the Gaucho Grill restaurant chain, eventually becoming Corporate Chef. Then he went on to work at Il Fornaio in Beverly Hills, before opening Malbec. It was while working for Gaucho Grill that he met Javier.
Javier came from Córdoba when he was 15. He majored in business at California State University Northridge, and began delving into the restaurant business while in college, working as everything from a busser to a host for the Gaucho Grill restaurant chain to eventually becoming General Manager. He even helped the chain open a couple of restaurants, including one in Hawaii. While working as Manager at their location on Sunset Blvd., in 2002, he met Pablo. They began talking about opening their own Argentine restaurant one day, saying they had to make it better than anything currently offered in the L.A. area for Argentine cuisine. The seed had been planted. Their two backgrounds in restaurant management and culinary expertise combined would help give them the ingredients they needed.
In August of 2007, Pablo and Javier began seriously talking about opening their restaurant. Pablo also brought his brother Luciano into the mix, who contributed the final element of design to the table, creating the perfect recipe for restaurant success. All they needed was money and a location to make their dream come to fruition. They found their Pasadena location, which was formerly a deli, and knew that was it. They got their loan and opened the restaurant on March 19, 2008. It quickly became a success. They grew on that success, and decided to open their second location in Toluca Lake just a year later on May 1, 2009.
Their success didn’t come without a lot of hard work and dedication to creating an utmost quality restaurant serving the finest Argentine cuisine in the Southland. Malbec, named after the signature grape of Argentina’s most popular wine, isn’t just about authentic Argentine cuisine. The owners also want to stay on the cutting edge of Argentine cuisine, offering traditional dishes, while also fusing the various cultures of Argentina to create new ones. In fact, they often travel back to their native Argentina to keep an eye on what restaurants are doing there, to ensure they’re always delivering the latest in authentic Argentine cuisine here. They also guarantee you’re always getting the utmost quality in meats, as Argentina prides itself on excellent meat. The meat at Malbec is no exception. The owners carefully select their meats, making sure to only use free-range meat, and they cook it on a wood-fire grill to give you the ultimate Argentine experience. They also put great care into selecting the other ingredients for their dishes, and make sure there is something for everyone on their menu.
They are great ambassadors of their country, bringing you the best of what Argentina has to offer, including the wine. All the wine at Malbec is Argentine, but it’s not just any wine. They make sure to only include the finest Argentine wines on their menu. If you can find it at your local grocery store, chances are you won’t find it at Malbec. That’s because they want to remain true to their mission of only providing you with the best quality in Argentine cuisine and wine. They do all of this, while keeping it affordable. Fresh food, excellent service and great ambience come together at Malbec to create an unforgettable culinary experience that will leave you coming back for more.