The problem is that the cuisines are presented largely unconnected. Diners receive two menus, one with meaty Argentine specialties and the other, much longer, with Italian-American fare. The two foods meet briefly in a corner of the Argentine menu, where three pastas with Argentine touches are listed.  The disconnect has two practical reasons, said Ken Burdick, a co-owner of the restaurant with Lucia Valdebenito, in a telephone interview after my visits. For one thing, he said, printing two separate pages was less expensive than producing a multipage menu. Also, Mr. Burdick said, some diners don’t like some of the Argentine foods.  “It keeps everybody sort of happy,” he said.  The two cuisines reflect the background of Ms. Valdebenito, who is also the executive chef. Her family arrived in Argentina from Italy in 1918, according to her son, Andres Osses, who manages the restaurant. Ms. Valdebenito immigrated to the United States in 2001 from Buenos Aires, worked for about six years in Peapack-Gladstone as a chef at the Limestone Cafe, which is now closed, and had her own catering business before opening Valdebenito’s Bistro and hiring José Rosario as chef.  The dining room is a long rectangle with a warm and festive mood, with tango music playing on the sound system in the background, and servers circulating frequently.  But there are slip-ups. One night, the well-mannered server, when told we wanted to stick to the Argentine menu, persisted in talking up the Italian. We caved a few times — the calamari San Andres, an appetizer, was a beguilingly fresh take, with the seafood first fried, then sautéed in a balsamic reduction with hot cherry pepper slices and sausage. We also ordered the pasta fagioli and the tiramisù, but neither ever came, and there was no explanation; a brownie showed up instead for dessert.  On another night, the server neglected to ask how we wanted our meats cooked. That was O.K. for the $27 rack of lamb (from New Zealand), which was grilled to medium rare and judiciously enhanced with a red demi-glace. It was a waste of the $34 grass-fed filet mignon, which arrived well past medium.  But back to the appetizers. The empanada sampler, with one each of the steak, chicken and ham and cheese baked turnovers, was nicely conceived and executed. The lobster bisque, a special one night, was oversalted. Grilled house-made chorizo, while flavorful, was crumbly; it needed more fat to hold the meat together.  The arugula salad was a clean and welcome harbinger of spring, but the house salad was forgettable. A salad of boiled beets, red onions and balsamic dressing failed to come together as a whole.  Among the main dishes, the aforementioned churrasco was the star, accompanied by roasted potatoes and an abundant mélange of crisp-tender squash, snow peas, carrots and green beans. We also liked a tender shish kebab of grilled shrimp, bell peppers and red onions served over a plentiful portion of salad.  The pork tenderloin, stuffed with prunes, apricots and spinach, was nicely flavored but overcooked. Argentine paella had promise, but had been held on the stove for too long — the rice stuck together in clumps.  House-made pineapple cheesecake, flan and strawberry sabayon were the best of the sweets, but the flan was overcooked, and the strawberries were unripe. I can easily imagine the delicious sabayon with fully ripe berries. I can also imagine, and wish for, a more careful version of Valdebenito’s.  THE SPACE Pleasantly appointed dining room with a festive atmosphere. Complete wheelchair access.  THE CROWD Happy and casual, including a few children; friendly but distracted servers.  THE BAR Bring your own wine or beer.  THE BILL Lunch entrees, which are all Italian dishes, are $8 to $15. Dinner main dishes are $15 to $35. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover accepted.  WHAT WE LIKED Arugula salad, calamari sautéed with cherry peppers, churrasco with chimichurri sauce, rack of lamb, shrimp shish kebab, pineapple and coconut cheesecake, tres leches cake.  IF YOU GO Lunch: Tuesday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dinner: Tuesday to Thursday, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4:30 to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Limited street parking, with municipal parking a few blocks away. Reservations recommended on Fridays and Saturdays.  RATINGS Don’t Miss, Worth It, O.K., Don’t Bother.
Valdebenitoâs Bistro has a menu for people who want Argentine food and another for those hungry for Italian, though thereâs no rule against ordering from both.