El Gaucho Bellevue opened Nov. 25 at City Center Plaza and owners Paul and Chad Mackay are banking on a resurgence of the power lunch to make their venture tick as the restaurant settles into its new digs.

Location could make all the difference.

Software giant Microsoft plans to lease 25 of 26 floors at City Center Plaza, which would bring in around 2,000 employees. Add to that Bellevue City Hall, located across the street, and the Bravern project, sitting kitty corner, and there’s potential for a generous lunch rush.

Employment in downtown Bellevue is also expected to grow by around 40 percent between 2006 and 2010, bringing the total number of workers in the area to 48,000, according to city officials.

“I cannot think of a better place in the country to open a restaurant,” Paul said. “The bulls eye is right here.”

The Mackays already operate restaurants in Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland, including several El Gauchos, Waterfront Seafood Grill, Sea Grill, Troiani Ristorante Italiano, and the Inn at El Gaucho in Belltown.

“This is by far our crown jewel,” Paul said of the Bellevue restaurant.

El Gaucho Bellevue bears little resemblance to its Seattle counterpart – a dark sanctuary with low ceilings and midnight blue walls. The new 12,000-square-foot restaurant is full of burnt orange, it features high ceilings, and has windows that run virtually top-to-bottom along one wall for views of the downtown cityscape.

“It creates a dramatic setting for our guests,” Chad said. “It’s as breathtaking during the day as it is after dark.”

The restaurant’s mezzanine level offers private dining and gives the venue a theater-like feel, with an open kitchen and bar serving as focal points on opposite ends of the floor. Outdoor seating is available as weather permits.

El Gaucho’s reputation rests with its dry-aged steaks that come sizzling off charcoal-fired grills, but the cooks also are known for putting on a show with skewers of meat, known as “flaming swords.”

“We’re all about show business, and this is show-business heaven right here,” Paul said.

Janon Brown works in downtown Bellevue and was at the Nov. 25 El Gaucho opening. She says the restaurant will add some necessary variety to the area.

“With all the towers going up, we needed another restaurant,” she said. “Especially if you work down here, everything gets old.”

Lunch dishes at the restaurant run between $18 and $32, with sandwiches available for $12 apiece. Midday soups, salads, and flatbreads cost between $8 and $18.

Dinner pricing runs the gamut, ranging from $21 for pan-seared oysters to $130 for a two-person chateaubriand. Starters are between $10 and $21.

Customers can rent lockers in the restaurant’s conditioned wine room, which is located behind glass near the entrance.

Underground and valet parking are available on site.

Joshua Adam Hicks can be reached at jhicks@bellevuereporter.com or 425-453-4290.