BUENOS AIRES
Despite the dimly lit frontage — with a terracotta-hued facade under a green-and-white awning — Don Julio is a beacon . A magnet not just for local meat-eaters but for those across Argentina , this neighborhood steakhouse has been drawing me in for 15 years , ever since I moved just a few blocks away on the same cobbled street , Calle Gurruchaga , in the capital ’ s Palermo district .
I think back to a drizzly October evening in 2008 , when — while returning home from work — I decide to treat myself , so I push open the wooden doors and ask for a table for one . The parrilla ( metal grill used to prepare the meat ) instantly catches my eye , a focal point that proudly takes center stage . In front of it , Pepe Sotelo , the griller , or parrillero , sprinkles coarse salt on the meat , then winds the large metal grill up and down to make best use of the embers ’ heat while flipping bife de chorizo steaks and racks of asado de tira ( short ribs ) — it ’ s almost like a live show for the assembled diners . Empty wine bottles adorned with loving messages of admiration line the
Don Julio
Previous pages : A restaurant parilla in Buenos Aires image : alamy
50 • pos t c a rds