BUENOS AIRES
Right : Don Julio in Palermo ; grilled meat , offal and peppers images : alamy shelves . I settle into a chair and soak up the ambiance of friends sharing steaks and sides , wishing I was with them but excited for my first experience at the restaurant I ’ d been eying up for four months . After browsing the leather-bound menu , I select a medium-rare rib-eye , a glass of Malbec and fries . The charming , old-school waiter in his black bow tie puts me at ease and soon brings out an enormous slab of prime , grass-fed Argentine beef that ’ s tender and delicious . The serrated steak knife easily slides through the two-inch-thick steak . I dip the fries into the meaty juices and savor the wine .
It ’ s clear that Don Julio has updated Argentina ’ s traditional asado ( barbecue ) ritual for the modern era . Today , the parrilla is a regular inclusion on the World ’ s 50 Best Restaurants list , picking up awards and accolades with almost indecent speed . The signed bottles are long gone , Pepe has taken retirement and the basement has been turned into one of the country ’ s finest wine cellars , stocking more than 20,000 Argentine vintages . I fell in love with Don Julio — low lighting , striped awning and all — back in 2008 , and it ’ s a romance that ’ s endured and flourished .
WINTER 2023 • 53