BUENOS AIRES
Manolo
Local Argentinians love this old-fashioned, cafeteriastyle parrilla (restaurant serving grilled meats) for its delicious delicacies, which are incredible bargains.
Chitterlings and sweetbreads, textured like melted butter and sprinkled with lemon juice, precede tender grilled steaks. Service is fast, the ambience loud, and walls feature soccer-themed memorabilia.
El Obrero
Agustín R. Caffarena 64, La Boca; +54 11 4362 9912 U2’s Bono, Francis Ford Coppola, and Robert Duvall are three celebrities that have been drawn to dine at this atmospheric steakhouse in the colorful La Boca portside district. It opened in 1954 and continues to serve some of the best, and biggest, steaks in town.
Choose from the parrilla specials on the chalkboard and aim to arrive before the busiest time of 9:00 PM.
La Cabrera
Cabrera 5099, Palermo Viejo; www.parrillalacabrera.com.ar
A romantic steakhouse in one of the city’s prettiest districts, La Cabrera comprises twin dining salons of mosaic flooring, timber furnishings, and strippedbare walls. Its beefsteaks are huge and first-rate, and they come with around 12 side dishes, from Béarnaise sauce to roasted artichokes and mashed squash with raisins. Tables are candlelit; outdoor tables overlook a cobbled street.
Cabaña Las Lilas
Alicia Moreau de Justo 516; www.laslilas.com
Situated on the waterfront in the Puerto Madero docklands district, this exclusive parrilla serves steaks from its own ranches. Ask for the superior rib-eye cut and accompany it with one of the 700 premium Argentinian wines offered.
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
At restaurants in Argentina’s wine capital, Mendoza, world-class red wines accompany Argentinian beefsteaks. Choose a downtown parrilla or dine at a wine estate, where vistas of vineyards and the snow-capped Andes form the backdrop to premium wines and prime beef.
Don Mario
25 de Mayo 1324, Dorrego; www.donmario.com.ar
At this basic parrilla, Don Mario allows his cooking to do the talking. The sweetbreads are outstanding and the sirloin and tenderloin steaks are fit for gauchos.
The mixed grill option of combined delicacies and beef cuts is excellent and economical.
Ocho Cepas moderate
Peru 1192; www.ochocepas.com
Ocho Cepas is a wine-and-gourmet-grill experience set within a beautifully refurbished colonial house, run by Argentine chef Max Casa. Choose alfresco dining beneath the Mendoza stars or opt for an intimate interior table amid colonial arches. Meat and wine options are both outstanding.
Cavas Wine Lodge
Costaflores S/N; www.cavaswinelodge.com
This romantic restaurant is set in a luxury wine lodge and spa, situated within a 35-acre (14-hectare) vineyard. It emphasizes regional Mendoza cuisine, from appetizers such as goat cheese terrine with “wine caviar” to rib-eye steak with chimichurri – the spicy pesto-like sauce of choice for asados.
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY
Uruguay has the highest number of meateaters per capita in the world, outshining even its close neighbor, Argentina. Steakhouses in its capital city, Montevideo, overlook the Atlantic Ocean and serve classic beef cuts oozing with juices and flavors.
La Casa Violeta
Rambla Armenia 3667; www.lacasavioleta.com
Choose a terrace table at gorgeous Violeta, which faces one of Montevideo’s prettiest harbors.
There are seven kinds of steak, from rib-eye and porterhouse to the restaurant’s rib-chop specialty, and the fantastic meats are whisked to tables on long skewers in the local style.
Los Leños
San Jose; +598 2900 2285
A big rack of meat always roasts over the open fire at the casually chic parrilla of Los Leños. Start with a succulent seafood appetizer and follow with the signature tenderloin steak – filet de lomo – accompanied by mustard or the more exotic Roquefort or black-pepper sauces.
NEW YORK, NY
New York City is famously home of the tasty and tender New York strip steak (also known as Kansas City strip steak or strip loin steak).
Eat it like the locals: rare, doused in sauces, and accompanied by a serving of truffle mac (macaroni) and cheese.
Angelo & Maxie’s Steakhouse
Park Avenue South at 19th Street; www.angelo-maxies.com
This inexpensive steakhouse serves juicy, oversized steaks (and some great fish dishes) in a splendid 1930s, Art Deco-style setting. Start with a seafood appetizer and order some onion rings or green salad to accompany your steaks. It’s a romantic dining spot and has a great bar too.
Ottomanelli New York Grill
1325 Fifth Avenue; www.nycotto.com
Savvy New Yorkers make a beeline to this grill, which has been run by the Ottomanelli family since 1900.
Its specialty is enormous sirloin-steak burgers. Strip and hanger steaks, marinated in red wine and fresh herbs, are grilled to perfection as well.
Peter Luger Steakhouse
Open for over a century, Peter Luger is the Big Apple’s finest traditional steakhouse, with luxurious wooden decor and chandeliers. It’s a family business, and uses only the best US short-loin beef. Try its signature porterhouse steak, which the waiter cuts into filet and sirloin at the table, and douses with a superb wasabiflavored or Merlot-based sauce.
Quality Meats
57 W. 58th St.; www.qualitymeatsnyc.com
This upmarket steakhouse sizzles with sex appeal.
Its industrial-chic decor features light installations fashioned from butchers’ hooks and walls made from wine bottles. Its New American cuisine produces classic steaks marinated in inventive sauces. The clientele is young and hip.
TEXAS
Texas rivals Argentina for the crown of world’s greatest steak-eating destination. The giant southern state is synonymous with grasslands, thundering cattle herds, and the iconic American cowboy. Houston, its biggest city, serves some of its most memorable beef.
Taste of Texas Restaurant
10505 Katy Freeway, Houston; www.tasteoftexas.com Having the air of an old-style cowboy joint, “T-O-T,” as it is known, is a down-to-earth Texas steakhouse that emphasizes old-fashioned friendliness and uncomplicated dining, led by huge, juicy beefsteaks.
Order the prime rib and you will exit smiling.
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
5839 Westheimer Rd., Houston; www.pappasbros.com
One of Houston’s finest steakhouses, Pappas Bros. has an aged interior of red leather and polished wood furnishings. Its dry-aged steaks – from the filet mignon and rib-eye to a huge porterhouse – draw meat-lovers from across Texas. Its seafood starters are wonderful.
FLORENCE, ITALY
Florentines harvest their beef from the white Chianina cattle that graze the grasses of Tuscany’s valleys. In Florentine kitchens, the tender, flavorful Chianina meat becomes the bistecca alla fiorentina – the Renaissance city’s emblematic beefsteak.
Trattoria Mario inexpensive
Via Rosina 2R; www.trattoria-mario.com
Family-run Mario’s has served the workers of Florence’s Central Market since 1953. Diners share tables and the day’s menu is attached to the wall with tape. Florentine steaks arrive big, bloody, and with hunks of bread on the side.
Ristorante Paoli moderate
Via de’ Tavolini 12R; www.casatrattoria.com
A vaulted 14th-century ceiling painted with frescoes from the 1800s overlooks the tables at Paoli. It’s an inspired setting, and the cuisine here is equally divine. Order succulent Florentine steak.
Buca Lapi expensive
Via del Trebbio 1R; www.bucalapi.com
Opened in 1880 in the cellars of Palazzo Antinori, this is an intimate trattoria set beneath vaulted, frescoed ceilings. Its bistecca chianina (Florentine porterhouse) steak is masterful, cooked over a charcoal grill and sprinkled with olive oil.
No comments:
Post a Comment