This was one of the best restaurant experiences that I've ever had, bar none.
Francesco, the host and I believe co-owner, is really amazing at what he does. Imagine Antonio Banderas and Clarke Gable had a love child who grew up spending the odd weekend with Buffalo Bill Cody, and you have a pretty good picture of the cool, class, and pizazz he brings to everything about the experience here.
The server we had was also wonderful, though her name escapes me. I believe she was new. After Francesco greeted my party like long lost friends, she came in a bit late for work. Francesco pleasantly chided her for getting to work late, which was met with a bit of humorous dramatics on her part, and the whole vibe was set. I was pretty much in on this place from this point on.
We had a reservation for 8:00 p.m. and were told the table was ours until close, so we were welcome to go as slow or fast as we wanted. After that, Francesco wheeled out examples of the available cuts of meat and explained each's lineage, how long it was aged, and what to expect from the flavor. We chose a cut from a Wagyu/Spanish hybrid cow that, if memory serves, probably came from short loin sub primal, as it seamed to have a strip and tenderloin. It was butchered in house to serve the table, and I believe it weighed in at 2.5 kilos. I think it was aged perhaps 60 days.
It's arguably the best steak I've ever eaten. The specialized grills they use serve a perfect Pittsburg-style steak, and don't even bother asking for it cooked any other way. Some folks may shy away from that last bit, but for me, that speaks volumes about a place serving meat this caliber. And if you have one godless heathen in your party who cannot abide a properly cooked steak, these cuts are huge. You can leave the benighted in your party to the outside slices, which are more done, while the virtuous among you can target the center slices.
All of us were absolutely shocked to find out the only seasoning was a touch of salt around the edges to create a little extra crunch. Given the amount of flavor abundant in each bite, such austere preparation beggared belief.
I suppose when you are the Bon Scott, the Etta James, the Otis Redding of steaks that you don't need a light show. You're just that damn good on your own.
I could go on about the sides, and I wouldn't be wrong to. The tomato that "tastes like a tomato" is not to be missed. The croquettes were a tad strong for my palate, but I believe this is because they are made from the scraps of steak after butchering and thus are heavily flavored by dry aging. I tend to not like dry-aging past a point, but for anyone in your party who loves that flavor, I imagine the croquettes would blow them away. However, the sides were only the steady supporting cast for this tour de force romance between five-and-a-half-pounds of expertly aged bovine and a genius with a German grill in the kitchen.
And the wine list... my goodness the wine list. If you are new to Spanish wine, you are in for a treat and possibly an spiritual awakening. They have an extensive wine list that is all killer and no filler. I used to sell wine and spirits in a former life, and for those of us in the know, Spanish wines have always punched far above the weight indicated by their price. There are definitely some bottles in the 50-70 euro range on the list here that will absolutely blow your socks off. Get a recommendation from your server of The Man himself and enjoy.
All in all, we were there for 3.5 hours. At the end of the night, Francesco introduced us to his associate at the restaurant, Julius Caesar, and both of them said goodbye as if we were all the best of friends.
I won't list the final price here, as I believe that is a bit gauche, but I'll put it this way: the four of us were Bacchanalian enough to make Caligula blush yet were presented a bill which would have satisfied even Vespasian's parsimonious sensibilities.
..Hey, Julius Caesar is a part owner.
I highly recommend spending an evening here. From the food to the staff and ambiance, it's a really wonderful little spot in an already wonderful city. read more