Asador Etxebarri

A friend who knows Atxondo better than I do put Asador Etxebarri at the top of a list of three. He was right, as he often is.

The room is exactly what you want it to be: Basque hillside, Bittor Arginzoniz at the grill. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with a wedge of iceberg with blue cheese, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered an Oregon pinot, against the steak waiter's better judgement, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: chuletón of old dairy cow, the dish that puts Asador Etxebarri on every short list. The crust was the colour of dark mahogany, and the inside was a confident, even pink the whole way through. The signature touch — everything kissed by wood smoke, even the ice cream — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for buttered haricots verts and wild mushrooms in butter. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was a slab of New York cheesecake, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

It is not cheap. It is, in this case, worth it.