Asador Etxebarri

I have eaten in a lot of dining rooms that try this hard. Asador Etxebarri is one of the few that pulls it off without looking like it is trying.

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 small dish of marinated white anchovies, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered a quiet Brunello from the back of the list, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: chuletón of old dairy cow, the dish that puts Asador Etxebarri on every short list. It was, frankly, the best version of this cut I have had this year. 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 pommes Anna and potato gratin with a dark crust. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over, 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.