Casa Julián

A friend who knows Tolosa better than I do put Casa Julián 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: tiny Tolosa room, three tables, decades of cooks. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with French onion soup with the cap of cheese intact, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered a glass of port to finish, and then another, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: chuleta of buey, the dish that puts Casa Julián on every short list. Cut through it and you found that deep, beefy, almost iron-tasting interior that only comes from time and dry air. The signature touch — the salt-crusted bone-in rib, charred over coals — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for asparagus with hollandaise and hash browns the size of a hubcap. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was tiramisu, just barely too much, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

A perfect Sunday lunch, which is what I came for.