La Cabrera

I had been meaning to get to La Cabrera for years. I will not wait that long again.

The room is exactly what you want it to be: loud, bright, generous. 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 Argentine malbec the waiter chose for me, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: bife de chorizo, the dish that puts La Cabrera on every short list. Was it the very best steak I have ever eaten? No. Was it among the dozen I think about most? Yes. The signature touch — the small bowls of accompaniments — a dozen of them — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for thick-cut onion rings, stacked 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 the bread pudding with bourbon sauce, 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.