Templo da Carne Marcos Bassi

I have eaten in a lot of dining rooms that try this hard. Templo da Carne Marcos Bassi 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: Bixiga butcher shop turned dining altar. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with country pâté with cornichons, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered a heavy California zinfandel, no apologies, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: costela bassi, the dish that puts Templo da Carne Marcos Bassi on every short list. It was, frankly, the best version of this cut I have had this year. The signature touch — the slow-cooked beef rib, falling off the bone — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for fried okra and a dab of remoulade and buttered haricots verts. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was key lime pie, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

I paid the bill, walked out into the São Paulo evening, and put the address back into the notebook with a star next to it.