One of three in South America to appear on the list. The Uruguayan restaurant El Palenque, which is located in the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo - and which also has another location in Punta del Este - was included in the list of the 30 best places in the world to eat meat, according to a ranking carried out by the American portal Bloomberg.
They describe the Mercado del Puerto as a place that is “full of restaurants” and where the main aroma that is felt “is that of roasted meat.” As for El Palenque, they point out that it has been open for more than 50 years and that in addition to meat, they also have a good wine list.
“There is an endless variety of grilled meats cooked perfectly over low coals,” said chef and owner of the Nobu restaurant chain, Drew Nbeporent, who included the Uruguayan restaurant on the list.
“Few things offer as much pleasure as a tender, well-cooked piece of meat. It’s a meal that virtually everyone enjoys. But it’s easy to ruin a steak, though. No amount of sauce can fix a bad steak. If you walk into a random barbecue joint anywhere in the world, you may be more disappointed than happy,” the experts explained on the Bloomberg website. To avoid this “disappointment,” the world’s leading chefs and restaurant experts made a selection of the best places to eat meat, including gastronomic establishments from America, Europe and Asia.
Surprisingly, only one Argentine grill restaurant – Don Julio, in Buenos Aires’ Palermo neighbourhood – was included in the list of the “30”. In South America, the only other restaurant to make the ranking is Osso, in the city of Lima. There are none from Brazil.
Most of the selected restaurants are located in the United States, in the cities of New York (such as Bar Masa, Beatrice Inn, Keens, Minetta Tavern, Palm or Peter Luger); San Francisco (Alfred's SF and Cockscomb); and in Las Vegas, Houston and Miami.
Also on the list are specialist venues in Paris (Bistrot Paul Bert), the Hawksmoor steakhouse in London, Lomo Alto in Barcelona and Shima in Tokyo.
History.
When he was 17, Spaniard Emilio Portela arrived in Montevideo as an immigrant and began working as a waiter at El Palenque, which had existed since 1958. Years later, with the money he had saved, he bought the restaurant in installments and turned it into one of the most prominent venues for national gastronomy.
“Many years and thousands of diners have passed until El Palenque became what it is today: a restaurant that is a benchmark for gastronomic connoisseurs,” reads its website.
In 2002, the traditional restaurant in Montevideo was joined by a location at stop 6 of Avenida Roosevelt, in Punta del Este.
Source: elpais.com.uy
