El Raigón
510 Union Street, San Francisco
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A lot of people don't get it. The type-A steak fans come in expecting hulking porterhouses and find smallish bife de lomo instead; Argentina-philes assume it will be a modest asado and get huffy about the prices. Their loss. El Raigón is up to something else completely, and that something is a rarity in the U.S.: perfect grass-fed beef cooked over almond wood and charcoal in Argentina's "estancia" (ranch) style. Pastoral décor makes use of cow-hide, exposed brick and bare wood tables; the place, named for partner Will Harris's 17,000-acre cattle ranch in Entre Rios, looks more like a stable than a steakhouse. Somehow, it works. The centerpiece of the straightforward menu is the spectacular bife de chorizo, Argentina's inexplicably tender version of a New York strip that renders the accompanying chimichurri sauce unnecessary. A side of calabaza pisada (mashed squash) is irresistible, as are the paper-thin "panqueques" filled with dulce de leche. A selection of affordable Argentinean Malbecs is predictably on target; El Raigón has its own wine import business downstairs. The whole building is a love letter to the Pampas that leaves you energized, not lethargic.

Photo by Jason Bennett