Don Eduardo: the Peruvian steakhouse that makes you not miss imported cuts

They even faced obstacles bringing the meats to the contest, because no one had ever exported Peruvian meat to Argentina: they had to create the import code for the first time. The prize was neither luck nor coincidence. It is the direct consequence of a selection that starts long before the fire: only young females, raised between 2,000 and 3,000 meters above sea level in Cajamarca, La Libertad, and Áncash and brought to the coast for a 120-day fattening period, with a specially designed soy and corn formula.

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Bulls are excluded from the ‘signature’ cut because they infiltrate less fat, a decision that in most grills would be resolved with the label of an imported breed, and here it is done with genetic selection and two types of aging depending on the cut —‘dry-aged’ and ‘wet’— for up to 21 days. Traceability from birth to plate. The result is tender, juicy meat, less greasy than wagyu, cleaner, with notes of toasted butter and a touch of umami left by the aging.

The rest of the menu, on the other hand, works as an accompaniment to this discovery, not as competition. Among them stand out the flat iron, which comes with nikkei BBQ and white chaufa; the northern ossobuco, served over cilantro risotto; and the mushroom ají, with yellow chili cream, grilled mushrooms, portobellos, and champignons with cilantro oil. These are well-executed dishes, with more ambition than the average grill in Lima, but none compete for the spotlight. It is a subtle and revealing difference: in many grills, the sides exist to compensate for a cut that has little to offer; at Don Eduardo, they exist because the cut needs no defense and the kitchen can afford to play elsewhere.

The details on the table also fulfill the same role: underline the argument. The chimichurri with chincho and zapallo loche, instead of the classic parsley-oregano; the gray and pink volcanic salt grated in front of the diner; and the Trujillo-style fries.

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That a restaurant in Lima can put Peruvian creole veal in front of the diner and that they do not miss the imported cut is something we thought was impossible. For years, “premium” in a local grill meant imported. Don Eduardo bets on the opposite: although there is wagyu, it is not missed, and the first bite of their award-winning steak proves it before any speech has to. //