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Basque Chronicles | Restaurante Amaren Bilbao

đŸ„© Amaren: Bilbao’s Dry-Aged Steak Icon (With a Catch) In Bilbao, Amaren wears the “steak king” crown—and for good reason. Their claim to fame? Dry-aged beef with options across three origins and 80–130 days of aging. We went all in: a 120+-day aged Galician ox, the most marbled cut on the menu. What followed? A flavor rollercoaster—thrilling, indulgent, and a reminder that “more” isn’t always better. đŸ„© The Steak: A Masterclass in Dry Aging Let’s start with the star. This 120+-day Galician ox? Visually, it’s stunning. Thanks to intense dehydration, the marbling is amplified: fat weaves through the meat like fine lace, glistening like the crystalline fat in top-tier Iberian ham. Texturally, it’s a triumph. Cooked to a default medium rare, the execution is pinpoint: a crust seared to a deep, crackling char (no thicker than a millimeter), while the center stays tender, blush-pink, and juiceless (in the best way—no messy runoff, just concentrated flavor). The fat, halfway melted into amber pools, coats the tongue with a buttery silkiness. First bites? Transcendent. The meat, softened by months of enzymatic breakdown, practically dissolves—no tough fibers, just pure, meaty richness. Notes of hazelnut and pecan bloom, deeper and more complex than the 4-week aged steaks common in the Basque Country. It makes shorter-aged cuts taste tame by comparison. 😐 The Catch: Fat Overload Here’s where it stumbles. At 1.4kg, that intensified marbling becomes a double-edged sword. By the halfway mark, the dense fat lingers—first a subtle oiliness at the back of the throat, then a greasy heaviness that even wine couldn’t cut. We’re no strangers to indulgence: 1.2kg of 4-week aged steak, plus sides, is usually easy. But this? The last third felt like a chore, the once-luscious fat curdling into a cloying, almost gamey aftertaste. 🍮 Long-Aged Lessons: A Tale of Two Steaks Last year, a 120-day Galician ox at Paris’ 3-Michelin KEI left me skeptical—tough meat, rank fat that bordered on inedible. Amaren redeemed long aging: their fat is buttery, nutty, almost sweet, and totally edible on its own. But even so, the density was overwhelming. For me, 4-week aged steaks still hit the sweet spot—rich, but not oppressive. Maybe a smaller portion of this 120-day cut would work? Lesson learned: sometimes, less (fat) is more. đŸœïž The Rest: Underwhelming Sadly, the non-steak dishes fell flat. Starters (a salad, porcini) felt phoned in, clearly an afterthought. Desserts? Bland, forgettable. The only bright spot? Friendly service, if a touch slow. Amaren’s steak is a spectacle, but the rest of the meal misses the mark. Worth a visit for steak fanatics, but manage your expectations. #BasqueFood #BilbaoEats #DryAgedSteak #SteakLovers #FoodCritique

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Eve McGill
Eve McGill
4 months ago
Eve McGill
Eve McGill
4 months ago
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Basque Chronicles | Restaurante Amaren Bilbao

đŸ„© Amaren: Bilbao’s Dry-Aged Steak Icon (With a Catch) In Bilbao, Amaren wears the “steak king” crown—and for good reason. Their claim to fame? Dry-aged beef with options across three origins and 80–130 days of aging. We went all in: a 120+-day aged Galician ox, the most marbled cut on the menu. What followed? A flavor rollercoaster—thrilling, indulgent, and a reminder that “more” isn’t always better. đŸ„© The Steak: A Masterclass in Dry Aging Let’s start with the star. This 120+-day Galician ox? Visually, it’s stunning. Thanks to intense dehydration, the marbling is amplified: fat weaves through the meat like fine lace, glistening like the crystalline fat in top-tier Iberian ham. Texturally, it’s a triumph. Cooked to a default medium rare, the execution is pinpoint: a crust seared to a deep, crackling char (no thicker than a millimeter), while the center stays tender, blush-pink, and juiceless (in the best way—no messy runoff, just concentrated flavor). The fat, halfway melted into amber pools, coats the tongue with a buttery silkiness. First bites? Transcendent. The meat, softened by months of enzymatic breakdown, practically dissolves—no tough fibers, just pure, meaty richness. Notes of hazelnut and pecan bloom, deeper and more complex than the 4-week aged steaks common in the Basque Country. It makes shorter-aged cuts taste tame by comparison. 😐 The Catch: Fat Overload Here’s where it stumbles. At 1.4kg, that intensified marbling becomes a double-edged sword. By the halfway mark, the dense fat lingers—first a subtle oiliness at the back of the throat, then a greasy heaviness that even wine couldn’t cut. We’re no strangers to indulgence: 1.2kg of 4-week aged steak, plus sides, is usually easy. But this? The last third felt like a chore, the once-luscious fat curdling into a cloying, almost gamey aftertaste. 🍮 Long-Aged Lessons: A Tale of Two Steaks Last year, a 120-day Galician ox at Paris’ 3-Michelin KEI left me skeptical—tough meat, rank fat that bordered on inedible. Amaren redeemed long aging: their fat is buttery, nutty, almost sweet, and totally edible on its own. But even so, the density was overwhelming. For me, 4-week aged steaks still hit the sweet spot—rich, but not oppressive. Maybe a smaller portion of this 120-day cut would work? Lesson learned: sometimes, less (fat) is more. đŸœïž The Rest: Underwhelming Sadly, the non-steak dishes fell flat. Starters (a salad, porcini) felt phoned in, clearly an afterthought. Desserts? Bland, forgettable. The only bright spot? Friendly service, if a touch slow. Amaren’s steak is a spectacle, but the rest of the meal misses the mark. Worth a visit for steak fanatics, but manage your expectations. #BasqueFood #BilbaoEats #DryAgedSteak #SteakLovers #FoodCritique

Bilbao
Restaurante Amaren
Restaurante AmarenRestaurante Amaren