Gaston Riveira is sitting across from me at his new restaurant Coconut Grove. “We will start with the meat, then the starters,” he explains. “We’ll do things backwards.”

I don’t know why we do things backwards. But when you sit down for a meal with the master of the most famous Argentinian asado in the world, you don’t question the order of things.

Riveira is the owner and chef of La Cabrera, a chain of Argentinian restaurants which extends from the Philippines to Spain. It recently added two outposts in Miami – Coconut Grove and Sunny Isles – and a third is coming soon in Midtown.

Riveira opened his first La Cabrera in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires in 2002. The concept was to stay true to a parrilla, an Argentinian tradition similar to a Brazilian steakhouse but usually without all the skewers parading around the place. Since then, Riveira has written several cookbooks and his restaurant has garnered numerous accolades, including being featured on at least one list of the world’s best steakhouses.

Our first course arrives, a thickly sliced ​​strip steak in a cast iron pan, seasoned with salt and pepper. Riveira and I stab slices and slather on chimichurri while he talks about his abuelo, his hero and mentor, the man who taught him how to cook meats over an open flame. Growing up in Argentina, asado was how holidays were celebrated, or simply the conclusion to a week. It’s basically a grill, usually with sausages and various cuts of meat and a vegetable here and there, for humor.

I ask him how many restaurants he plans to open on these banks. “A lot,” he said, laughing. But then he corrects himself and says sheepishly, “Those three in Miami are enough.” » Even if he would like to open one at Disney, a place he loves.

Speckled and disheveled, Riveira wears a white polo shirt and gives copious instructions to the waiters, who slice things as they arrive at the table: a deeply flavorful morcilla, a cheese empanada studded with caramelized onions and Argentine provolone grid. When the shortbread arrives, Riveira gets up and takes the server’s knife to slice them for us. They’re smoky and decadent, as soft under the blade as a birthday cake.

Whatever his expansion plans, Riveira says there’s one thing he’s sure of: La Cabrera’s concept won’t change. “All my life I thought the restaurant I created in Buenos Aires would work all over the world,” he says.

I mention how much I loved the choripán sandwiches when I visited Argentina years ago, and so he orders four, a secret menu item they’ll prepare for those in the know. It’s simple: crusty bread, chimichurri, homemade hot sauce, chorizo, just like I remember.

We try a sample of the sides: squash puree, potatoes, grilled vegetables, a halved pear topped with savory cheese and nuts. A flan arrives and squares of salty cheese with cubes of jelly, its play on a dessert eaten by Argentinian taxi drivers.

I ask him if he thinks he’s outgrown his abuelo at this point. “Oh no!” he said in exasperation. Who is better at barbecue? “My abuelo!” With restaurants across the world, it’s hard to believe. But what’s better than the memory of seeing a grill master carve a meal, just for you?

La Cabrera Coconut Grove is located at 2895 McFarlane Road. For more information, visit www.lacabreramiami.com.