Lunch at La Huella, in José Ignacio, Uruguay, never really changes. Patrons sit on the restaurant’s open decks, sipping glasses of white wine and looking out onto the Atlantic. Should they get chilly, they can wrap themselves in the traditional Uruguayan ponchos positioned on the back of each chair. The fashionable time for lunch is four P.M. Dinner is close to midnight, South American–style.
Today, La Huella is popular among polo players, models, and Argentinian TV stars. You might spot a member of the Twombly or Rattazzi family lounging out front, and it’s hard to picture a time when people in sarongs and Vilebrequins weren’t crowding in front of its entrance, vying for a table. But up until the 70s, José Ignacio was just a fishing village frequented by the San Carliños—residents of nearby San Carlos—who came on the weekends with rods and children in tow. There was a white, somber church, with its striking ocean backdrop, and a lighthouse.
