{"id":5676,"date":"2022-02-10T17:26:53","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T09:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/?p=5676"},"modified":"2022-03-06T10:15:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T02:15:43","slug":"the-peru-diaries-my-favorite-restaurant-i-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/p\/5676.html","title":{"rendered":"The Peru Diaries Part 2: My Favorite Restaurant, I Think\u2026.."},"content":{"rendered":"

Also see: The Peru Diaries: My Favorite Barrio in Lima \u2013 Barranco\u2026.Definitely<\/a><\/p>\n

The Peru Diaries Part 3, A Pachamanca Day<\/a><\/p>\n

Peru is a gastronomic wonderland and home to one of the unique cuisines of the world.\u00a0 My husband, Cesar, is originally from Peru.\u00a0 I not only fell in love with him a million or so years ago but fell in love with his homeland.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been traveling back and forth for more than fifteen years and every trip involves a serious debate over our restaurant itinerary.\u00a0 We spar and compromise deciding which restaurant friends to visit, which long time favorites make the list and what new spots are musts. There\u2019s never enough time and never enough space in our tummies.<\/p>\n

One restaurant that inspires complete agreement between the two of us is La Picanteria <\/strong>(Francisco Moreno 388, Surquillo, Lima, Peru).\u00a0 I hesitantly call it my favorite BUT\u2026. We never leave Lima without a visit to La Picanteria AND we coerced them into catering our wedding reception\u2026. SO, I guess by default, I\u2019m calling it my favorite.<\/p>\n

Before I tell you about the wonders behind the very humble doors of La Picanteria, indulge me with a few words on why the cuisine of Peru is so very special, unique and extraordinary.\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s a reason why six of the 100 Best Restaurants in the World are in Peru and it comes down to history, diversity and an abundance of superior natural products.\u00a0 Essentially, Peruvian cuisine relies on a complicated history of Spanish, Asian, African and Incan influences.\u00a0 There is a fusion of cultures, distinct cooking techniques and biodiversity. It is as diverse as the landscape of the country.\u00a0 Peru is home to three distinct geographies:\u00a0 Amazon Jungle, Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean Coast.\u00a0 Even dividing Peru into three regions is not quite enough detail to describe the difference within each region of culture and natural ingredients.\u00a0 You can find extraordinary flavor in a humble restaurant as well as a beautifully designed establishment with an internationally acclaimed chef at the helm.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The tradition of a picanteria <\/em>originates from and is mostly known south of Lima in Arequipa and north of Lima in Piura and Chiclayo.\u00a0 The history of a picanteria <\/em>is the epitome of entrepreneurism, national pride and completely charming.\u00a0 A hungry guest is invited to knock on the door of a known picanteria<\/em> held inside a family home where treasured family recipes are prepared and turned into a culinary event.\u00a0 Kitchens and patios were mostly used until the small home-based business transcended to a neighborhood dining room open to the public.\u00a0 \u00a0A few picanterias<\/em> opened in Lima as residents of Arequipa migrated to the big city of Lima. Traditionally, they are only open for lunch.<\/p>\n

Chef\/Owner Hector Solis sought to revive this tradition.\u00a0 Set in the humble Limeno neighborhood of Surquillo in a simple wooden house, La Picanteria opened to the public in 2012 and is only open for lunch.\u00a0 Pre-COVID, the dining room consisted of large communal style tables and benches and seating was first come, first served.\u00a0 Today, tables are set by the number of your party and reservations are required.<\/p>\n

Upon entering, you are greeted by a fantastic array of freshly caught fish all waiting to be transformed into classic criolla-style<\/em> flavor bombs.\u00a0 As they sit in their ice beds waiting to be chosen, they seem to all be sparkling and showing off attempting to gain the most attention by screaming \u201cPick Me, Pick Me!\u201d\u00a0 Most restaurants in Peru tend to feature Lenguado and Corvina, noble and delicious local fish species.\u00a0 \u00a0The selection at La Picanteria is like looking at a wine list featuring a ton of Grower Champagne you\u2019ve never heard of.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A chalk board mounted on the wall lists the weight and species of the current fish all-stars.\u00a0 As you negotiate with the very helpful and knowledgeable servers about the number of dishes you desire from your fish (3 or 4), your selection is erased from the board and your fish is whisked into the kitchen where the magic happens.\u00a0 We chose a fortuno <\/em>which is also known as a longfin yellowtail or amberjack.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s it.\u00a0 You\u2019ve chosen your fish and number of courses.\u00a0 Settle in and prepare for mind-blowing deliciousness.\u00a0 The wine list is sparse so order up a cocktail.\u00a0 Choices are easy\u2026 Pisco Sour or Spicy Bloody Mary and YES, they are Big & Bold.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If available, Cesar cannot visit La Picanteria without having one of these:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a day-boat Scallop with the roe attached lightly marinated and \u201ccooked\u201d with limon<\/em>, ginger and tossed in salsa criolla.\u00a0 Salsa Criolla <\/em>is EVERYTHING here.\u00a0 For me, it\u2019s everything all over Peru.\u00a0 I\u2019m always amazed at the refinement of the knife work and balance of flavors from every service no matter where of salsa criolla. <\/em>Finely chopped onion, cilantro, more citrus juices and a touch of rocoto chile pepper are tossed together and seasoned creating the perfect balance of spice, heat, acid and umami.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bright refreshing bite and a perfect appetizer with a pisco sour.<\/p>\n

Dishes are presented on big platters and served family style.\u00a0 Our first fish transformation appeared as a take on a tiradito.\u00a0 <\/em>The fish is thinly sliced and marinated in citrus and aji amarillo<\/em> chile. It is topped with seaweed and an indigenous large kernel corn called choclo.<\/em>\u00a0 It\u2019s bright, spicy and high in acid.\u00a0 The creaminess of the choclo<\/em> and the bits of fried fish parts adorning the sides of the plate add a salty fattiness that cuts through the acidity of the marinade.\u00a0 There\u2019s a rusticity in the slices of fish and the fried fish bits that brings a picanteria<\/em> authenticity to the preparation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Our next dish was Chef Solis\u2019 take on a classic ceviche.\u00a0 <\/em>Chunks of our fortuno <\/em>were tossed in citrus and salt lightly \u201ccooking\u201d the fish and served resting in leche de tigre <\/em>with sweet potato and more fried fish bits.\u00a0 In the spirit of a picanteria, <\/em>nothing is wasted.\u00a0 A giant slice of rocoto chile added a picante<\/em> bite to the plate.\u00a0 The sweetness of the potato cuts the heat and citrus.\u00a0 It\u2019s a rustic but beautiful dish packed with flavor.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lima tends to be grey and chilly.\u00a0 Criolla <\/em>cuisine aims to be filling, comforting, flavorful and warming.\u00a0 Chilis add spice and heat.\u00a0 Soups and dishes based in broth bring warmth.\u00a0 Traditional Sudado <\/em>is a fish based broth with tomato, onion, scallion, seaweed, leche de tigre<\/em> and aji amarillo chile.\u00a0 Since we chose four preparations from our fish, we received two different sudados. <\/em><\/p>\n

In our first sudado, <\/em>the fish was grilled and served in a spicy broth with an abundance of aji amarillo cream accompanied by some starchy lightly fried yucca batons.\u00a0 The fish was fresh and sweet with a touch of char.\u00a0 It clearly stood up to the heat and weight of the broth.\u00a0 I\u2019m generally not a big fan of yucca.\u00a0 I often find it too starchy and bland but sitting in a fish broth of citrus and heat, I found it compelling and delicious.\u00a0 I had to be careful not to eat too many batons because they will fill you up quickly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Our second sudado <\/em>was more traditional.\u00a0 The last pieces of our fortuno <\/em>were poached in the broth with the classic tomato, onion, scallion, seaweed and leche de tigre<\/em> citrus.\u00a0 Served with rice and choclo, <\/em>the \u201csoup\u201d is intended to be ladled and mixed all together.\u00a0 It is not only delicious but soothing, somehow light and delicate and layered with deep sea flavor.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, we were stuffed and I mean roll me out of the restaurant and onto the street, stuffed.\u00a0 We waddled out and across the street for a much needed cafecito.\u00a0 <\/em>I know La Picanteria has desserts or postre <\/em>available but I\u2019ve never been able to muster the appetite after all that savory goodness to explore them.\u00a0 Instead we chose a walk around Surquillo<\/em> and chance to see the sights and hear the sounds of a people that is rich in diversity, history, culture and gastronomy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Laura DePasquale, MS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":5685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurant-and-wine","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5676"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5866,"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5676\/revisions\/5866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terroirsense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}