Lima restaurants 1

Our first real meal was at La Picanteria de Hector Solis, Santa Rosa 388 corner of Gonzalez Prada, 01-241-66-76 . The term picanteria refers to a place to snack but there is serious cooking going on in this casual spot with communal tables. Hector is from the north and he and his wife carefully oversee the preparation of the traditional food and the quality is excellent, the decor is charming and the service very attentive.

Hector and me

We started off with the ritualistic fermented chicha drink made from different fruits (I chose quince.)

Ubiquitous table snacks.  Everywhere that we have gone to eat or drink either these crunchy toasted corn kernels or toothsome , satisfying large kernels of choclo or both are offered as snacks.  Can someone please explain to me why there are 28 (according to a food journalist) or 45 varieties of corn per our guide in Peru and we only have one widely available deeply uninteresting kind in the United States?

Deliciously fresh corvina (sea bass) ceviche that I almost ruined because I ate a huge piece of the incredibly spicy rocoto aji.

I probably would have skipped the tongue, tripe and udder had Hector not been right there and I would have missed a big treat.

Finished with this spectacular fish dish.

Gaston Acurio’s empire consists of widely differing food concepts ranging from hamburgers, to Peruvian-Italian and Peruvian-Chinese fusion, to places that specialize in traditional Peruvian specialties such as cebiche or anticuchos, and the high end Gaston and Astrid (his wife) who runs a chocolate factory.  He has locations all over the world and has been named a good will ambassador by UNESCO.

Dinner was at his obviously-meant-to be a chain  concept Panchita where we ordered traditional Peruvian dishes. Everything was good but the pastel de choclo, the Levantate Pancho (photo to come) and the potato bread were extraordinary

Causa is a dish of  layers of  seasoned mashed potatoes that can be stuffed with tuna, chicken, beef or vegetables.  We have yet to find the perfect one on our trip.  Seasonings are generally subtle in Peru, or at least the places I have visited, but this dish has great potential for me and any creative home cook.  When I get back home I will test these recipes and post my versions that will respect the tradition but be more assertively seasoned.

Pastel de choclo is a type of corn pudding that is sometimes stuffed with some sort of picadillo. It is a savory dish that can be somewhat sweet.

The delicious potato bread

Aji de gallina is a classic dish best prepared in the home. I know because I made one from a recipe published in Saveur magazine for a dinner I made for celebrated neurologist Oliver Sacks’ /upon his return from a fascinating  trip to Peru and it was absolutely delicious.  The restaurant versions I’ve had are disappointingly blah and seriously cry for some sort of seasoning, be it herbs or spices.

Anticuchos are skewered meats. The most traditional feature chunks of  beef or chicken hearts. I’m sorry but I’m not that adventurous. I don’t need prizes for eating things I ‘m squeemish about though I did great with the dish at La Picanteria above.

Our facorite, a chifa-inspired soup called Levantate Pancho! (Get up Pancho.) Hand-rolled noodles, pork dumplings in an intense chicken broth.  Delicious!

But one of the best things I have eaten so far is the solerito, a vegetable salad we had at 2:00AM at the venerable 51-year old Cafe Haiti on the night we arrived.