Many don't think of Peru as a culinary center but the food is excellent. Each area has its typical foods: Guinea Pig and Alpaca in Cusco, Chicheria (I'm sure I spelled this wrong) in Ica which is a unique but delicious take on pork and of course Ceviche and other fresh seafood in Lima (Miraflores is the swanky part of Lima where many of the best restaurants are found).
We did not eat at fancy restaurants with one exception, we ate at very common inexpensive local places and had great food and friendly, albeit leisurely service across this great country.
There were though two stand out meals one in Lima and one in Cusco. I'll let Kevin tell you about the Cusco meal.
The best meal that we had was hands down our lunch at LA MAR. This was not just a great meal by Peruvian standards it was world class. OK, we were not the first to discover Gaston Acurio's genius in fact he now has restaurants around the world including Mexico City, San Francisco, San Paolo, Spain and Costa Rica. From our experience he deserves all the praise and success given to him our meal was a spiritual experience.
Cebiches is king and there are 11 different ones to choose from at La Mar. The fish is as fresh as it gets most of it caught within hours of being served and preparations combine the typical and traditional with a great modern and creative flair. Excellent combinations of flavors and textures create a symphony in your mouth.
The meal was made even better by our excellent waiter Paul who spoke perfect English and knew the menu inside and out. He is also a real student of food and provided great background on Peruvian cuisine and how Gaston had stayed true to traditional while giving it his one unique flare. If you go you must request Paul.
Every thing is wonderful but we especially recommend the following:
1) Fuente de 5 Cebiches (a combination of 5 amazing Ceviche preparations)
2) Planchas Criolla (perfectly prepared Octopus on sweet potato)
3) Arroces Criollo (traditional rice topped with scallops and fish prepared in a Wok)
We enjoined this delicious meal with a bottle of Rio Negro Torrentes from Patagonia Argentina. Its floral nose and excellent acidity and dry finish made it versatile enough to match up with all the various flavors. They have a great wine program featuring many excellent Argentinian and Spanish wines and have a knowledgeable staff. We enjoyed our tour of the wine cellar and conversing with the Sommelier.
La Mar is only open for lunch until 5pm each day to ensure the very freshest fish and does not take reservations but the wait is usually no more than 20 minutes. Don't miss it!
Cheers,
Tom
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Hi!!! Kevin and Tom, thanks for your visit, thanks for your words, i´m proud to read, something good about me on the web!!!!, thanks for your help to my people, and remember that we have an idea to work together for the same people that you help, remember i m trying to improve my english, so thank you very much for tell about me, so try to keep in touch and i hope that we will see soon, see you and i will be on expect in this blog, bye and thanks, and remember visit Peru, and visita La Mar!!!! bye guys
ReplyDeletep.s. sorry if i hace some mistakes on the spell bye!!
Paul,
ReplyDeletethanks for commenting. The above comment was from Paul the outstanding waiter that I mentioned in my entry on La Mar. Paul, you bet we'll stay in touch.
Cheers,
Tom