hola lola

haha, unfortunately not all tourists are intrepid foodies. and really, i can't blame them that much, the little cuys are so cute and furry. (i ate one last week...muhahaha)

YES!!! YES!!!!!! Chocolate and salt do spectacular things to one's tastebuds!! Why does nobody understand when I take a salt shaker to my hot chocolate??

I think i have a pretty good handle on what there is, I grew up on Peruvian food and that's pretty much what i eat at home (my family is Peruvian and everyone but my mom dad and brother live in Lima). I'm actually writing a section about Peruvian food for a guidebook myself! My question is more about which restaurants are up and coming and not to be missed, (i'm particularly interested in Novo Andino food) i can get the insider limeño input but i also wanted to know if the international community had anything to say. Anyway, let me ask you a question: i know which things i find to be interesting, remarkable, and desirable, but my guidebook's audience is primarily North American and European, so i was wondering what you personally found interesting (that a standard breeze through Peruvian food wouldn't cover) Also, did you get a chance to go to Wong, the supermarket? It's pretty spectacular in service and quality of ingredients. I'm thinking of including that as well. Cheers! Mariana

Well, this thread has been silent for far too long! Wait for it, guys, in a couple years Peruvian restaurants are going to be popping up all over the globe (it's already starting to happen, wouldn't you like to say that you've been in-the-know all along?) Anyway, i'm going to Lima august 17 for my cousin's wedding (my fam pretty much all lives there). I'm wondering if anyone is up with the latest on the culinary scene? I know all of Gaston Acurio's restaurants are very in vogue, particularly La Mar, which I'm hoping to get to. I went to Pescados Capitales several years ago before it became the huge huge place it is now. Places I have NOT been are the very high-end fine dining places like Rafael and La Rosa Nautica. I'm going to try to go to Astrid y Gaston, because i kind of feel like it's a must-do (and very sad that i haven't yet). Other than that i will probably gorge myself on lucuma ice cream, peruvian olives, and ceviche. If anyone else has any input/suggestions/questions, please let me know! (or you can just voice your jealousy at my good fortune...) Mariana

when i was a kid on Sunday mornings my father (who was never, ever seen in the kitchen) would pull a jar of Nutella out of the cabinet which was too high for my brother and I to reach. Usually, the stuff would be greedily spread on freshly toasted bread. Every once in a while, though, my father would make french toast on a whim, and dollop nutella on top of that. I wish the cabinet was still too high for me to reach.

I just found out about Lima restaurant from Tom Sietsema's chat in the washington post onine.. does anyone know anything about this?? Apparently it's next to DC Coast, but is unfinished and has been so for quite a while. Please, someone! I'm dying for some good peruvian food in this town... hopefully that's what this place will be about

i JUST went to MiniBar last night to celebrate my birthday. Let me tell you, I was completely floored. It was Disneyland for me. I'm not sure who else feels a little bit crazy when going to a restaurant as a "foodie"- i am always extremely self-conscious and kind of awe-struck because i KNOW about all of the stuff that's supposed to be going on there, and sometimes almost feel envious of my ignorant but much less awkward feeling peers. I never want to talk to the restaurant like i'm a big in-the-know person because i'm not sure how they feel about people who are not actually in the business thinking that they know all about it. Anyway, enough waxing... This experience is truly amazing. You know all about the dishes, and they were, without exception, spectacular. Each one of the courses is immaculately crafted, manicured even, and they do it 5 feet from your face. The chefs were friendly, ready and eager to answer any questions. I felt sheepish for being so excited about everything but I think that they were happy about it. My dining partner is a total food ignoramus, but one-half of the other couple that was there with us was pretty knowledgable too, so together we oohed and aahed about the chef's experiences at El Bulli (one had just returned from there) and we kind of interrogated them about what it was like to work with Ferran, etc. I felt totally starstruck but was impossibly happy. I had to decide between this and Citronelle as my birthday present, and although i was hesitant at first i am SO HAPPY that i went there, i can honestly say this was the most amazing dining experience i've ever had, i will be giddy about it for weeks to come. GO THERE! Mariana

HOpefully i'm not the only home cook with this problem! "The fam" tends to not come to the table when my carefully prepared food is piping hot and ready for them to eat. So, they end up with lukewarm food, which actually doesn't bother them at all as much as it bothers me. I need my food hot!! So, lets say I prepare something via saute or pan-fry, or even broil, and need it to stay hot... I know theoretically I can cover w/ foil and leave it in the oven, but I dont know what the right oven temp is to keep my food from overcooking (yuck) and yet keep it nice and hot. Help me! Mariana

Went to 1789 restaurant last night with my mom- you all were right!! The 'rack of pork' was amaaaazing... mmm... and I don't know about you guys, but we felt that the grilled peach and the garlic swiss chard were really good (the beans were fine) Also, the scallop "margarita" (really a scallop ceviche, come on guys and own up) was really good. The texture of teh scallops were amazing, and the avocado helped to calm down the lime flavor. Nice presentation. Other highlights were the bread basket (love). Sort of oniony-topped foccacia, served with butter drizzled with olive oil and sea salt. Sprig of Rosemary. nice touch. I had never been to 1789 before, but now i'm glad I have. I'm pleased that it's pretty much exactly what's advertised. Really good, simple american/french food. Reasonable but not extravagant portion sizes. Attentive service. Hmm... does 1789 normally do an amuse? I thought they probably did but maybe since it was RW they were skipping that one.. our total bill including 2 glasses of wine, coffee, "san pellegrino", tax & tip was about $100. Not bad? Friday is TenPenh, and sunday Kinkeads

In Peru they make cheese and meat empanadas, the meat ones are a ground beef mixture with raisins, onions, sometimes olives (similar to filling for papa rellena). The dough is also a flaky pastry-like crust, although that depends on the skill and taste of the baker (they're baked) In Spain, empandas are filled with a cod mixture.... eeehh

I was there over during the winter Restaurant Week. I thought it was a good introduction to the restaurant. There was a choice of three for each course, and I doubt that would change for the summer Restaurant Week. ← Were they good choices, or did it seem like they pulled their under-performers out from the regular menu?

Ready for a bubble burst? I went to CityZen, probably about a month ago, to celebrate my return from six months in Spain. I was incredibly excited about it because when I had left it had just barely opened, and I had followed the news/reviews about it (Tom Sietsema: 4.5 stars would be 5 given a little time). So, let me preface this by saying that I really, truly wanted to love the experience (especially since i chose it over Citronelle, now i'm kicking myself for that) Anyways, I can't recall the EXACT circumstances of the meal, but it was definitely NOT stellar and given the price, merely satisfactory. I remember having a meal with scallops where they just did not seem flavorful, although whether that is the fault of the chef or of the season/source, i can't determine. Given the chef's history/work with Thomas Keller, I frankly was expecting something much more exciting and innovative. Additionally, I had something happen to me that I absolutely never thought would happen in a restaurant: In between the entree course and dessert, when the table was cleared of plates, my father and I were having a conversation, when suddenly from the corner of the table scuttles one of those millipede-spider bug things (the ones that move really really fast). Now, I am a girl but a decidedly un-squeamish one, so the event didn't scare me, and luckily for the restaurant I didn't jump up screaming, but instead just kind of stared and lauged hysterically (honestly, you go to a restaurant where the waiters pour your drinks in unison, and then an insect runs across your table..? priceless). A waiter/busboy must have noticed us laughing, and to his credit handled the situation perfectly: he quickly used his napkin to grab the bug and discreetly went away. Our wine was comped at the end of the meal. In general, I was impressed by the service, and the decor was nice, but the food... just okay. Perhaps it was an off night for the restaurant, but honestly a place that charges that kind of prices cannot afford to merely serve 'okay' food. And have a pest problem. Mariana

Oh, Lucuma!! When I was little, every time I visited Peru the first thing I would do was eat lucuma ice cream- it's incredible. Lucuma fruit is very odd. The outside is a leathery green skin, and the inside is a dense, dry, pasty pulp somewhat similar to that of a (cooked) sweet potato. The taste is really hard, if not impossible to describe... it's not too sweet, not acidic, but it's very deep and rich and strong flavored (horrible description, ill have to eat some and ponder! my family smuggles the pulp in frozen ziplock bags, mmm). It's rarely eaten "as a fruit" because a lot of people are put off by the starchy texture and the strong flavor, but I love it. Lucuma is most commonly used in desserts, especially ice cream (it's one of the "main" ice cream flavors, along with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry). They will also use it in other things like mousses, sauces, as flavorings for cakes, etc. etc. It goes marvelously with chocolate. Here is a pretty good site about lucuma Ask me anything! I love it..... if you want, we can discuss the wonders of peruvian olives.... Mariana

Obviously..... I have a bit of a bias, seeing as how all of my family is from and still lives in Peru, BUT with that caveat... Peru is a country that values its food like few other countries do. They have such pride about it, and with reason. You can walk into any Peruvian house on a given day/night and have a spectacular meal- they demand, and expect it (in this they are much like the french). For this reason, all of the products they buy are superb quality (that, and the fact that the land is so rich in resources and the geography so diverse). However, Peruvians are not food snobs- they know that their culinary roots come from poverty-driven necessity, therefore the cuys and the papa seca and the use of every animal part (again, kind of like the french). For this reason, they are just generally fans of good-tasting food. Places like KFC have found a huge market in Lima especially, because peruvians love fried chicken! However, because they demand such quality, any fast food place there is incomparably better than what one would find in the states. The key factor in this 'food culture' that Peru has is that it does not revolve around restaurants. Generally, Peruvians eat out (to nice restaurants) only on special occasions, a couple times a year. Most of the get-togethers occur at people's houses, and the hosts take it upon themselves to make huge, varied, and delicious meals. On another note, any of you non-natives that went to Peru: Did you try any Lucuma products? I am a firm believer that as soon as it edges its way into some niche markets, it is a fruit that will EXPLODE in the states... who's with me? Mariana

where are you getting these podcasts from? I'd like some :) Wait till my friends hear that i'm listening to "food radio" on my ipod while at the gym....