Two lady friends and I had lunch today at a new-ish Peruvian restaurant called Limeña. It's a family owned place. The owner took our orders and delivered our food. His son is the chef. Gotta give them props for opening a restaurant during the pandemic. No menu to photograph - it's posted above the front desk where you place your order - but you can check it out on their website if you wish. It's the kind of place where you order at the counter and pay and they bring the food to your table. I insisted we sit outside, even though it's kinda right out on the sidewalk. There weren't many people inside but I wouldn't have felt comfortable dining indoors if it had started to get busy. As it happened, there was a steady stream of people picking up to-go orders but the indoor eating area stayed relatively uncrowded.
I had the Ceviche Lemiña - Fresh local halibut tossed in lime juice, red onions, yams, Peruvian corn and toasted Peruvian corn nuts. The owner called the coconut milk/lime/ginger marinade Leche de Tigre or Tiger's Milk and I was instructed to eat it with a spoon to make sure each bite was came with some of the broth. Very flavorful, if a bit salty for me.
Upon the recommendation of another diner, one friend ordered the Chaufa de Salmon sort of a "quinoa bowl," described on the menu as salmon served with quinoa in the style of Peruvian fried rice with bean sprouts, peas, carrots, egg, and green onions and their green hot sauce. She raved and raved about it.
My other friend ordered the Pescado a lo macho - Pan fried white fish topped with shrimp, squid, and octopus in spicy Peruvian chiles sauce served with white rice and yuca. I got a taste of this and it was excellent.
For dessert, we had alfajores, the caramel filled Peruvian cookies, baked by the owner's wife and we shared a dish of Lucuma ice cream.
One of my friends ordered a Peruvian herbal tea called Emoliente which was served over ice since it was quite hot but can be served hot in the cooler months. It was a very viscous looking brown stuff. My friend said it tasted good but she didn't drink more than a few sips. I avoided looking at it!
Edited to add that a bright yellow umbrella stood above our table, providing an odd gold illumination that I was only partially able to correct in the photos.
