El Señorio de Sulco, Lima, Peru

While most of the dinners that we had on our tour in Peru were buffets (good buffets, but buffets, still), the last restaurant we went to for our farewell dinner, El Señorio de Sulco in Lima, we ordered a la carte from a small menu we were given on the night before we went.  Located in Miraflores, like most of the places we saw and visited while we were in Lima, it also is very much a tourist restaurant.  While the tables in the restaurant were generally set up for large parties, the art work and the design of the place were very nice with glass walls, large ceramic jugs, and a large wall of masks that was located just inside the entrance.  It is apparently also very popular with visiting celebrities.  The wall of fame included bands, Franz Ferdinand, Stone Temple Pilots, REM, and celebrity, Paris Hilton.  Other than the rows of very long tables, it looked like a very nice restaurant.

I started things out with a soup, Chupe de Langostinos, a soup with Prawns, Diced Yellow Potatoes, Corn, Milk, Cheese, a Poached Egg, and Rice.  The prawns were shelled and perfectly cooked, the poached egg was tender and very flavorful.  The corn was the large kernel corn that I had previously seen in many other places.  The broth was creamy and had a tangy and spicy flavor that brought everything together, and there was a lot of well cooked rice.  The other dishes that I saw were another soup, a ceviche, and a causa (a dish of mashed potatoes with, in this case, herbs and vegetables) also looked very good.

For my main course, I ordered what looked to me like the Peruvian spin on Chinese Stir Fry.  It was called Lomo de Res Saltado al Wok con Papas Fritas.  What it turned out to be was Stir Fried Beef Tenderloin with Sliced Red Onions and Tomatoes, topped with French Fries, and served with Steamed Rice. The steak was tender and went well with the onions and tomatoes.  The rice was steamed well and went well with the stir fry but, I think this is a combination that will go well in any format.  The french fries that topped everything seemed a little odd in the context of stir fries, but they did taste good and french fries go well to beef in everything from burgers to steak frites, so I guess it works.

My dessert was something that I had actually had at Tanta, the Peruvian restaurant in Chicago, and I wanted to compare it to what I knew.  I got Picarones, Sweet Potato and Squash Fritters, served with Maple Syrup and Whipped Cream.  When I got them in Chicago, I really liked them and the actual Peruvian version compared positively to the version in Chicago.  They were sweet and fluffy and had a nice crunch on the outside.  While the maple syrup was good and went well with the fritters, it wasn't really necessary.  The whipped cream on the other hand, was a good finish and was going to be eaten in any case. The food here was very good and it was a good finish to our tour.  We did stay in Peru for four more days and explored several other fantastic restaurants, but this was a good finish for our organized tour.