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.

Dining in Cusco, Peru

 I recently made a trip to Peru and spent three days in Cusco.  While all of my breakfasts were covered, as was one buffet dinner, there were a few restaurants (recommended to us if not brought  there by our tour guide) where we ordered on our own.  While Cusco is a fairly large city, most of the main places to see were on Av El Sol and Plaza de Armas (the public square).  Our hotel was on Av El Sol so most of the stuff that we would want to see was within walking distance.  The first two restaurants that we went to Limo and the Inka Grill were small second floor restaurants on the square.  Limo, the first restaurant we went to, was a Peruvian restaurant that focused on the Asian side of Peruvian cuisine.  The space was both rustic and Asian, with a lot of wood and the food focused a lot on seafood.  I started out with an Octopus Tiradito, octopus marinated in lime juice to make it tender and served with corn, sweet potatoes, and served in an olive sauce.  It was a very nice presentation with tender, octopus, crisp vegetables, and a very sour flavor and I really liked it.  For my entree, I went to the Chinese side of things and had a Chauffa which is Peruvian Fried Rice which had vegetables and shrimp and was seasoned with sesame.  This was very good and flavorful, but after the tiradito, it left me very full.

 Limo we went to for lunch.  For dinner, while I didn't really need it, I went out again to a restaurant that featured a menu that was very whole animal and farm to table, the Inka Grill.  I decided to eat light and ordered a couple of skewers, Alpaca and Anticucho.  They were served on banana leaves with Potatoes, Peruvian Corn, an Arugula Salad and a Yellow Pepper Sauce and while they looked similar, they were very different.  The Alpaca, texturally was like any other grilled meat.  As far as flavor was concerned, it reminded me of lamb or goat and I liked it.  The Anticuchos, being marinated beef heart was very different texturally.  It wasn't as fibrous as regular steak was and was pretty dense and firm.  As far as flavor was concerned, it did have a bit of a minerally iron flavor, but it wasn't nearly as strong as liver is.  I did really like it and while I could see that it might be an acquired taste, I would definitely have it again.

On the last day we were in Cusco, we were brought to Valentina's for lunch, which was on the other side of Av El Sol.  At the beginning of our meal, we were given a demo of how to make a Causa, a mixture of Mashed Potatoes and Shredded Chicken covered in a Yellow Pepper Sauce which we were served for our appetizer.  My entree was Lechon, a Fried Pork Leg, which was served with Stuffed Yellow Peppers, and a Cheese Stuffed Tamale.  We were also served a side of Choclo, or Peruvian Corn.  While we were eating, a Peruvian band came in to play and entertain us.  All of our meals were very good and I really enjoyed them.  The food was definitely a good part of our trip in Cusco and I would definitely return to any of these restaurants.   
    

Roxie's By the Slice

I like pizza.  Having said that, going out by myself, or even sometimes with two people, depending on the pizza, can make it hard to get a pizza without ending up having to eat it for the next several days.  This makes places that serve pizza by the slice advantageous.  To this end, I went to a place whose entire menu is built around pizza by the slice, Roxie's By The Slice.  It's a small place in Wicker Park with a very rustic feel.  The widows are small, the walls have exposed brick and building blocks, the tables are like cafeteria tables, and the kitchen is open with a bar facing it.  Orders are done at the counter just inside the door.  Roxies offers two pies, Red and White, and has 8 toppings that can be added to each slice (including anchovies) for a dollar a topping.  The pies are precooked and then reheated with toppings when ordered.  I was told that two toppings was probably best because any more than that and the flavors get muddled.  I decided to order one white slice and one red.  For my White Slice, I ordered Prosciutto and Mushrooms.  It was a pretty enormous slice, about 12 inches, and was well layered with the prosciutto and mushrooms.  The crust was thin and foldable, which made it easier to eat.  It was also very nice to eat.

With my Red Slice, I got Pepperoni and Sopressata.  With this slice, there was a good covering of pepperoni with paper thin sopressata spread over the entire slice.  It was salty and meaty and the crust had a good chew.  I really enjoyed my slices and will definitely return.  In addition to the prosciutto, mushrooms, pepperoni, and sopressata that I got on my slices, they also have olives, arugula, sweet peppers, and anchovies on the menu so there are many other choices to try.  I have heard really good things about the Red Slice with Arugula and Sopressata, so I have an idea where I may go the next time I come here.         

Furious Spoon

When most people think of ramen, they think of the really cheap dried noodles that are covered with salt and they loved as kids or survived on in college.  When one goes to a ramen shop though, people are quick to discover that ramen is much more than those dried noodles.  There have been a number of ramen shops that have opened in Chicago in the last couple of years, due to the growing popularity of ramen.  I like authentic ramen and I like trying new things, so I went to one of the new ramen shops, Furious Spoon, for dinner recently.  Run by Shin Thompson of the former Bonsoiree and Kabocha, this is small, but simpler and more low key than his previous ventures.  I still had an expectation going in though, of some really good food.  The restaurant is pretty small with the order counter at the front of the open kitchen just to the right of the door.  The place will seat about 40 people between to communal tables and banquettes and a counter facing the kitchen.  The walls, tables, and chairs were all dark and heavy wood, and the space was relatively dark.  I walked in, looked over the short menu (5 ramens, toppings, 5 sides, and  drinks), ordered, was given a number and was directed to seat myself.  I sat at the inside of one of the communal tables, so I could get watch the flow of the restaurant.  The ramen that I ordered, Furious Ramen,  had almost everything offered in it.  I also ordered an order of pickles, which I have learned, is much more than just pickled cucumbers.  I like to order pickles when I see them on the menu because I like pickles and it is interesting to see what it is exactly that I am going to get.  This order of pickles consisted of Red Onions, Carrots, Celery, Mushrooms, Cucumbers, Potatoes, and a single Red Pepper.  The vegetables were crisp, with a good sweet and vinegary flavor.  The mushrooms were firm and had a good flavor, and the potatoes were good as well.  While I do like spicy food, I do not make a habit of eating whole hot peppers, whether pickled or not, so the pepper was left uneaten.

I was very surprised, when my ramen arrived, of the size of my bowl and spoon.  I was warned, when I ordered it, that it was pretty spicy.  I was not warned, however, how big it was going to be.  The bowl looked to be able to hold about a quart of ramen and the spoon that came with it was about the size of a cooking spoon.  The method that people seemed to use was to grab a spoonful of ramen, eat the noodles and meat out of the spoon with chopsticks, and slurp the broth from the spoon a the end.  While I will not say that I liked the color of the broth, there was a lot of stuff in it that did look good.  The broth was pretty spicy, but it was still flavorful and good.  In the broth was Sesame, Spicy Miso, a Poached Egg, Beef Brisket, Pork Belly, Pork Cheeks, Marinated Mushrooms, and Garlic Relish as well as a lot of noodles, of course.  In addition to being spicy, it was very meaty, and had a good garlic and sesame flavor.  The egg was poached perfectly.  It was solid enough to be picked up with chop sticks, but it was soft enough that it probably could have been sucked through a straw.  Despite the size of the dish, I managed to plow through it, and left happy and very satisfied.  I liked the food here and will be sure to be back.            

Tanta - Brunch

In my mind, Peru was doing fusion cuisine before it became popular.  The country has had many immigrations and with those, they have integrated the cuisine into the cuisine of Peru.  One of the best chef's to show this is world famous Peruvian chef, Gaston Acurio, who has a restaurant in Chicago, Tanta and loves to teach the world about the cuisine of Peru.  I have been to Tanta before and really enjoyed it.  I decided to return for brunch before I make an upcoming trip to Peru and use it as sort of preview.  The restaurant is sort of linear with a long bar running into the restaurant with a ceviche bar at the end of it.  There is a two-sided banquette in the center of the restaurant with booth seating on the right side of the restaurant.  The wall behind the bar is a chalkboard with the recipe for a Pisco Sour, the national drink of Peru written large on it.  On the opposite wall is a series of very colorful paintings typifying the art and food of Peru.  Other than the paintings and the chalkboard, the general color scheme of the dining room is brown and the lighting is hung in a wooden ovoid cage.  We were seated at the banquette and started our brunch with a Leche de Tigre Ceviche.  (The picture above is not a picture that I shot or, I think, from Tanta Chicago.  I posted it to give people an example of what a Leche de Tigre Ceviche looks like.)  Ceviche is a preparation of raw fish,seafood, onions, and spices that is "cooked" (tenderized, actually) with lime juice.  I like ceviche and I have had Leche de Tigre (Tiger's Milk) Ceviche before although not at Tanta, so I wasn't exactly sure what I would be getting.  We received a glass of milky white liquid filled with seafood and onions and corn, which actually, we kind of ate wrong.  It is supposed to be eaten like a shooter, pouring everything down at one.  As it was, we kind of took things apart and were left with the marinade which I then shot.  The ceviche had Cubed Fish, Red Onions, Peruvian Corn, Habanero Pepper, and a lot of liquid.  Even though we did eat it wrong, there was still a lot of marinade on the fish, corn, and onions, which provided an intensely sour flavor and tender fish.  I drank the marinade on it's own and I could see why that people would think that it provided prowess and energy, because drinking that much lime juice at once definitely woke me up and cleansed my palate.

Our next starter were called Los Picarones.  They were Warm Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Fritters served with Spiced Chancaca Syrup (a syrup made from unrefined Cane Syrup) and topped with Powdered Sugar.  The fritters looked like deep fried doughnuts, round and with a hole in the middle.  This could also be expected of pumpkin fritters, I guess, because they are essentially hollow.  In any case, they were crunchy, and sweet, with a squash texture and a pumpkin flavor.  The Chancaca syrup had a caramel flavor that went really well with the fritters, and they were enjoyed a lot, both with and without the syrup.

For my main course, I went with a spin on a very popular breakfast dish, or I should probably say a spin on several popular breakfast dishes.  The dish was called Chicharron Waffles and consisted of Belgian Waffles, Crispy Pork Belly glazed with Panca Chili Honey, and a fresh Berry Compote with Strawberries, Blackberries, and Raspberries and topped with a little Powdered Sugar.  The waffle was thick, with a crunchy exterior and a light and airy interior.  The pork belly was also very thick with a crispy skin.  The meat itself was fork tender, and sweet like good pork is supposed to be.  The glaze was subtle, but it was there, and it added a sweet and slightly spicy flavor that went well with the pork belly and tied well with the fruit compote.  The fruit was very fresh and tasty, although it did make me wonder where it came from as they were not growing in the midwest in February.  Despite the fact though, that the berries were not midwest seasonal, it was very good and a very good finish to my meal.  The food was very good, the staff was very friendly, and I will definitely have to return, after I return from my trip to Peru.     

Francesco's Bistro

Years ago, there was a very good Italian Restaurant in Mid-Michigan called Terry and Jerry's O Sole Mio located in Bay City.  It was good enough to be recognized by the Mobil Travel Guide.  It was a family run place and they loved what they did.  After a time, the owner and chef decided that they wanted to retire and sold the place.  This unfortunately caused the quality to suffer and it eventually closed.  This brought those of us that had dined there several times to the realization that there really wasn't much in the way of good Italian restaurants in the area.  There were a few places around that served Italian food, but it seems that they were all aiming for the quality and authenticity of Olive Garden.  There have been several places that have been searched out by my family and all have disappointed.  Recently it has come to the attention of my family in Michigan that there might be a few places in the area that might serve good Italian food.  Both are in small towns in the surrounding area.  Unfortunately, one is only open for a few hours a week so we decided to try the other one for a recent family celebration.  Francesco's Bistro is located on the main road in a small town in mid-Michigan   It's a relatively large stand alone building that is fairly easy to find.  The dining room looks very much like any number of country restaurants, although it does have several Italian design elements.  The menu was very large, with many Italian classic selections plus pizza but we before we even ordered, we were presented with a loaf of Italian Bread with Olive Oil and Herbs.  The bread seemed very fresh and had a crusty outside and soft inside like a good, fresh bread.  This seemed t0 bode very well for the restaurant quality.  Our waitress was nice and friendly so we already knew that we had that covered.

The table then ordered several appetizers with the idea that the idea that the appetizers were individual sized.  We were mistaken.  The appetizers were enormous and served family style.  I ordered Fried Zucchini which was served with a Spicy Bistro Sauce which was a spicy mayonnaise.  The zucchini was crispy and juicy with, it seemed a little spice in the breading.  While I really liked it and I did share, I ended up with a lot more than what I expected.

The salad came next and while it was a good salad with fresh vegetables, other than the fresh ground Parmagiana Reggiano Cheese, it was your standard house salad with Iceberg Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Red Onions, and Croutons.  It was a good size and the house vinaigrette was good, but it was really nothing to write about.

The entree, on the other hand was something to write about.  It was large, hearty, flavorful and very good.  I ordered the Seafood Cavatappi, with Shrimp, Scallops, Spinach, Roasted Red Peppers, and Applewood Smoked Bacon and a light cream sauce..  It also had fresh ground Parmagiano Reggiano on it.  Every bite was a taste explosion.  The spinach and res pepper added to the depth of flavor to the dish and while I wouldn't expect bacon in a seafood dish, it worked really well and added to the flavor.  There was also so much that I didn't finish and was unable to venture to dessert which featured several cheesecakes that looked really good. 

While Francesco's does not quite fill the large shoes left by Terry's and Jerry's, they are good in their own right and I would happily return.  I will however, keep in mind the serving sizes and plan accordingly so I can get dessert.    

Celeste

There are many places in Chicago where you can get a good cocktail.  Many are lounges, but there are several that are restaurants that serve good food.  Among those is Celeste, which I visited for Chicago Restaurant Week This year.  Located in a high traffic area in River North, it isn't exactly obvious.  It is located across the street from Epic and Slurping Turtle.  There is a small sign in the window by the entrance, but in the wintertime, the door is covered by a shelter which also blocks the sign.  The restaurant has three floors with three different drink menus.  The food menu is served on the the first two floors.  On the first floor is the bar, where is served beer, wine, and classic cocktails.  The second floor, where we were seated, was called The Deco Room, has an Art Deco design which aims for a 1920's era Supper Club with an extensive cocktail list.  The third floor is the rooftop bar (which is open seasonally) and serves beer, wine, punches, and different cocktails than those served in the bar or deco room.  I started my evening there with a classic cocktail called The Last Word which is a Prohibition era cocktail invented at The Detroit Athletic Club which includes Gin, Marashino Liqueur, Green Chartreuse, and Lime Juice.  It is shaken in ice and then filtered and served straight up.  The drink was very good.  It was sweet, sour and pungent and served as a very good palate cleanser (which admittedly, wasn't really necessary at the beginning of the meal, but was nice as the meal continued).

We were at Celeste for Chicago Restaurant Week so we were going to be choosing from a Prix Fixe menu for our Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert, but we decided to amend our menus with a couple of additional courses to share.  We started with a Charcuterie Plate which was pretty good.  There were three meats served, and while I can guess pretty closely what they were, they were not listed on the menu.  There was a dried ham like a Prosciutto, a lean and thinly sliced meat like a Bresaola, and a hard sausage like a Soppressata.  It was served with some Country Mustard and some hard bread.

For my appetizer, I had Grilled Baby Octopus with Romesco sauce, Crispy Chickpeas, Shaved Radish, Blood Orange, and Cilantro.  This was a very good dish with a wide variety of textures and flavors.  The Romesco Sauce was tangy and spicy, the octopus was meaty with a nice grilled flavor, the radishes were very fresh and crisp even as they were thinly sliced, the chickpeas had a Corn Nut crunch, and the blood oranges provided a sweet finish.

We then received our second extra dish, Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Miso Sauce.  The brussels sprouts were caramelized, which brought out the sweetness and the miso sauce added some savoriness to the dish.  The sprouts were tender and good and while caramelized, still had a little cabbage funk.

My entree had more brussels sprouts, but they were prepared differently, and it wasn't a major part.  It was a Saffron Fettucine with a Vegetarian Ragu, which included more Brussels Sprouts, Pine Nuts, and was topped with Chives and Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese.  This was a very good dish with a lot of flavor and it was one of those vegetarian dishes that is so flavorful that you don't really notice that there is no meat.

 

Dessert was essentially a deconstructed candy bar.  It was Arguani Dark Chocolate Ganache with Salted Caramel, Orange Crumble, and a Coconut Nib Tuile.  It was sweet, salty, bitter with a few different textures.  It was very good and if I thought I could lick the plate I might have. 

Dinner was very good with good service in a nice space.  While the food is very good and I would come back for dinner here, the stars of the show are the cocktails, and I will definitely have to return to explore more of them.