| rev:text
| - My spouse and two of our friends ventured out to Aji Picante recently, and we came away thoroughly satisfied. Two of us have spent several months in Peru, and we were impressed with our various dishes from Aji Picante in their resemblance to those we enjoyed while living there.
We called ahead and reserved a table for four on a Saturday evening without much trouble, but all tables were full for the two hours we spent there, so reservations are a must. Despite being full, the place maintained a comfortable noise level. We brought with us and enjoyed two bottles of wine, and were charged no corkage fee - big point in their favor.
I was interested in eating a variety of things that jumped out from the menu to me as dishes that I consistently enjoyed in Peru, and none of them let me down here. First off: ceviche (theirs was mild strips of white fish and a few shrimp, clams, and mussels marinated in lime and aji paste) and anticuchos de corazon (long-marinated, trimmed, skewered, and grilled chunks of beef heart - a street food and sporting concession staple throughout Peru). Both were outstanding. The ceviche was served with small dishes of aji sauces (Peruvians love their different aji pepper sauces. Everyone seems to have a few little jars on the table for all meals.) and some delicious roasted, crunchy, earthy corn (cancha). The fish managed to be nice and springy and not mushy. The anticuchos are a bit tough when compared to similar marinated, grilled meats like kebab, but on target for beef heart. Perhaps it's an acquired taste, but they were delicious, and came with some fresh sweet corn salsa. We split the two appetizers four ways and were happy with the amount. Our attentive-enough server brought us a basket of sliced crusty Italian bread with butter, which was a nice way to balance the spicy aji sauces from the appetizer plates.
Two of us ordered Aji de Gallina (a thick stew of shredded chicken, cheese, cream, and mild aji peppers, served over rice with corn - classic Peruvian comfort food), and the two others had Lomo Saltado (marinated beef tenderloin thin sliced and stir fried with red onions and tomato slices, served over rice and topped with french fries - sounds odd, but it's everywhere in Peru) and the Seco de Cerdo (a confit prepared pork shank, served on a bed of soft navy beans and greens). I did not sample the Lomo, but the pork shank was moist and delicious, the exterior a bit crisp, and the creamy beans and greens a nice complement. Our Aji de Gallina was pleasant and indeed comforting, and the presentation was nice with a boiled, sliced quail egg and a few kalamata olives arranged on top of the stew, but the chicken was a tad chewy and over-cooked.
We finished up with another potentially off-putting (due to the color) Peruvian specialty, Mazamorra Morada, which is an intensely purple pudding made from boiled purple corn and various dried and fresh diced fruits, spiced with clove and sometimes other delicious things. There were other things on the dessert menu that will have to be sampled another time, but the Mazamorra did not disappoint, and was a worthy finish to a good meal.
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