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| - I've walked past Aji Picante for the last year or so always telling myself that I should give it a try. Finally, last Saturday we made reservations and weren't disappointed. I don't know if you need reservations or not, but when we arrived at 7 the place was packed so I was happy I made them.
The atmosphere is nice, a good balance between intimate and casual. Candles on the small tables which are located close to one another, but not packed so tight that it is uncomfortable. The restaurant size is relatively small, but that being said it is not overly noisy or people running into each other.
Our server was really nice and immediately opened our bottle of wine as soon as we sat down. Keep in mind Aji Picante is BYOB with no corkage fee. Soon after she went over some of the highlights of the menu which included 6 different civeches, numerous "small plate" appetizers and sides, and 8-10 entrees. Our waitress informed us that the menu had recently been expended in the last two weeks and that the best way to try different things is to order a bunch of plates and and entree to share.
We ordered:
Grouper Civeche $8 (really nice. Small portion but fresh)
Parmesan Scallops $9 (They are the small scallops and my only complaint was that this dish could have come out a little warmer and, as sometimes is the case with small scallops, a few were a little chewy. But the Parmesan sauce was amazing)
Corn Fritters $6 (Nice appetizer that comes with two dipping sauces, the red one being my favorite and having a nice bite to it.)
Roasted pork shank with cilantro beer sauce $18 (This was amazing. Crispy flavorful skin and tender meat beneath. Best part of our meal)
For a side we got the wok fried green beans with sesame oil $4 (Good if you like green beans, but didn't really stand out from the green beans I've had at other restaurants.
The final bill was somewhere between $40-50 and we left feeling full and satisfied with the amount of food and choices we got for the price.
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