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| - We were visiting from Seattle, WA, USA for the weekend, and (hungry at 7pm on a Sunday) decided to try this place out. We walked in 15 minutes before closing, apologetic and expecting to be turned away....instead, we were welcomed with open arms! The waitress/hostess was a total sweetheart. When she found out we'd never eaten Peruvian food before, she made recommendations and took us through every item and what it was, and what it most closely resembles in terms of non-Peruvian fare (it was dinner buffet time). I'm a huge fan of ethnic food and trying new things, so I tried a bit of everything, from appetizer/side to dessert.
What I loved most was the carapulcra (a dish of pork and peanuts that was reminiscent of adobo or mole), although the lomo saltado was also good. My fiance loved the seafood ceviche (which was less citrusy than I'm used to, but for him that was a plus) and rotisserie chicken. We tried all the sauces (the yuca frita is an excellent vehicle for this, as it's basically baked/fried squash) and loved the brasa (spicy), ocopa and inti.
Their desserts were nice, especially the unique Purple Corn Pudding (which tasted like the innards of an apple pie, sans spices, and reminded us both of a Renaissance-era dish). He really liked the coconut rice pudding as well! We split an Inca Kola (something like a bubblegum cream soda) and their non-alcoholic specialty, Chicha Morada (which is purple, fruity, and not too sweet).
There was also a beef stew with parsley and cilantro that was good, but I can't recall the name. Anyway, the point is: it was delicious, and the staff was welcoming and friendly and treated us like friends. It's absolutely worth the money! We didn't find the decor distracting at all- they have fun info snippets about Peru, and it was cheerful. The strip mall it's located in feels a bit run down, and this place was a slice of happy in the midst of sad. I definitely recommend eating here!
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