Watch out Guy Fieri! I am quickly forging my way to Food Network fame. Over the past 6 weeks I have spent the majority of my time in Lima either working, running or eating Aji-nomen (the Peruvian raman noodles). Once a week though all that changes and I substitute the microwavable pasta bowls for a classic Peruvian meal at a renowned local restaurant. I can almost solely attribute these delicious opportunities to the fact that I have a boss who is both a friend and loves to eat as much as I do, it also helps that he is not college-student broke like myself. Usually on Wednesday of each week my boss and I will dip out of the office at 12:30 and head towards some corner of Lima to try a globally recognized dish or a local favorite or even a personal favorite of his. I can honestly say that I have almost never ate as well as I have in Peru, and Lima is no exception.
As part of a program trip, while still living and studying in Cusco, we traveled to Lima for a few days and in order to land the job that I am currently holding I went out to lunch with Tom to talk and sort out a game-plan for the summer. The restaurant was called Pescado Capitale and is known for its diverse ethnic variations on the famous Peruvian ceviche. The most memorable of which were Ceviche Mandela (using traditional South African spices) and Ceviche Ghandi (bathed in a rich Indian style curry), yuuuummm! A plate of ceviche Ghandi, some calamari, a few parmesan baked oysters, a nice bottle of wine, a pisco sour and two deserts sent me out the door fully stuffed and loving every second of it.
When I finally arrived in Lima to live and work the streak of amazing meals continued. First was a local place, with a name I can't remember, which served us an amazing chaufa de mariscos (seafood fried rice) and cold glasses of sweet and delicious cicha morada (the unofficial juice drink of Peru). Before leaving the table we were approached by the waiter who offered us two signature shot glasses as gifts, I assume it was because the bill had been quite high and we were white, but I like to think it was because I am such a swell guy. The next week we walked a bit farther from the office and landed at another local seafood restaurant called El Pez Amigo. I had known about this particular restaurant since the first time I visited Lima but had never had the chance to go there, now I took full advantage of the opportunity. Drinking a cold orange Fanta I dove into complementary plantain chips and a plate of arroz con camaron (shrimp and rice) which was served in a slightly spicy and creamy orange sauce, delicioso! Only a few days ago we returned to El Pez Amigo and despite how great my first dish was I decided to go with one of the daily specials and was more than pleasantly surprised with how amazing my lasagna de camaron was, 2 for 2.
After my first trip to El Pez Amigo we started on our tour of the two most renowned restaurants in Peru featuring globally ranked dishes and chain smoking chefs. The first was Costanera 700, a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant led by Chef Humberto Sato. The most magnificent dish that I tasted while there was a chita a la sal (white fish in salt). Covered completely in salt and served on fire, the salt crust is cracked open and the fresh fish is spooned onto your plate boneless and accompanied by melted butter and garlic sauces, it is pretty much rich lobster Peruvian style. The second of the two renowned Peruvian restaurants is said to have the best ceviche in the world, hand cooked by a man who has recently received the highest Peruvian civilian award for his cooking and has been ranked among the greatest chefs in the world, Javier Wong. An old Japanese-Peruvian man who tends to smoke and cook at the same time, Javier Wong is credited with introducing the idea of Japanese-Peruvian fusion to the world. The restaurant, Chez Wong, is located in an unmarked building, which also serves as Wong's house, in the dangerous neighborhood of La Victoria. The dining area is very small and modest and therefore a reservation is required. There are no menus and Wong simply will serve you what he chooses to cook that day, almost always an ultra-fresh ceviche, cooked in front of you with only the best pacific flounder as well as a deliciously rich stir fry served without rice and seeping with a sweet brown sauce. Over the course of the meal Javier Wong took breaks to take photos with the customers and come to chat with Tom at our table, being that close to a man like Javier Wong is no laughing matter in Peru, comparable to hot-tubbing with Megan Fox (gents) or Taylor Lautner (ladies) in the U.S.
Between these super-meals, I ate hot sandwiches at the restaurant with the best bread in the area, Carmelitas, and dined on local style empanadas stuffed with different meats, vegetables, potatoes and the occasional egg. Taking into consideration all of the scrumptious meals that I was served by my host mom in Cusco, almost all of which consisted of heaps of rice and more than one plate, I can say with complete confidence that the food in Peru, whether served at a world-renowned restaurant or out of an apartment kitchen in Marcavalle, Cusco, is some of the best in the world, tan rico! I have eaten in a handful of different countries and have enjoyed almost everything I've consumed, but at almost 21 years of age I am satisfied with the following food experience ranking...
1) Hot pastrami on light rye with a side of meat knishes and a root beer from Weintraub's Jewish Deli, Worcester, MA
2) Mama Arenas' cuisine in Cusco, Peru
3) Chez Wong & Costanera 700 in Lima, Peru
3) Baby-back ribs in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
4) Shepards pie in some town (Mom and Dad you can help me remember the town name) in Ireland
5) Carrier's Canadian meat pie cooked by Peggy Ellis-Green in Burlington, VT
6) Coleslaw and fried oyster burger from Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington, VT
7) "Trash", crawdads, peach cobbler and oyster po' boy sandwich in Moss Point MS/New Orleans LA
8) Waffles from the waffle maker in Lowry Dining Hall, Wooster, OH
...to be continued over the next 60 years of my life...
alpaCasey
