a food win!

So those who follow the blog will know how I always bemoan the dearth of ethnic choices here.  The seafood is great and there are plenty of Italian places (a number even owned by Italians but beyond that - things get dicey...

But tonight we had a huge food win with a total hole in the wall place on 26th Street - located in something that aspires to being a strip mall, a building with four small storefronts.  This place would be at home in any village in South America- no sign above it. The sign at the street is a plastic banner with no light on it so you could easily drive by if you didn't know where you were going. 

Approaching the front door the kitchen door looks out on the parking area and is right next to the front door to the dining area.  The kitchen's fluorescent light is the brightest illumination in the whole lot as the other spaces seem closed for the night or maybe for good.... the place doesn't scream prosperity but we knew from doing our homework it has been around a number of years...

so in we went - and immediately fell in love.  The welcome was genuinely warm and the place was small (three booths and maybe five tables) and cozy and just so darn appealing in a sort of divey kind of way. Before we got any food I told Phil that I was so hoping it would be good because the place was exactly the kind I was always looking for!

And we won big tonight because it was good- better than good! So we will definitely return.  The chef came out to check on the food and the server was friendly and helpful when Phil asked about choosing between two dishes.... it was all good - so let's get on with the show!

We ordered starters of Anticuchos (beef heart) and calamari.  The Anticuchos were better than the ones we had at Tanta (the Gaston Arcurio outpost in Chicago) that we had with Shari & Kevin. 

then we shared a mixed ceviche -

then I ordered the Corvino Rellenos (stuffed with crab and smothered in a shrimp and mushroom cream sauce!) and Phil ordered the paella mariscos - a toss up decided by the server's recommendation of it over the chaufa (which is our favorite at Tanta)

the to go menu for dinners

here is the menu we ordered from when dining in house-

Everything was served fresh and hot or fresh and chilled as appropriate and they were such gracious hosts we considered the evening a HUGE success! So YEA! El Waricke- we will definitely go back! Next time we already have several things we want to try- including the Chaufa and the Aquadito de Pollo and a couple more preparations of the fish- so all the more reason to return sooner rather than later...

return to tanta

So last night we returned to Tanta to see if it was as good as we thought it was the first visit.  And yes- it was...

we had some things that were repeats and some new items which looked good to try-

we started with the two favorite in the Tiraditos and Cebiches categories- classico and nikei

both still terrific!  Then we went on to the pulpo - amazingly tender and beautifully spiced! (new to us dish)

a repeat of the carne empanadas which we LOVED both times I would go there just to eat these!

another new to us dish - from the sea - scallops with foam of aged Parmesan - Phil liked this one better  than I did -

then we went on to our very favorite from the last visit - the pork fried rice dish which was our main reason for returning! 

and we had it with two new to us entrees - the short rib and the duck - we thought the whole fish was too much for just the two of us and the chicken was the least inspired dish of our last visit so - on to some new things-

the short rib was served with a marvelous tarro puree and the duck with a fab verde rice both incredibly flavorful for starch accompaniments -

plenty of left overs came home with us and served as lunch LOL-  

tonight we are meeting a new acquaintance at Osteria Langhe... we met her last week at TFL Next - she was our wine somm for the evening.  We got to discussing wine and thought it would be fun to get together in a more relaxed environment.... so we know the food is great at Osteria Langhe and the Tuesday trifecta a reasonable prixe fix menu seemed like the perfect choice for dinner with someone we barely know LOL.... more later on that evening.  Then on Wednesday we are headed way out west to a chef's kitchen dinner at Hanbun...

 more on that one too! stay tuned...

terrific tanta

I love it when you can use alliteration in the title of a post - LOL... especially when the food is terrific like the meal we shared with friends Kevin & Shari tonight at Tanta.

So let's skip to the favorite overall- LOL this would be the dish voted to be the most outstanding regardless of category- the one that transcended its label - and that would be this dish-

LOL- more on that later!

we wanted to try Tanta and we were in luck that our friends - culinary scouts and front line adventure eaters were up for it... we all love ceviches and sashimi and trying new things as well- so we ordered a panoply of menu items to get an idea of what is on offer here at Tanta.

first here is some info from their website-

A JOURNEY: “Our menu is like traveling throughout Peru from the Pacific Ocean to playing in the desert to touring the Andes mountains, the reflection of the Lake Titicaca over the Altiplano, through the amazing colors and sounds of the Amazon Jungle... traveling, celebrating, sharing the flavors and joys of Peru and having fun with respect and gratitude to the Earth.”  - Gaston Acurio

those of you who have checked out the food scene in Lima in recent years will be familiar with the name Astrid & Gaston (which was for years the absolute top place to dine in Lima) and funny - LOL - this guy is Gaston too... not really he is renown and it is the SAME Gaston....

Gastón Acurio Jaramillo is a Peruvian chef and ambassador of Peruvian cuisine. He is owner of restaurants in several countries.   Together with his wife Astrid, he managed the restaurant Astrid & Gastón since 1994. It opened in the district of Miraflores in Lima and expanded in Latin America and recently in Europe, opening restaurants in Santiago de Chile, Bogotá, Quito, Caracas, Mexico City, all South America and Europe.

For years this guy has been the world wide face of Peruvian cuisine and he put it on the map....

 But let's get back to our meal- terrific tantalizing tasty Tanta... here is the menu piece by piece and what we chose and the photos of the beautiful food

the tanta (namesake) and the nikei-

my plate with the two ceviches and two tiraditos on awaiting tasting! 

the cremosa with salmon- and the classico from the tiraditos section and then the corazon from the Anticuchos section-

the chicharron from this section of the menu-

from the next section we had kick-butt empanadas and the amazing aeropuerto - pork fried rice- the winning dish (who knew fried rice could taste this divine?)

before the final table side mixing -

we were slowing down so- although the scallops with Parmesan were tempting - we went with the fried fish- and the pollo a la brasa-

despite its prominent placement in a box, we all decided that the chicken, while good, was less impressive than the other choices and we would skip that one next time-

believe it or not - there was still a dessert course - which we all tasted and approved of-

the chocolate mousse -

here is the menu in full and the cocktail I ordered to give it a try (Pisco Punch - caravedo pisco, lemon juice, watermelon juice, paprika)

the plates before we started the feast- which were switched out in each section of the meal -

so worthy of a return trip for sure - next time we can try a few new things and have a few old favorites - and just in case you wanted to eat outdoors they have a roof top bar and dining area as well.... first rate meal with first rate company- we both brought sparklers - an Argyle 2007 Julia Lee's (blanc de blancs) from us and K&S brought a Veuve Rose - both worked well with the variety of things we ate and especially given the citrus notes of many of the earlier courses.  Looking forward to a return visit!