Saturday!

I started the day with a Bowl of Watermelon.

Then, I went and bought a new car. Leased. I leased a new car.

Red. It's red. I will try very hard not to lose this car.

I finished in record time, and was able to meet Jeff at CJs Draft House in Deerfield Beach by 12:30. We were scouting the Gators for next week's game.

We'd never been there; I found them by Googling sports bars. They had lots of TVs, the food was good, and for Brent -- when he gets back to South Florida -- the beer is cheap during football games.

I had Grilled Wings.

This was 25 wings. I had them do half Cajun and half Jamaican Jerk. They were pretty good, but next time, I will ask them to make them a little less well-done.

Jeff had the French Dip Sandwich.

The Gatprs won, but they didn't strike fear into my heart. But then again, we probably didn't leave the Gators quaking in their cleats after watching us on Friday. Next week's game could go either way.

When I got home, I put on the Alabama game and enjoyed a couple of Bowls of Frozen Grapes. They are 99 cents a pound in Save-A-Lot.

During the late game, I had another Bowl of Watermelon.

Hurricanes Game Day - Finally Friday

Well, it's the day I've been waiting for for the last nine months... Hurricanes Opening Day.

During the day, I had three Bowls of Watermelon and a lot of Frozen Grapes, but I couldn't tell you when.

Jeff and Eliot met me at 5:30, and we headed out to the game, stopping at our regular Sub Shop for out Pre-Game Meal.

I got a Sub.

This contained Wheat Bread (some of the inside Bread Removed), Turkey, no Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Banana Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Onions, Pickles, and Green Peppers, and a lot of Spicy Mustard. No Salt, Pepper, Oil or Vinegar.

We get to the stadium and sit outside and take in the sights while we eat.

The Hurricanes won 34-6. To celebrate, I stopped at Albertsons on the way home and picked up some more Watermelon. I had two more bowls before bed. I will probably be getting up a lot during the night.

Kickoff!

I had some Frozen Grapes on the way to work.

Then, two Hard-Boiled Eggs at the office.

More Frozen Grapes later in the morning.

At lunchtime, I was going to go to Boston Market and have a Bowl or four of Chicken Noodle Soup. But when I got there, the Soup didn't look all that good, so I ordered a Chicken for Lunch.

Yes, it was a whole Chicken, but:

• Boston Market's Chickens are small.
• No side dishes.
• I took the skin off.
• I wanted a whole Chicken

It was really good. I used some hot sauce. It was really good.

The football season started today at 6:00 pm, so I stopped at Albertson's for some fruit and was home by 5:45.

Not only do I love football, but the Mascot for South Carolina is named Cocky.

 

Cocky. Heh.

I enjoyed a Bowl of Watermelon during the first quarter.

I met Sergio for Dinner at Stout when he got out of work at 9:00 tonight. I hadn't been there in a while, and I like their Wings. They grill them.

I started with a Bowl of Minestrone Soup. Very good.

The first time I went to Stout, the Wings were absolutely wonderful. The second time, they were overcooked. I asked Melissa if she could talk to the kitchen about that, and she went and straightened them out.

Sergio had the Brisket Special. He thought it was really, er, special.

I thought the Wings were kinda special, too. I had Melissa bring me a second batch. They were just as good as the first.

Wednesday, August 28

Two Hard-Boiled Eggs in the morning.

A Bowl of Watermelon

Some Frozen Grapes

Another Bowl of Watermelon

Some more Watermelon

For Dinner, I nuked a Lean Cuisine Ranchero Braised Beef.

This is one of my favorite of the Lean Cuisines. If only it was three times as big.

Later on, some more Frozen Grapes.

If you're counting points today: 10.

Tuesday... Now Where, Exactly, Did I Leave that Rut?

Two Hard-Boiled Eggs.

Bowl of Watermelon.

Another Bowl of Watermelon.

Yet another Bowl of Watermelon.

Six mini Plumbs that I bought in Albertsons.

Frozen Grapes

On the way home, I stopped at Albertsons again and bought some Catfish for Dinner.

This was a slight variation on my 'regular' preparation: Sofrito, a package of Rocoto Sauce from Peru, Garlic Paste, Broccoli, Mild Pepper Rings, canned Mushrooms, Capers and a few Pearl Onions. The Catfish are not running as big as before I left town, so this one was 12 ounces. It was excellent; I was hungry.

After Dinner, yet another Bowl of Watermelon, and then some more Frozen Grapes at around 11:00 pm.

Monday on the Road

Well, at least my clothes still fit.

When I got back from Breakfast, I packed my laundry to drop off for next time. Walking back from the cleaners, I passed Punto Azul. They have blackboard specials, and the first one was: Grilled Octopus.

I couldn't do it.

Packed up, in the taxi, and at the airport. Two hours early.

Even the food courts here are, um, nicer. You sit down and three people run over with menus. They deliver your fast food, clean up when you are done, and take your money to the cashier for you.

Except for the part where you are eating Fast Food, it's pretty cool.

Pardo's is a Grilled Chicken chain here, but they have a varied menu. I ordered a plate of Anticuchos with Fries and Corn. It was ok, but as Viv says, it was not up to my usual standards. That didn't stop me from finishing the plate off, however.

I wandered the airport looking for more things to eat, but I finally decided that I was done. If they have my Fruit Plates on the flights, I will eat them; otherwise, I am done.

UPDATE: Both flights had my Fruit Plate.

The top one was on the flight from Lima, and the second was from my Panama-Miami flight. It's clear to see that even crappy Airline Food is better when it comes from Peru!

I landed, got a car and was home by 3:30. I ate some Frozen Grapes before I passed out asleep.

Monday Farewell Breakfast, La Preferida.

Monday was the last day of my trip. I had to be in the taxi at 1:00, so I didn't have time for Lunch.

I went back to La Preferida again, as they open at 8:00 in the morning.

It was probably (OK, definitely) overkill, but I wanted to get one more real Meal in me before I headed back home.

I started off with two Mini Fish Hamburgers.

I had tried one of these during Saturday's orgy from the Seafood Bar, but I really didn't get to taste it, due to my inhaling it in record time.

This time, I took it a little more slowly, and really liked them. I'm not sure that it tasted like Fish, but they tasted good, whatever it tasted like.

Next up, for the last time this a Rocoto Relleno.

This was.... er, Wonderful. Even after having ten of them this trip, still wonderful.

For my final dish (at Breakfast... ha!), I went with an old stand-by, Parihuela.

This is my favorite Seafood Soup, and La Preferida offers an excellent example of it.

Well, that was it for this trip. As I walked home, I passed Punto Azul and they had listed as the first item on their blackboard... Grilled Octopus.

I just couldn't.

Sunday Various

Aside from my visit with Garry and Veronika to La Casita de Ricardo, I just munched here and there throughout the day. Here's my notes:

Camote Chips
Somehow, there were Camote Chips in my apartment. I had a few of them in the morning. Not many, maybe a handful.

Rocoto Relleno
On the way to Garry and Veronika's house, I stopped in a small joint for what could have been my last Rocoto Rellno of the trip.

It wasn't all that great, but it was cheap!

Cake
After our Pachamanca Lunch, we headed out to see the Circus. It was sold out, being a Sunday afternoon and all. So instead, we went to the food court at the mall for dessert. I had some pretty good Chocolate Cake.

Late Night
Around 10:00 pm, in the Casino, I had four tiny "Sandwichitos". Two were Ham and Cheese, one was Chicken Salad, and I don't remember the last one. These are two bites each.

At 1:00 am, I left the Casino and went to the Supermarket. I bought  two Chicken Salad Sandwiches.

They were pretty horrible. They were probably better six hours earlier. I ate both of them, but not a lot of the top half of the rolls.

Pachamanca @ La Casita de Ricardo

On Sundays, Peruvians celebrate the end of the weekend by eating. I'm not sure what the justification is the other six days, but they do a good job then, as well. I called Garry and Veronika, and they were free for Lunch, so I suggested that we go for Pachamanca at La Casita de Ricardo.
Pachamanca is a traditional Peruvian dish where various kinds of Meats, Vegetables, Potatoes and other stuff (Tamales, Humitas) are buried in a rick-lined hole in the ground, covered up, and left to cook for a few hours. Think Clam Bake, but with Meats, and there you are. Click here to read Wikipedia's explanation. It's originally from the Mountain region, but it has branched out. They don't dig holes in town, so the version today was made in an oven.

The restaurant is a little off the beaten path for anyone who is visiting as a tourist. It's not far -- in San Miguel -- and is easy to find as it is off of a main street, and there's a big sign right on the corner that even Ray Charles couldn't miss.

It's nice to walk into a place and have the Owner and his Wife both shout out, "Richard!" Just sayin'.

Anyway, Ricardo greets us with a pitcher of Chicha de Hora. The best way that I can describe it (based on what Garry said) would be that it is Apple Cider with a kick. I told Ricardo that I don't drink, and he brought me a smaller pitcher of what tasted like Apple Cider, without a kick.

So we order Pachamanca for four (Veronika's niece joined us, too). The girls try to order other stuff, to go with the Pachamanca, but we didn't let them. Ricardo brings the dishes out out right away.

There are three meats in this dish: Beef, Pork and Chicken.

You can also see a Plantain, a Sweet Potato, a Tamale, a Humita (which is like a Tamale, only sweeter), and Habas. Not pictured, but in there: regular Potato.

Habas are these Giant Beans. They use them in many dishes, but I mostly like them cooked this way.

This was one REALLY large Habas.

I ate all of mine, and Garry's Pork. We had a fun time, and left Lunch to try to go to the Circus. It was sold out.

Saturday Night Party Food

I went to a party Saturday Night. I had Party Food. There was no way around it.

I suppose Not Eating was a way around it, but there was no way around it.

There was a spread of Party Snacks.

Here's what I had from the above: The Slim Jim-like stuff... yes, a lot. The White Cheese, cut up in cubes... yes, a lot. The Candied Peanuts... no. The Olives... a few. The Plantain Chips... more than a few, but not a lot. The Camote Chips... yes, a lot. The Not Candied Peanuts... no. Habas Chips (a large Bean)... yes, some. Strawberries... two. Bananas... no.

Not Pictured: Chicken Salad Sandwich... yes, one. Ham & Cheese Empanadas... yes, two. Chicken Empanada... yes, one.

That was it for Saturday. Later that night, I walked into a Bembo's (a Peruvian Fast Food chain), and walked right out. Just Breakfast and Party Crap.

Breakfast at La Preferida

Saturday's Breakfast was at La Preferida. I was very good, as I did not eat anything while walking there.

La Preferida is a Cebicheria that has the good sense to open early for Breakfast. They also have - aside from a menu - a Seafood Bar with lots of small- to medium-sized items available. I decided to graze on the Seafood Bar items.

 

 

 

 

What we had here (from top to bottom) is: Clams all cut up and mixed with Onion, Corn, Hot Pepper and other stuff, a Fish Hamburger and a Sandwich of Fried Pejerrey (some sort of tiny fish that has recently become popular around here). Cebiche de Conchas Negras (Black Clams), a Rocoto Relleno (of course), and Clams Tartar, which were cut up Clams is a white, Cebichie-like sauce.

It was all wonderful; go figure.

Did I need to spend almost $25 on Breakfast? Of course not. If I lived here, I wouldn't be going crazy like this because I could have this stuff whenever I want. But I don't, so I did.

Punto Azul

I didn't wind up having Dinner yesterday until about 9:30 pm. It took me that long to get hungry!

Punto Azul is literally a stone's throw from my apartment... here's a photo that I shot from my window.

 

They recently started opening for Dinner on Thursday through Saturday nights. I walked on over.

The menu is more limited than in the daytime, although I get the feeling that they would work with you if you had a favorite menu item.

I started with two Tapas: Eggplant Parmesan and a Fish Brochette.

These are not available in the daytime, They were delicious, and would have been enough for a normal person for Dinner. And at just under $3 each, a bargain.

For my Main Course, I ordered a Fish Filet in Seafood Sauce (Pescado a lo Macho).

The picture doesn't do it justice. This was an entire school of Fish, covered in a sauce made up of Shrimp, Calamar, Octopus,  and a couple of other things. Normally, the Fish filets are fried, but since well, I'm on a diet, I asked them to grill the filets. It was all I could do to scarf down the entire plate. In a move that disappointed the waiter, I didn't touch the Rice.

Punto Marino

I got to see my friend Nilda on Friday. We went to Lunch at Punto Marino in Miraflores.

We started out by sharing the Cebiche.

I let Nilda pick the Cebiche. It's odd, but whenever Peruvians do the choosing, they almost always order Cebiche with just Fish, and the 'classic' preparation. I almost always go for the Mixed Seafood option, but to them, it's not a special treat like it is for me. I guess that I still have a ways to go before I can claim full-blown Peruvian status. Here's Nilda with our Cebiche. It's there, under the Onions.

I was looking forward all week to my main course. I get the Parihuela a lot when I'm here, but Punto Marino has a version with a Cilanto-based broth (rather than the normal red). I really like it, and haven't seen it anywhere else.

I suspect that this is another example of me still needing work on my Peruvian-ness, but hell, I like it.

Nilda went with a simple Grilled Fish with Vegetables. It appeared to look just like the photo on the menu, but there was a lot of discussion between her and the waitress before the order was placed, so I'm not sure.

She kept it simple and reported that it was delicious.

My Friend, The Seafood Lady

Now that I'm eating Breakfast, I had the opportunity to rush out to the Mercado #2 en Surquillo and visit the Seafood Lady.

We have a symbiotic relationship: I give her money and shower her with adoration, and she gives me Seafood.

I was on an Octopus Hunt this morning and told her so. She hooked me up, because she's got it all there.

She cut me some pieces of Octopus and we lovingly went through all the Scallops to find the four best.

She then added some Calamar, Caricol (snail) and something else (she told me what it was, but I don't remember) to the Octopus and Scallops and put it to boil just for a minute or two in the big vat of Fish Stock that they have going all the time. While it was cooking, she gave me a bowl of the Fish Stock (Chilcano).

When it was done cooking, she cut up the Octopus and added some raw Fish and a fresh Clam, and Cebiche-fied the whole thing for me, adding Line Juice, Onion, Hot Pepper and who knows what else.

 

It was Pretty Damn Great. All this opulence ran me a hot $8, and I was on my way for the day. The Mercado is an awesome place, so I spent another hour just walking around and taking in the action.

F. Conroy Revisited

Every visit to Lima, I make it a point to go out with Garry and Veronika for Lunch or Dinner. They live here, but they claim that I know more places to eat than they do.

When I told him about F. Conroy, how good the food is, the proximity to their house, and the 25% atrapalo.com discount, we decided to head there for Dinner.

They start you out with Bread and Butter. I had two small Rolls. Clearly I am out of control.

For my Appetizer, I repeated from the other night and again had the Scallops Parmesan. Denise tells me that she is 'all about Scallops.' She's not alone.

Veronika and Garry spit the Crab Claw Appetizer.

That's Veronika in the photo (on the right). I traded her one of my Scallops for one of the Crabs.

For my Main Course, I ordered the Rice and Duck. It came in its own little crock.

 

It was delicious. When I finished my plate, I ate some more of the Rice from the Crock.

Garry had the Lomo with Pasta, and Veronika negotiated some sort of Fish dish... I didn't quite figure out what it was she wound up with.

Everyone really liked everything.

Veronika and I passed on Dessert, just having Cappucinos. Garry had some sort of Apple thing with Ice Cream.

 

We then took a taxi to the casino, where somehow, Veronika won all of Garry's cash. I had a plate of Chifles while I was playing.

Here's a cute picture of the three of us waiting for the taxi.