LIMA DAY 4: Duck. And Octopus.

Sunday, May 15

I woke up early after being out late and didn't have it in me to go out and forage for Breakfast. Luckily, I had stocked up on Tamales on Saturday, so I just popped downstairs to the corner store and bought two Rolls and some Tari Sauce. Voila... Tamale Sandwiches!

Why two photos? One has the wrapped Tamale; the other is unwrapped. Why no Sandwich Photos? I forgot.

I was meeting David for Lunch. David really, really like to find places that are both excellent and that I haven't been to before. This time, after much less negotiation than usual, we decided on Saint Tropez Restaurant in La Molina.

It's huge. It's fancy, in an old-school way. When you get there, the hostess welcomes you with a glass of Champagne. It feels like the waiters should be wearing Tuxedos, but they aren't. It's not really a Lunch place (at least to me), but they open at noon, and there were other people there (it is Sunday, so maybe that's part of it), so what do I know.

For our Appetizers, we decide to share what they call a 'Batayaki', which was a sizzling plate with both Octopus and Shrimps, and a Causa topped with Crab meat.

David was especially pleased with the sizzling Seafood. I was, too, but I just didn't take as glorious a photo.

When we were ready to order, Aldo, our waiter, decided to tell us the specials. I stopped listening when he got to Rice with Duck. So I can't tell you what else was available off the menu. David ordered the Steak au Poivre.

My Duck was wonderful. And there was a lot of it. I managed to eat all of the Bird, but I left over most of the Rice. Aldo insisted that I take it home, so it is now in my refrigerator. David said that his Steak was excellent, but he ordered it medium-well, so who really knows?

That was it for Lunch. We passed on Dessert.

Not shockingly, I was full most of the day. At around 8 pm, I was casino-hopping and had a couple of Sandwich-itos (tiny Sandwiches) in one place. The evening's highlight was when I hit a 1,300 Sol (about $400) 'jackpot.'

Somehow, winning made me hungry. I'm sure that Pavlov would have a ball with that statement. Vivian, too. So, I hit the streets, looking for Dinner. That's no easy pickings on a Sunday at 11:00 pm, so I wound up at the Supermarket, stocking up on things to nuke in the apartment.

You're looking at some Smoked Pork Chops, two portions of Lasagna, and a bottle of Camu Camu juice. The Pork Chops were OK (I should have heated them), the Lasagna was very, very good, especially considering it was in the deli counter of a supermarket at 11:00 pm on a Sunday, and the Camu Camu is an acquired taste, but I like it, and it is ridiculously high in Vitamin C, I am told.

That was it for the day.