LIMA DAY 14: Breakfast, Farewell Breakfast, Lunch, Equator.

Giant Stuffed Llama, anyone? It will set you back $200 at the airport.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Last morning. I got to the airport early, and went to Tanta for Breakfast. Melosa lives near the airport, so she came by to say goodbye.

We ordered Tacu Pobre and a Tamale Verde (me) and Scrambled Eggs (Melosa).

 

 

 

The Tacu Pobre is a Tacu Tacu (Rice & Bean Patty) with a Breaded Steak, Fried Egg, and Sweet Plantains. Apparently, the Scrambled Eggs were good - they were all gone pretty quickly.

Melosa appropriated one of my 'Canes hats and left for work.

I had bought this trip's ticket with points, so I was flying Business Class. When I checked in, instead of the Lounge, they gave me a $20 voucher to use in one of the restaurants near the boarding gate. 

What am I going to do? Pass up a Coupon? I don't think so. So I went to La Nacional and ordered a Farewell Ceviche.

I understand that things cost more at the airport, but if I was forking over $15 for this dish, I would not have been happy. It was free, so I was delighted.

I thought that was it, but after we finally took off, they served Lunch. I had something they called Saltimbocca.

I'm not sure what it really was, but it was better than I had a right to expect on an airplane.

We crossed the equator right after that, so that was it for the trip. Thanks for reading.

LIMA DAY 13: I am A Super VIP, Apparently

Monday, May 21, 2018

Last full day in town. Seems like I got here yesterday.

After being busy in the morning, I really, really wanted someone to put a whole Octopus on a plate and bring it to me. So I got in a taxi and went to a place that does that, Jose Antonio. Well, not today.

The waiter explained that yes, they do have Octopus, and I could buy it in a variety of ways, but no Senor, you can't have a whole Octopus on a plate this afternoon. I thanked him, grabbed my Kindle, and grabbed another taxi, this time to Puerto Norte (Facebook page). They are a little far from my place, but they were the first people to bring me a whole Octopus, so I felt good about it.

Well, it wasn't my day for that.

So I wave away the menu, tell the waiter what I wanted, and he, too, had a story about why I couldn't have what I wanted. It was 2 pm already, and I had Dinner reservations for later, so I decided to go with the (lack of Octopus) flow.

They had a few new things on the Menu, and something really pretty on the place mat, so I ordered away.

The thing on the place mat was a combination of Ceviche of Black Clams (bottom) and a Tiradito (slivers of raw Fish in a yellow Pepper Sauce on top, accompanied with some chunks of Fried Fish.

In real life, it looked almost as nice.

For my second Course, I had the Causa Puerto Norte.

This Causa - also super pretty - was both filled AND topped with Crab Salad, with four Fried Shrimp on top of that. And if that wasn't enough, it was sitting on top of some Tiradito - the raw Fish slices - but this time, in a more classic, Lime-based Sauce.

Puerto Norte never had *pretty* food before - Just really good food. I was confused for a moment, but then I remembered that the original owner of the restaurant died about a year ago, and his family took over. I guess that the children heard about making Peruvian Food pretty. At least they didn't screw with the taste and quality.

For my Main Course, I had their Tacu Norte.

This was on the 'old' menu, and hasn't changed. There's a Tacu Tacu (Rice and Bean Patty) with a Fish Filet, all topped with a Sauce with Scallops and a few Vegetables. Pretty wonderful.

I had an 8:30 pm reservation for two people at Panchita, my favorite restaurant. With my favorite waiter, Carlos. If I have to leave town, I figured, I might as well leave on an up note. I didn't ask anyone to join me tonight.

I left early and walked over from my apartment, stopping to shop and enjoy the walk and just mosey about, arriving at the restaurant a half hour early. The place was packed. It's always busy, but this was busier than usual. You couldn't even see the hostesses, what for the crowds of people trying to get a table. Not wanting to be a pest (yeah -- me!), I just grabbed a seat, broke out the Kindle app on my phone, and decided to wait until the crowd got straightened out.

Not three minutes later, the crowd parts and one of the hostesses comes to me and says (in Spanish), "Senor Richard, if you want to sit now, your table is ready." I follow her.

We parade to the center of the dining room, where there is a table for four set.

She points.

ME: A table for four? 
HOSTESS: Yes, this is for you.
ME: But all these people are waiting...
HOSTESS: Sr. Friedman, you have a reservation. This is your table.

Carlos and a Manager in a suit come rushing over. I've never seen *this* Manager before. I am still standing, staring at the table.

MANAGER: Mr. Richard, I have been wanting to meet you. 
ME: Glad to meet you too.
MANAGER: Is there a problem?
ME: No, I just feel bad about all the people waiting to eat.
MANAGER: Sr. Friedman, you are a Super VIP in this restaurant. This table has been reserved especially for you. Enjoy your Dinner, and let me know if you need anything - anything.

I sit. I don't embarrass easily, but today... yeah.

Carlos gets me situated with my Club Soda and Ice. We confer on the Menu, and I decide to start with a 'classic' Anticucho - Beef Hearts on a Stick.

It took me years of going to Peru before I broke down and tried Beef Hearts. I like them - go figure. I like them more in the better Restaurants where they are big and meaty. In some of the, uh, neighborhood joints they are smaller and get overcooked, at least for me.

For my Main Course, I again had the Adobo de Cerdo.

This was the Dish that I had at the other Panchita last week. Today's plate had the Pork still on various bones, so I had to work a little more to get to my food. It reminded me of when I cook Turkey Necks at home, so that was fun. I think I am going to figure out what the Adobo Seasoning is here (it's different from what we buy in the USA) and try it on some Necks sometime soon.

For my Farewell Dessert, Queso Helado. There's Always Room for Queso Helado. I love Queso Helado.

From my seat at the table, I could see that there was some Queso Helado drama going on (I had a view of the Dessert Girl). After my misadventures with the Octopus this morning, nothing would have surprised me. Carlos confirmed that yes, there were Queso Helado issues tonight, but that I had nothing to worry about. I'm still not sure what was going on, but after a slightly longer than usual delay... it was delivered.

It was wonderful, as always. I finished it (There's Always Room!), asked for the check, paid, and said my goodbyes until next trip. I got the sendoff that a Super VIP deserves lololol.

I was going to waddle to the Casino, but I took a taxi instead, and won some of their money for the third consecutive night.

LIMA DAY 10: A Reserved Night At the Fiesta. Or Was it Rowdy?

My friend, high school math teacher and all-around great guy, Les Max, first showed me this comic in 1977

Friday, May 18, 2019

Anytime I hear about a reserved table, my mind always goes to that comic. It was a running joke of ours for 67290473429 years. So I got to think of my friend when I saw this:

Anyway, I was pretty free in the morning, so I went back to 1972 Coffee and had the same Breakfast as last week.

That's a Latte, Chicken Salad Sandwich, and a Pastel de Acelga.

It was enough to keep me full until Dinnertime. My friend Javier just got into town (he lives up in Washington), and we had a dinner date at Fiesta Gourmet. We have been talking about getting their Rice and Duck for weeks.

We were seated - nobody asked us if we were going to be Reserved or Rowdy - and they started us with some sort of complimentary something.

I don't rightly know what it was. There was a small piece of Fish, some Fish Eggs, and a Cheesy-type thing. Whatever it is, it was good.

We both had basically the same dinner. Omelets and Duck.

My Omelet was made with Erizo. In English, it's what we call a Sea Urchin.

There were both Fresh and Fried Erizos on the omelet. Delicious.

It could be argued that the Omelet was enough for a meal. Not by me, however. Or Javier. We both also had the Rice & Duck.

 

Fiesta's Duck - it is argued - is the best in Lima. I won't disagree. The one at Gaston's place last week was a little fancier. Both were excellent, and I am glad that I don't have to rank them first or second.

Fiesta is super fancy, so they insist on making a Big Deal and serving everything to you. Here's a video of my Omelet and Duck presentations:

Javier's omelet was Scallop-based and he liked his as much as I did mine. Here's his plates and his presentation videos:

 

 

We passed on a Dessert. I had a Cappucino.

That was it. I could hardly walk, but I made it to the Casino after Dinner, where, for the first time this trip, I wound up going to sleep with more money in my wallet than I woke up with.

LIMA DAY 12: Five Courses; $45. Vale Mucho Mas!

Aeropuerto. Not ordered by us. It visited our table for a Photo Op, and then was whisked away.

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Sunday morning... Sofa Cafe for Coffee, a Comfy Chair, and a book.

Donald Westlake was a great writer, so I was there for a while, and wound up ordering a Steak with Roquefort Dressing and a Pastel de Papa for Lunch.

I gave Javier a call, and he didn't have Dinner plans, so I met him at his apartment, and we took a taxi to El Bodegon. Javier hadn't been there before; I was holding it in my back pocket to go with him and his wife in August, but the pickings are slimmer on a Sunday night.

We decided to just order away and eat family style. Our first two items were Croquettes and a Causa con Escabeche.

 

The Croquettes were OK, I guess, but nothing special. The Causa, however, was excellent. You can't really see the Mashed Yellow Potato base, but it was there, and covered with some Fish, pieces of Giant Mutant Corn, and a Sauce heavy with Onions. It was really good.

Javier might be the only person I know who likes Rocoto Rellenos more than I do. So next up was the Stuffed Pepper.

They do a good job here with their Rocotos. Javier had the lion's share of this one.

For our Main Courses, we ordered the Tallarin Saltado con Pollo and Arroz con Chancho. Somehow, they brought an order of Aeropuerto to our table. Once we finished taking pictures of it, we realized that we didn't order that, so they took it away.

 

 

The Tallarin dish is Stir-Fried Chicken Chunks with Tomatoes and Onions, mixed in with Pasta. That's always a good choice. And the Rice with Pork is a big favorite of mine, what with the huge chunks of Pork on the plate.

We slowed down somewhat by then, so we took a care package to go for my doorman.

Everything is pretty great at El Bodegon, and the whole thing (with soft drinks) only came to around $45.

That was it food-wise. We headed off to the Marriott Casino, said our good-byes until August, and I beat the house, if only for a little, for the second consecutive night.

LIMA DAY 11: The (Surprise) Chocolate Bomb! :)

Even in Lima, It's All About the []_[]

Saturday, May 19, 2018

It was Saturday - so in a radical move - I decided to go somewhere and drink Coffee and read a book. I headed to Estacion 329.

I figured that, while I was there, I would get some Waffles, too.

It was a nice afternoon, so when I got to Kennedy Park, I claimed a tree as my own, and got to reading. I finally finished Will to Kill today; it wasn't the best book ever.

 

After all that reading, it was time for Lunch. I stopped at Tu Chinindro on my block. They have a $5 Lunch Special. It included Soup, a Drink and Pork Saltado with Rice and Fries.

 

The Soup was surprisingly excellent, and The Main Dish was OK.

Dinner tonight was with my three friends from the Christmas group and Melosa. It turned out that Lucia couldn't make it, so it was just the four of us.

Deisi was going to be early, so we met at Tanta (almost next door) for Coffee (me) and a pre-Dinner Drink (Deisi).

 

Everyone showed up on time, and we were seated at our table at Lima 27.

Lima 27 is right next door to Astrid y Gaston. They have always been pretty good, but when AyG showed up, they had to (and did) step up their game a lot. So it was really surprising that we were the only table in our dining room when we arrived, and it was the same when we left at 10 pm. On a Saturday night.

It can't be the food - everything was delicious. They have joined the 'make everything fancy looking and not what it sounds like' arms race among the local upscale restaurants, but what did come out of the kitchen was all really good. Our waiter made us a little nervous - my back was to him, but according to my dates, he was staring at us the whole time. It could have been because we were his only table, or because he is a weirdo. Or maybe both; they are not mutually exclusive.

Along with our Bag o' Bread and complimentary shot of some sort of Food, we shared four Appetizers: Jalea, Causa Negra, 'Raviolis', and Pastel de Choclo.

 

 

 

The Jalea (Fried Mixed Seafood) was true to what it was. The Causa Negra was a ring of black (?) Potatoes, topped with various Seafood items, some identifiable, some not. All were delicious - there was none left over. The 'Raviolis' were little rings of Pasta topped with some other unidentifiable (but tasty) stuff. They were really too small to make a true assessment. And the Pastel de Choclo has gone through a radical redesign. It used to be your basic, square-looking Pastel. Now it is little cubes, topped with Radishes and Flowers, and then some Sauce. Very fancy now. What they didn't do was change the recipe for the Pastel itself -- this one is really, really good. Little bites of heaven. But it makes me want to go back in time to when they just brought you a Pastel and said, 'here you go.'

We all ordered our own Main Courses: Bertha, Rice with Shrimps, Deisi: Rice with Seafood, Melosa: Goat with Raviolis and Me: Paiche (a Fish that comes from the Amazon, a real treat for me).

 

 

 

 

 

Everything was excellent, nobody talked for a while. We ate, and the waiter stared at us.

My Fish was excellent, Bertha and Deisi cleaned their plates, and Melosa finished most of her dish, as well as helping me with the Croquettes that surrounded the Fish. We were unanimous in the opinion that we would order each of the plates again.

When the waiter tried to offer us the Dessert Menu, I told him that we had other plans for Dessert, and announced that I had a surprise for everyone. We paid and left.

Lima 27 is right next door to Astrid y Gaston. Aside from being overall great, it is the Home of the Chocolate Bomb. Here's a picture I took last March - I forgot to do a still photo today.

Anyway, Deisi was so surprised, she couldn't control herself. Then we walk in and were greeted by the Manager and the Hostess with handshakes and hugs (manager) and kisses (hostess) - I had set this up with them when I was there last week. The Dessert, not the hugs and kisses.

Being a Saturday and all, the Restaurant was full, but they had an area set aside for us in the bar. This place even has a pretty Bar.

We waved away the Menu, ordered our Beverages... and the Bomb. We let Deisi do the honors. If you are reading this in your email, it is worth clicking through for the Bomb video.

The Bomb is great. Really good Chocolate, filled with Fruit, Cake, Brownies, Ice Cream, and what I found out was Frozen Whipped Cream. And I'm sure other stuff, too. We all enjoyed all we wanted, and there was still Bomb left over when we were done. I was so excited, I did a lousy job getting photos. The only one I got was of Bertha and her Dessert.

After that, we wandered around the non-public areas of the restaurant (one of the Kitchens, Gaston's Library and test lab) and shamelessly took photos everywhere. It was a ton of fun.

That was it for a pretty great Saturday.