LIMA DAY 3: Duck, Octopus and Beef Hearts... the Holy Trinity

Peru says: "Here's some Soup - Go to Town!"

Friday, May 11, 2018

The day started well. I didn't give my doorman the leftovers last night, so I busted out the Rice and Duck from Astrid y Gaston, nuked it for two or three minutes, and went to town.

 

Without all of the other flavors and things going on around me, I was really able to taste and enjoy this plate. It was really, really wonderful.

A little later, I went to Estacion 329 for Coffee.

If it seems like a lot of the time I do the same things here, you're right. But they are good things.

I met Alex for Lunch. That's not new, but we wound up going to La Red, a Cevicheria that I haven't been to in five or six years.

I ordered two things - Seafood Soup (Parihuela) and a Rocoto Relleno con Langostinos (Stuffed Pepper with Shrimp).

 

The Soup - although it doesn't look it - was chock full of various seafood along with two entire Fish Filets. And I don't know what the Soup base is, but it is really good, regardless of who makes the Soup.

The Stuffed Pepper is *usually* filled with meat; I didn't find the Shrimps as satisfying as a stuffing. However, the base layer of Potato, Egg and Cheese was wonderful - that could have been a dish all on its own, and the red Sauce - again undecipherable - was also pretty good.

Alex chose the Pulpo con Tacu Tacu.

Me regretting not buying the Octopus

In English, that is Grilled Octopus on a Rice and Beans Patty. Alex ordered Octopus more than I do, and he didn't say a word until his plate was empty. And those words were, "That was really good Octopus."

Luis picked me up later. He drives me around when I casino-hop. We were both hungry, but not that hungry, so we went to Grimanesa Anticuchos in Miraflores. Anticuchos, classically, are Beef Hearts on A Stick that are Marinated and then Grilled. Grimanesa used to have a cart on the street, then she got famous and opened a small store. The reviews on Trip Advisor are Mixed, but I think that her Anticuchos are better than what you can find elsewhere.

 

 

Luis agrees, and he's been eating this stuff all his life. We both had the same thing: Two sticks of Beef Hearts, Corn, Potato and a Soda. The whole thing came to US$20.30. That's a little high by Peruvian standards for what we had, but it was excellent and we left happy.

That was it for the day. I should have had Luis take me home; the casinos were not kind.