Well, it's been two years since the Peruvian President came on TV and said, "The country is closed. Good luck." I was stuck here a while, finally got home, and haven't been back. Until this week.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
The plane landed on time, and traffic was very, very light. It turned out that the entire country was watching a soccer game RIGHT WHERE MY APARTMENT IS.
 |
| I thought they were there to greet me, but no. |
My taxi driver was a wizard... we went down alleys and back streets and got to the apartment fairly quickly. I had reservations for my first full night tomorrow at Panchita, but it's my favorite place in the world, and I felt it was important to make sure that they were all ok, so I walked over.
The hostess said something along the lines of 'wow! it's been two years!' She seated me and I was greeted by three waiters, making sure that I was ok.
I knew I was having Dinner there tomorrow, so I just stuck to the basics: Rocoto Relleno and Aji de Gallina.
Everything was wonderful. I love me a nice, stuffed Hot Pepper, and Aji de Gallina is Lonnise's favorite Peruvian dish. She is planning to come for the Kid's Christmas party this year, so I was making sure that it was still good. It was.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
I just wandered the streets, getting re-acquainted for a while. Most things were the same, but I saw some places that didn't survive the pandemic. I stopped into the supermarket for some suppliess of rthe apartment, and some photo ops:
That's some Giant Mutant Corn, a Fish happy to see me, and the Great Wall of Potatoes.
For lunch, I popped into a random Cevicheria and had a combo: Ceviche, Fried Fish Chunks, and Seafood Fried Rice.
To keep from being repetitive, let's just assume everything was wonderful. I will let you know if something was extra wonderful, or not wonderful at all. :)
As I was leaving, I saw that they had the most beautiful Causas in their display case.
I met Fernando for dinner. When I got to Panchita at a more normal hour today, the lobby was packed. The Peruvian government just a couple of weeks earlier removed the occupancy limitations for restaurants, so there was a big crowd. I sat down to wait for Fernando.
Both the manager and Carlos, my personal waiter, saw me waiting. They both came out to give me a hug and a 'bienvenido' and to say that out table was ready. Fernando and I waltzed past the waiting throngs like super VIPs. I love that place.
Fernando and I shared an order of Chicharron de Pollo (Fried Chicken, but not breaded or anything) and a Causa.
The Causa is two layers of mashed, Yellow Potatoes, stuffed - in this case - with what we would call Chicken Salad. They also come with either Shrimp or Tuna or Vegetables.
For our Main Courses, Fernando had a Papa Rellena (a Potato Ball stuffed with some Meat), and a Seco de Res (slow cooked Beef with Rice and Beans), and I had the Lomo Saltado with Tacu Tacu (stir-fried Beef and Tomatoes and Onions served over a Rice and Beans patty).
It was so good, you get two photos!
More or less, Queso Helado (literally, Frozen Cheese) is Ice Cream. But that's like calling Tom Brady a quarterback. It's a specialty of the Arequipa region of Peru, but I have been to Arequipa, and Panchita's Queso Helado is better. You'll have to trust me on this, or come and try one on your own - I will be happy to split it with you!
That was it - I'm visiting friends the next couple of days, so there will be some home-cooked delicacies coming up.
