A Whole Weekend - Just 5 Meals!

For my money, these guys have the best Empanadas. And I can walk there!

Saturday, April 2, 2022

I walked over to La Mora for breakfast. You *could* call it a Diner, but that wouldn't do it justice. The food's good, the service is fine, and they fancy themselves a bakery, and their breads and cakes are delicious.

I had a fairly standard Breakfast Combo - Eggs, Ham, Basket of Breads, freshly made Pineapple Juice, and a Latte.

At Lunchtime, I took a cab ride to Barranco and went to what used to be one of my favorite places. It had a new name, but pretty much the same decor, but they were a lot more full of themselves.

My Lunch at La Onceava consisted of first, Ceviche, and then, Tacu Tacu (the Rice and Bean patty) with mixed, Grilled Seafood and Swordfish.

It was all pretty darn good, but when a restaurant decides it needs to have little flags with the restaurant's name flying over every plate, I will shop elsewhere. Again, the food was tasty, and all of the many Peruvians eating there seemed to be enjoying themselves as well.

After winning back a small fraction of the money I donated to the Casino industry the first couple of days, I finally went to El Bodegon for Dinner.

I enjoyed my delicious plates of Carapulcra y Sopa Seca and a Pastel de Choclo. When I describe the first dish, you're not going to want it, but that's all my fault - it is much better than it sounds. Carapulcra is Chunks of Dried Potatoes in some sort of Peruvian Sauce with pieces of Pork in it, and Sopa Seca, literally, "Dry Soup," is your basic Spaghetti with a hint of the Carapulcra Sauce on it. Doesn't sound awesome, but yeah, it is.

The Pastel de Choclo is ground up Corn in a casserole with some Ground Beef mixed in. It's super smooth and creamy, and although El Bodegon's is very good, it doesn't hold a candle to the one at Panchita. However, if this was the only one I could have for the rest of my life, that would be fine.

Sunday, April 3, 2022

On my walk to Breakfast, I passed a lot of people walking their adorable dogs, but none more adorable than this little guy:

The walk led me to Per-Lizza, which is basically a Bread Bakery. As a sideline, they also make a wide assortment of Empanadas. They are fresh every day at 10:30; I showed up at 10:41.

That there is a Lomo Saltado Empanada, a Cheese and Mushroom Empanada, and a Chicken Empanada. Fresh, full of whatever it is full of, and delicious.

And did I not mention filling? I wasn't hungry again until around 8 pm, where I took a taxi halfway across Lima to Caldo de Gallina Santa Catalina.

Caldo de Gallina is the Chicken Noodle Soup that I enjoy so much.And these guys do it really well. And really large. For just around $7, you get what might very well be a GALLON of Soup, two Pieces of Chicken, two Eggs, and a bunch of Noodles.

That's an iPhone 8 below the bowl of Soup. Go ahead, I will wait while you put your phone next to any bowl you have in your house.

The other reason that I just love this place is the Giant Chicken that tops the cashier's booth here. I'm likely the only gringo they see here, so it always befuddles the hell out of them when I take pictures with the giant chicken. But they suffer me well, and I was off and home to bed.