Last lunch in Lima is mighty good at MATRIA(12-26-21)

 Our flight home was slated for 140AM and we knew we had to eat a decent meal before heading to the airport at 930pm, and we wanted it to be special. Sadly it was Sunday and a holiday weekend, so most places were closed. MATRIA was a 5minute ride from our hotel in San Isidro and the menu looked great, especially with tons of vegan and veggie options. WRONG! Apparently, the team doing our restaurant research in Lima screwed up and there were only two items on the menu and Sam did not want either. He left in a puff and headed back to the hotel on foot and we tried to make the best of it. We had a 330pm reservation as our ground team said the kitchen closed at 5pm, but on arrival we were told we had 25 minutes to order anything and everything as the kitchen would close at 4pm!! Another error making me very unhappy with a ground operator I have used for years!

I have to say their Pisco Sour was nice and we chose quickly enough, but the food came well spaced, so it was not a disaster. I was in love with the Estratido Palteado which was a filet of sole tiradito(raw marinated fish slices) with leche di tigre and toasted quinoa that gave it a great pop. A glass of house white was delish, but I never did find out what it was.

Will started with the Thai Coconut Milk Soup with Shrimp which he liked as well and then went on to the Sopa Criolla(yes, two soups) made with tenderloin, pasta, poached egg, toasted oregano and panrattato cheese...it looked and sounded great. My Cazuel de Lechon was a huge rack of confit pork tibs that feel off the bone sitting on a pot of black beans, panuela, chroizo, Peruvian corn and spices with a side of rice. It was divine and truly filled me up for the overnight flight. The house red(again not sure what it was) paired perfectly. 

It was a nice meal, but I felt horrible for Sam and was even madder at my vendor, who four days later still has not responded to my complaint. It was a gorgeous day and we decided to walk back to the hotel which was not even 30 minutes away and settle in for the rest of the afternoon waiting to head home.

Le Perroquet is pretty bad and The Restaurant at B HOTEL, Lima is one of the best (12-25-21)

 Christmas Day in Lima meant that many restaurants were closed and we really did not enjoy our dinner the night prior (which I completely failed to write up) at our hotel, so we really needed to move on. We are at the beautiful Country Club Hotel and the very elegant Le Perroquet here on Christmas eve. Simply said the waiter dropped Will's entire dish and then they brought our main courses while we were having our starters, even though we asked for 20 minutes between. Added to that is the fact that we sat over 20 minutes before anyone even approached us and then when we placed a drink order, it took another 20 minutes! By the way, the hype on the American Bar's Pisco Sour here is no biggie; theirs is the same as all the others we had.

So last night we headed about 15 minutes south to Barranco and the very trendy B Hotel, a Relais et Chateaux with a modern restaurant and an exciting menu, even for vegetarians!

The setting is three white walls in the hotel courtyard which is covered but open to the outside through the next courtyard. One wall is all covered with greenery and here are lots of potted palms fronds and such. The artwork is minimal and consists of one weird piece and a part of an old car! There were no linen napkins, just paper, which was a bummer and there were table linens, but they were covered with white paper(why?).

The drinks menu was eniticng and Sam loved his B Sangria made with Vittoria Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon(from Peru), Aperol, Pisco (of course), red fruit syrup, pineapple, blueberries and dried orange(check out the photo on FB) and my Ritual was Pisco Tabernero 3 cepes, Avelino Peruvian Vermouth, Passion-fruit, kombucah, panel-huactay (black mint( and muna powder(also mint) was a revelation being fresh and akin to a Pisco Sour but not minty as our wonderful server Juan Carlos promised.

We tried the Vittoria Tabernero 2019 Chardonnay from Peru and also loved that and they guys had their traditional Pilsner Beers from Peru.

Will & I loved the simple starter if Artichoke Carpaccio with thin sheets, emulsiion, lime dressing and Grana Padano cheese, while Sam was insane about his Ceviche Caliente Vegetal loaded with  asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, artichoke, nuts and more in a Leche de Tigre Rocoto(pepper) sauce.

We split a starter of Potatoes with Huacaty Pesto and Chalaca Sauce and then adored our main courses:

Will had the Ricotta & Scallop Ravoli wiht a rich Lime Butter Sauce, Confit Tomato and Cashew 

Sam  had the Berenjena al Josper which was avocado prepared a milliion ways: smoked, emulsion, croquettes and burnt!

My Fiduea Chupe was a stew served in a cast iron pan with toasted shrimp, chowder, quail egg and a super yummy crunchy topping and alioli on the side.

Great meal and the folks at the next table were from Alexandria!

One more meal today before we head home on the very early AM flight!!

Lima's CENTRAL is a culinary conquest (12-20-21)

 We had one night for dinner in Lima at the beginning of our week long stay in Peru and we knew month ahead where we wanted to go. CENTRAL is considered the top dining spot in South America and one of the top rated restaurants on earth! We headed there and we fell in love as we were escorted through the magnificent garden past a table with all kinds of ingredients that were explained to us(and were included in the meal) to a small private dining room where our wonderful server, Jesus, asked about of dining preferences and needs and we settled in for one of the most fascinating and exiting dining experiences ever! the space was elegant with fine linens and top quality crystal(Italesse & Riedel), but very sparsely decorated. Any decoration in the dining rooms was food itslef!

I was happy that the menu was brought to us and it is called MUNDO MATER and offers 14 courses each from a different region of Peru that Chef Virgilio Martinez curates down to each and every ingredient. The menu read several ingredients, the altitude and region and you really do TASTE every corner of Peru in this magnificent journey.

We made sure that Sam would be accommodated with a vegetarian menu and it was no less exciting and he declared it one of the best fine dining experiences of his life; we agreed.

We decided to take the wine pairings as well and I will try to keep a clear concise record and relay this fabulous dining experience and journey as best I can. I am using a course numbering system to keep it a bit clearer as well. Remember that many photos are on my Facebook page!

1)Black Rocks (10 meters below sea level):Yuyo Seaweed, Clams, Squid

The Black rocks were "Spheres" of crab and Charella(a white fish) had clam emulsion in a ceviche like preparation with Squid crackers. It was paired with Mauzvac 2017 sparkling wine from Domaine Plageolets

2)Dry Valley(55 meters above sea level): Shrimp, Loche Squash, Avocado was a Crawfish alone and an amazing squash with ash on top all paired with a Rainer Wess Gruner Veltliner from Austria

3)Upper Jungle(1350 meters above sea level):Cocona, Papa Voladora, Yacon

The cocona was presented at the table first and while a fruit, it looks like a giant mushroom turned to stone. A bread was made from the heart of the fruit and a yogurt with yacon was for dipping. The cocona skins were combined with cheese and made another dipping delight. More Gruner Veltliner arrived.

4)Extreme Altitude(4200 meter above sea level):Corns, Kiwichas, Sweet Potato Leaf

was paired with Tatty Bogler Pinot Noir 2016 from Waitaki, North Otago which was one of the best Pinot Noirs ever(yes!!) with an intense nose, forward fruit and a feel of very hi alcohol in the mouth, despite it not being the reallity.

White corn was served with purple kiwicha(cereal) and mashua as well as quinoa(yellow) and a green sweet potato leaf!!

5)Murike Grouper had a fried crispy beer dough topping with artichokes, capers and peas--easily the best grouper ever and was paired with Jurancon Sec Vitatge Vielh(old vines) from Jean-Bernard Larrieu 2017.

6)Amazon Connection(148 meters above sea level):Cecina, Arapiama, Yuca

the pork air-dried cecina was salted and served with the famous huge Arapaima fish of the Amazon with turmeric and fish salt.  The Jurancon Sec continued.

7)Sea Ground(0 meters): Scallops, Sargasso,Cucumber

Scallops were raw with with coral and emulsion with sargasso seaweed and pickled cucumber--a dream dish indeed, paired with Fita preta 2019 from Antonia Macanita, a funky wine that was not our favorite.

8)Octopus was in a broth with onion, seaweed, chamomille, quinoa, leaves and sea lettuce and was paired with Vajra Nebbiolo 2020, a very young wine I am familiar with and found odd with octopus, but it worked. The real shock was that a young guy in dirty pants served the dish and then we realized this was Chef Virgilio himself..HOW EMBARRASED I was not to recognize him; he looks like a twenty-something year old and hard to believe he has created the greatest food empire in South American cuisine!!

9)Mil Cento(3750 meters above sea level): Native Potato, Chaco Clay, Altitude Leaves

The chaco clay was brought with the potatoes(camutello) and it was explained how they are roasted with herbs and served with a dipping sauce of uchucuta(herbs) cream. OMG--you will never have a baked potato in the US again and not think how awesome this was. The Nebbiolo was really great with this as well.

10)Amazonian Water (190 meters above sea level):Pacu, Watermelon, Coca Leaf

Pacu is like Pirana fish and is served with Lulo juice, watermelon, lime, awesome spices with a kick and it resembled ceviche. The wine was an Orahovica Silvanac Zeleni(Croatian Silvaner)--that's as out of the way as it gets!!

11)Pork Belly came with fermented carrot, tentacle mushroom(you have to see the Facebook picture) and popcorn in an out of this preparation paired with Vina Bosconia 2008 Rioja which was to die for....you know I love my aged wines and this a pairing that I will never forget.

12)Forest(Loma) (810 meters above sea level): Goat's Neck, Diverse Roots, Tomato

So our adorable server Jesus brought the goat neck to the table and then served this dish with the same 2008 Rioja I was in love with (no complaints there). It was tasty and had beets and that is all I can remember and glean from my notes.

13)Sacred Valley(2700 meters above sea level):Cabuya, Chirimoya, Muna

The dish was the ashes of cabuya(agave) with chirmoya(fruit) and muna(mint) .It was a crunchy cookie delight paired with a dry Riesling from the Moselle 2018 Markus Molitor (Ockfener Bockstein Spatlese)--not my favorite dessert wine, but great with the chocolate,

14)Cacao Cruncho (1800 meters above sea level):Mucilage, Seeds, Shells was the final course of our journey with a hot cocoa infusion  and a fluffy cake paired with sauces that we could have fun with mixing up how we prepared it ourselves, We adored the paired Mistela a Peruvian wine fortified with Pisco that was akin to Madeira. I had extra and we all left thrilled that we finally got to Central after trying to plan a visit 4 years earlier that got thwarted by a flight delay and closed airports. WE MADE IT...and if we return to Lima, we will return again for sure for this insane UMAMI experince.

Guayaquil, Ecuador's CASA JULIAN is just the best (12-18-21)

 We had only one evening in Guayaquil, ecuador after disembarking our cruise and heading to Peru the next day, so we opted to head to what was rated the topo place in tow.

On our full day of touring the entire city, our guide Leticia suggested lunch as Lo Nuestro which has amazing huge dishes and three of us went  for seafood and crab dishes while Sam loved his soy, rice and veggie dish. We were quite full so we moved dinner to 8pm and headed over to the other side of the river to Hotel del Parque where Casa Julian sits in an 18th century mansion on the river converted to the hotel's restaurant.  It is quite large with a huge bar and tons of outdoor seating which was completely full, so we headed to the cooler more comfy indoor tables well spaced. All folks wear masks here indoors and outdoors and Ecuador is doing an amazing job keeping infection levels down and we felt completely comfortable everywhere we went. 

As we were seated the hostess brought us small paper bags(think airplane sick bags) for our masks, and all the dining spots here clean and bag the silverware and napkins so nobody is touching them before we use them! We perused the menu and all ordered yummy Pisco Sours(we head to Pisco in Peru next week, so need to start comparing!). There were a la carte items, tapas and a tsting menu of 5 courses for $55 with paired wines for EVERY course at an additional $15. WHAT A STEAL. Samuel asked if a veggie option could be done and they checked and said yes, so we proceeded to settle in as the warm bread and focaccia arrived with a local cheese spread with some type of fruit jam on top; YUMMY! 

The first course was on the main menu as was the dessert, but the three in between were completely new for the chef and everything was amazing and delicious and full of flavors and new foods and spices for us(we were googling a lot of items with not tons of luck). Charcoal roasted Plantain Tartare came with cured Egg Yolk, Almond Chili Relish and "Salprieta" (typical side dish from the province of Manabí, Ecuador, used as condiment and contains equal parts of toasted corn and toasted peanuts, both ground to a coarse powder; then mixed with finely chopped coriander, dried oregano, salt and black pepper. Achiote oil can be added to give color to the mixture.). It was divine and was paired with a refreshing bright Armonia Rose from Dos Hemiferios winery in Ecuador(as all the paired wines were and they were all fab!!).

By this time there seemed to be a thumping loud disco music coming from outside  and competing with the more mellow elevator music indoors. It grew to an almost cacaphony, but luckily subsided within 30 minutes, or we might have gone deaf.

Pargo (porgy) was the fish in our Ceviche with Mango Sauce and Avocado Mousse that was another revelation while Sam had a veggie version with superb local ripe tomatoes(all photos on FB). He was loving the local Pilsener Beer while we enjoyed an Enigma Chardonnay.'

Armonia Chardonnay from the same vineyard was next with a bright sour apple taste and was paired with our favorite dish all night. White Tuna with Manaba Butter which was extremely rich and obviously something that is so local, we could never replicate it at home. Sam had the same sauce loaded with amazing wild mushrooms hazelnuts and crushed that he loved ( a revelation in itself as he does not usually care for mushrooms) due to this brilliant sauce.

Armonia Merlot 2019 arrived to pair with our Osso Buco with mashed Mashua (a truly alliterative dish from a local tuber that is like no other) over Fava Beans and sprinkled with Onion Ash!! Sam had the same Mashua but with Roasted Cauliflower that he loved. 

Dessert was a Coconut Cloud with Banana Jelly with Cocoa Nibs, Biscuits, and Spice

d Ice Cream (with pieces of dried orange and fruit peels). It came in a huge hollowed coconut shell and was superb with a paired Demi-Sec Cava from Dom Potier in Spain.

We were full, but were told the taxi would take about 25 minutes so Sam & I ordered Caipiranhas(odd they came with a sugared rim) and Will a Campari & Tonic, which we ended up gulping down as the taxi arrived in 15 minutes.

Only one night here in Ecuador, before heading to Lima today and the wolrd famous Central Restaurant for dinner tomorrow!

Ft. Lauderdale's LOUIE BOSSI has its big bumps (12-1-21)

 We wanted something simple and fun for our last night here before sailing to South America and we were a group of 7. Our hosts said that Louis Bossi just nearby had great pasta, lots of veggie options and the best Cacio e Pepe ever! That was all true, but the experience sadly had a lot do desire.

We had outdoor seating in the most adorable of pergolas in the huge courtyard that was jammed with dozens of people and a huge table of more than a dozen next to us making the loudest racket ever. Our table was round, but we could not even heard each other across it! On top of that there was very loud and unneeded music piped in.

Big Jim was our server and while he was a riot, he was also a bit brutish and invasive. He kept leaning into Will to explain things; a bit too close for Covid comfort.  He had his own unique method of explaining the menu in a slightly condescending way, as if we knew nothing about Italian pasta names. He was indeed funny at times, and the service was decent to good. I ordered a bottle of Grillo/Viognier blend from Stemmari in Sicily called ""Dalila" as I could not resist the operatic/biblical connection; it was delish, crisp, refreshing and superb with our large charcuterie and cheese platter(see FB photo) laden with salamis, prosciutto, Taleggio, Burrata, Parmeggiano, pickles, olives and the best grissini on earth.  Sam loved his Italian mojito made with aperol as well and had a flashback to our last trip to Italy with the Peroni Beer! Arancini with truffle aioli were also a treat. A huge loaf of crusty bread came with olive oil with chili flakes.

We switched to a superb red 2017 Palazzo della Torre Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso which I have had often and also in our cellar. A treat indeed especially since on Wednesday's all wines under $100 are half price!!

Indeed the Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti was delish as well as the Pasta special of Rigatoni with Mushrooms, Mascarpone and more(optional shrimp or chicken as well). Will ordered the Radiatore Alla Vaca with Prosciutto & Chicken which came lukewarm and he sent back; it returned the same temp! My Ferrzazzoli(a bucatini-like pasta with a hollow) Frutti di Mare was also not that hot and the worst part was the scallops that tasted like mushy potatoes. The Mussels & Clams were okay, and the Shrimp & Calamari were super with the amazing spicy San Marzano tomato sauce.

We left stuffed, but would rethink the crowds, noise and dishes we choose if we go back!

Ft. Lauderdale's HARBORWOOD in the Hyatt Centric gets high points(11/30/21)

 Our friends we are staying with here in Florida live next to the Hyatt Centric and we headed there for dinner last night and were treated to a bottle of white(Sonoma-Coutrer Chardonnay) & red(Ken Wright Pinot Noir) from the sales manager at the hotel, whom I had met earlier in the day! We sat outside on a glorious evening and had a superb time with 4 of our Florida friends.

After we finished the chard, we had a bottle of Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and then when we needed a second red, our brilliant server Jordan suggested a bottle not on the menu, a fine 2015 Ysios Rioja from Spain.

Appetizers were all delicious, although the Chopped Romein Salad was a bit boring even with cucumber, olives, cherry tomatoes, stuffed grape leaves, feta and vinagrette.

The Chilled Togarashi Crusted Ahi Tuna Tataki with Yuzu Ponzu sauce, pickled mushrooms, avocado and lotus root chips was delicious but would have been even better if it was a tad more on the rare side. The Roasted Heirloom Cauliflower with toasted almonds, soused sultanas, crisp capers(a nice touch) and romesco had white, yellow and purple cauliflower and was delish. Pan Seared Ocotpus came with a yummy Carrot Ginger Spread, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes(lots of potatoes), smoked pimenton and Lemon EVOO , but the big winner was the Hand Pulled Chicken Empanadas with sofrito & mozzarella and a chipotle sauce. Thing BBQ pulled chicken (here it was cooked sous vide) that melts in your mouth.

The main courses were all very good but the big hit seemed to be the Char Grilled Vegetarian Beyond Burger on Brioche which was declared as beyond delicious. The Beef Burger and Peppercorn Crusted Wagyu Sirloin were also great beef dishes. The Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon came with Quinoa & Sweet Potato Hash, Garlic Sauteed Green Beans and Fire Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette while my Pan Seared Cajun Shrimp were atop a rich Creamy Lemon Saffron Risotto with Grilled Asparagus and a Fennel Lobster Sauce in which you could taste no fennel(loved it that way).

We were too stuffed to even think about dessert, but what a great evening we all had!!!

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