Moved and expanded from its previous location, it's now probably close to double the size it was in…read moreBelgrano. We were greeted cheerfully, service, by Marta Rios herself, was friendly and reasonably efficient. They still have the same quirk of being the only Peruvian restaurant I've ever been in where you have to ask for ajicito, the standard chili condiment on the table at most places. And theirs is pretty mild (though finally, later in the meal, we got them to puree up a rocoto chili and give us something spicier). They also serve bread, which isn't a common thing in Peruvian restaurants.
To make it easy for the six of us, we just ordered a bunch of things to share. A passable papas a la huancaina - definitely needing some spice added. Ms. Rios made the point that Argentines just won't eat anything spicy, so nothing on their menu is - that didn't bode well. They also don't make their huancaina sauce with any kind of nut in it, to avoid allergy issues (which was good for one of our members who is allergic to walnuts), but it means it's basically a sauce of cheese, milk, bread, and some sort of aji amarillo, the yellow chili, but with all traces of spice removed. It might have even just been turmeric.
Tequeños, not a classic of Peruvian cuisine - more of Venezuelan - basically fried puffs of dough filled with goats' cheese in this case, and accompanied by a guacamole. The ones that had cheese in them were pretty good, but not all of them did. The best thing on the table, the anticuchos de corazón, marinated and grilled beef heart. A ceviche made with lenguado, sole, but without any chili, was a bit of a yawn.
Given that the sauce for aji de gallina is basically the same huancaina just with onions and garlic added, this one was still on the bland side. A seco de carne, strangely for someone from the north, from Trujillo, with rice and potatoes rather than rice and white beans. Still, not bad, and probably the second favorite on the table. And, a pescado a lo macho, fried fish with a shellfish sauce, that was just humdrum, at best.
So, overall, like the new space, the service is fine, don't get the complete aversion to using chilies - those days of locals not eating anything picante have dwindled drastically, and, unfortunately, food that's just kind of average. Nothing bad, but nothing worth making a second trip there. Ah well.
