http://www.saltshaker.net/20050703/popcorn Casting a little flavor (and a few aspersions) on the world of food, drink, and life Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:44:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050703/popcorn#comment-7568 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » To Flit; to move quickly, lightly, and irregularly like a bird in flight Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:17:34 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050704/popcorn#comment-7568 [...] So we went out last night to Contigo Perú and had ceviche, anticuchos, ocopa, arroz con pollo, seco de carne, and lomo saltado, along with a liter of beer, and spent a whole 60 pesos with tip, couldn’t finish it all, and you know what? It wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t in a glowingly lit golden room, there was no dragonfly logo… it’s freshly painted in gleaming white, our regular waiter Carlos greeted us cheerfully and with a one-handed quick squeeze around the shoulders, we ordered and ate in about an hour and a half, and it was simply delicious. [...] [...] So we went out last night to Contigo Perú and had ceviche, anticuchos, ocopa, arroz con pollo, seco de carne, and lomo saltado, along with a liter of beer, and spent a whole 60 pesos with tip, couldn’t finish it all, and you know what? It wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t in a glowingly lit golden room, there was no dragonfly logo… it’s freshly painted in gleaming white, our regular waiter Carlos greeted us cheerfully and with a one-handed quick squeeze around the shoulders, we ordered and ate in about an hour and a half, and it was simply delicious. [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20050703/popcorn#comment-143 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Native Craft Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:42:48 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050704/popcorn#comment-143 [...] The menu is odd. First of all, I have to just say, I don’t like hairy things in restaurants, and I don’t just mean the food. Here, the menu is a small cardboard bound affair with a binding strip of something furry. It just put me on edge. Then you encounter the plasticized pages of the inner menu, listing dozens and dozens of items. We began to get interested, only to have that interest squashed by our waitress who told us that the menu is just a listing of “possible dishes” of the day - and then proceeded to cut our choices down to 3 appetizers, 2 meat entrees, and 7-8 fish entrees, as the only things they were equipped to make that evening. I’m all for the concept of a daily changing menu, I just don’t like the presentation in this case. But we got over it, ordered all three appetizers - ocopa, papas a la huancayina, and a tamal, followed by a plate of ceviche mixto. We also decided to try one of the two listed cocktails, a trago de algarroba, or “carob drink.” It turned out to be a blended affair of carob juice, pisco (Peruvian unaged brandy), milk, and egg white. Frothy, vaguely chocolately, and very alcoholic. The food, overall, was just acceptable, clearly nothing special. We both liked that the potatoes in the first two appetizers were served warm - quite often they’re served nearly refrigerator cold. The sauce on the ocopa was particularly good. The tamal was, at best, edible, first off being made of coarse polenta rather than properly ground Peruvian maize, and second off having very little filling - a couple of chunks of chicken and one olive, complete with pit. The ceviche was okay, though the fish and shellfish didn’t taste 100% fresh, and the “mixto” part consisted of a couple of scattered shrimp and mussels. Given that Primavera Trujillana is only a few blocks from Contigo Peru that we both enjoy quite a bit, and have taken friends to many times, it’s simply not interesting enough to return to. [...] [...] The menu is odd. First of all, I have to just say, I don’t like hairy things in restaurants, and I don’t just mean the food. Here, the menu is a small cardboard bound affair with a binding strip of something furry. It just put me on edge. Then you encounter the plasticized pages of the inner menu, listing dozens and dozens of items. We began to get interested, only to have that interest squashed by our waitress who told us that the menu is just a listing of “possible dishes” of the day - and then proceeded to cut our choices down to 3 appetizers, 2 meat entrees, and 7-8 fish entrees, as the only things they were equipped to make that evening. I’m all for the concept of a daily changing menu, I just don’t like the presentation in this case. But we got over it, ordered all three appetizers - ocopa, papas a la huancayina, and a tamal, followed by a plate of ceviche mixto. We also decided to try one of the two listed cocktails, a trago de algarroba, or “carob drink.” It turned out to be a blended affair of carob juice, pisco (Peruvian unaged brandy), milk, and egg white. Frothy, vaguely chocolately, and very alcoholic. The food, overall, was just acceptable, clearly nothing special. We both liked that the potatoes in the first two appetizers were served warm - quite often they’re served nearly refrigerator cold. The sauce on the ocopa was particularly good. The tamal was, at best, edible, first off being made of coarse polenta rather than properly ground Peruvian maize, and second off having very little filling - a couple of chunks of chicken and one olive, complete with pit. The ceviche was okay, though the fish and shellfish didn’t taste 100% fresh, and the “mixto” part consisted of a couple of scattered shrimp and mussels. Given that Primavera Trujillana is only a few blocks from Contigo Peru that we both enjoy quite a bit, and have taken friends to many times, it’s simply not interesting enough to return to. [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20050703/popcorn#comment-31 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Mas Status Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:02:53 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050704/popcorn#comment-31 [...] Buenos Aires - We were in the mood for Peruvian food once again. Well, basically, except for occasionally talking him into going to somewhere novel, like the Korean restaurant, Henry only likes to eat at Peruvian venues. Other than that, I cook. So it was back to Status, where we had lunch one of the first days I was here. But we did agree in advance on trying some new dishes. [...] [...] Buenos Aires - We were in the mood for Peruvian food once again. Well, basically, except for occasionally talking him into going to somewhere novel, like the Korean restaurant, Henry only likes to eat at Peruvian venues. Other than that, I cook. So it was back to Status, where we had lunch one of the first days I was here. But we did agree in advance on trying some new dishes. [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20050703/popcorn#comment-25 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Duck and cover… Tue, 18 Oct 2005 12:54:58 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050704/popcorn#comment-25 [...] Today we slept in, everyone seems to be fighting off colds here at the moment - must be the constant changes in the weather. But feeling better when we got up, and the three of us trooped off to Belgrano. There was an artisans’ fair just getting into swing in Plaza Belgrano, so we stopped off and did a little shopping for handcrafted jewelry and scarves. Lunch at Contigo Peru, giving Henry a chance to show off some really good, authentic, Peruvian food to Maureen. We had a great mixed seafood ceviche, the real standout of the dishes - but some fun other stuff as well. Then the 50¢ tour of Barrio Chino and buying food for tonight. Had decided on finally getting around to a real dinner party. Henry’s been wanting duck, and the only place I’ve seen it remotely reasonably priced (not that I’ve seen it many places), was in one of the markets in chinatown. [...] [...] Today we slept in, everyone seems to be fighting off colds here at the moment - must be the constant changes in the weather. But feeling better when we got up, and the three of us trooped off to Belgrano. There was an artisans’ fair just getting into swing in Plaza Belgrano, so we stopped off and did a little shopping for handcrafted jewelry and scarves. Lunch at Contigo Peru, giving Henry a chance to show off some really good, authentic, Peruvian food to Maureen. We had a great mixed seafood ceviche, the real standout of the dishes - but some fun other stuff as well. Then the 50¢ tour of Barrio Chino and buying food for tonight. Had decided on finally getting around to a real dinner party. Henry’s been wanting duck, and the only place I’ve seen it remotely reasonably priced (not that I’ve seen it many places), was in one of the markets in chinatown. [...]

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