Picca on Pico Blvd

I told you I would!! =P

Considered doing the 50 course challenge for a millisecond, but opted not to. Instead, 

14 dishes were shared between five of us~ It was more than enough!

I was playing with an external flash & I'm pretty happy with the results!! It looks a bit more dramatic~ 

Pisco Sour.

When traveling to Peru, pisco sours were available everywhere! I wasn't a big fan of the intensive sourness nor the frothy egg topping, but I had to order at least one~ It was REALLY strong (tastes like you're sipping on tequila)! Just after getting 1/5 into it, I was feeling gooooood~ haha

 Primeras

tuna tartare.
tuna, avocado, lemon soy dressing, and wonton chips.

This was DELICIOUS but I was disappointed it lacked creative elements... it was ordinary. 

papa rellena.
stuffed potato, slow cooked beef, boiled egg, rocoto aioli.

I remember loving this in Peru!!
I often saw different types of chicken, meat, or seafood sandwiched between two layers of causa.
This one was better because it was fried~ I love everything potato!!!!
(truth be told, my dad nicknamed me "french fry monster" when I was a lil G =P)

Segundas- Causa Sushi 

Causa is a cold yellow potato mash. Here, it's used in place of the usual rice & seaweed. 

Interestingly, the flavors and textures dance perfectly together!

snow crab- cucumber, avocado, huancaina sauce
smoked salmon- hijiki, shallots, aji amarillo yogurt
spicy tuna- tobiko, cucumbers
spicy yellow tail- spicy mayo, green onions, wasabi tobiko

ALL of these were tasty!!

Ceviches & Tiraditos

seabass tiradito.
thinly sliced seabass, soy sauce, lemon dressing, sweet potato puree.

Back in the days, when I was a dainty eater, I would have approached this plate politely with little bites- piece by piece. Now that I'm a ravenous piglet, I learned the PERFECT bite combines all components... oooopen wide!! Imagine the crispiness of the fried sweet potato embedded on an elegant blend of puree against the soft, tender seabass accented by the soy & lemon dressing~~ This was one of my favs.

ceviche crocante.
halibut, leche de tigre, crispy calamari.

I loved the zesty flavors in this dish! It was another favorite!

Terceras- Anticuchos

salmon.
miso, pickled cucumbers.

Salmon was tender and flavorful~ pickled cucumbers? mmmmm.... I didn't really care for it.

papa a la huancaina.
potato, quail egg, pancetta, chives.

This was one of my all time favorite dishes in Peru!! I think I ordered it twice! haha sounds silly, but I'm not the redundant type (especially when traveling)- I like to challenge my palate!! This dish is normally served over rice on a full plate so it was interesting to see Chef Zarate's twist on it!

tomatoes.
burrata (one of my favvvvs), black mint pesto.

Reminiscent of a caprese salad. Very tasty!!

cusquena!!!!

I'm not a fan of beer, but this one is light  & a bit sweet.
I had one on the train ride back from Machu Picchu... so again, I HAD to relive my adventures. =)

Cuartas

the special:
bone-in rib-eye with an anticucho sauce

The seasoning and tenderness of the meat were ON POINT!! 

arroz chaufa de mariscos.
mixed seafood, peruvian fried rice, pickled radish.

and this is where I started to unbutton my pants... hahah jkjk...
but really, this was the point where I started getting full~
I shouldn't have had so many pieces of meat!! lol
I only had a bite of this, but wish I had more!
Even though I felt full, the richness of the flavors  were delightful~

bisteck a lo pobre (poor man's steak).
skirt steak, egg, pan fried banana, chickpeas tacu tacu

I liked everything about this dish, minus the banana...
I thought the sweetness of the banana was overpowering.
I just can't seem to get used to turon (filipino banana lumpia), tostones (fried plantains), nor  any  other cooked banana dishes. What's weird is that I love bananas, banana bread (I guess baked is ok?), banana smoothies, etc...
...I just used "banana" 7 times... bananananananana =P

open kitchen!

My friend was taking pictures & the next thing you know, we were invited into the kitchen!
I'm always sooooo excited when offered a tour!! The manager introduced us to the cooks and showed us around~ So hospitable!! He also showed me the mezzanine deck (2nd floor) where they're able to host private parties.... potential birthday party location?!?!?!? =P

Behind the Scenes

pantry station

with the manager & line cooks

The exposed kitchen includes the fry, anticucho grill & cold stations- a decent sized kitchen.

pancetta... YUM!!

Ultimas

tres leches cake with a pisco creme fraiche topping

It was okay. =)

cheesecake

The cheesecake was delicious! The aji amarillo (peruvian yellow chile pepper) topping gave it a bit of a kick~ you don't get a feel for the heat until after finishing your bite... really complex in taste!

dulce de leche filled churros with chocolate, marmalade, & caramel

This was the perfect end to a charming meal with great company!!