Friday, May 30, 2008

May 2008 Los Cabos II

Lovely downtown Denver.
Since it was closer to my neck of the woods, I met the girls at the restaurant. Since there was no idea how many of us would be meeting up, I'd made reservations for six. Turns out I was spot on for once. We didn't need reservations as it turned out, but that's the way we like it.
The menu wasn't the largest, but all the food looked so good to everyone that it took us a long time to pick out what we wanted. Even the waiter didn't know which dish was best. We were told that everything is purely Peruvian. No crazy fusion dishes. I did the unthinkable and ordered the same dish as another member of our party, but it was either that or spend another 20 minutes trying to come up with another idea.
For appetizers, we got the Papa Rellenos (potatoes, mashed, then formed around meat and eggs then fried) and the Papa a la Huancarrie (potatoes, boiled and covered in a yellow sauce that looked like paint, but tasted like curried mayonaise).


To drink, besides the obligatory water, we ordered a pitcher of chicaron. A juice from South America that looked like pomegranite, tasted like grape with cinemon and was made from blue corn.

CHEERS!


The dishes were so foreign to me and needed so many adjectives to describe them, I had each girl explain her dish to me. There was simply no way for me to do it all.
At our table we had the Lomo Saltado - a beef dish with red onions, tomatoes, french fries with cilatro over rice. It was a strong favorite of the members. There were so many onions, everyone at the table got a couple to try.
Two people got the Arroz con Pollo (for those of you who don't habla espaniol, that means chicken and rice). That might sound simple, something you might make at your own home, but it ain't. First of all it's green, presumably from the cilantro, and tastes a little like Rice-a-Roni, but better. It's the subtle combinations of several spices none of us could begin to identify.
Another colorful dish was the Aji de Gallina. The diner decribed it as "shredded chicken/potato/rice in creamy yellow goodness." It's a rave! This coming from the pickiest eater in the group. We were very glad that her adventurous spirit has been rewarded so well.
Finally, the last two got the Secole Tennera. Chunks of beef swim in a dark green sauce with a side of perfect rice. For a touch of whimsy, the rice is shaped in a quintessetial dome. The dish is fragrent and rich and soooo good. I got mine with a side of pinto beans cooked with ham, which was a nice combo with the salty flavorful beef.
After we were through raving over each others choices and our own, the waiter happily took out picture in front of the toy llama that decorated the room. We might be crazy, but we sure are photogenic.
All around, Los Cabos II was a pleasure. Attentive service, good but still interesting food, close to my house. Everything I want in a restaurant. The only problem might be finding an excuse to come again.