A Taste Of Peru At Tanta

By Lisa White in Food on May 27, 2014 6:00PM

A trio of bites for the first course, from left to right: Clasica Causita (crab, avocado, tomato, quail egg, huancaina sauce), Chicharron Sanguche (crispy pork belly, sweet potatoes, criolla) and Pulpo Anticucho (octopus, chimichurri potatoes, crispy garlic, olive sauce).

The Pescado Frito was served with baby bok choy, chaufa rice and a nikkei sauce.

Lomo Saltado contained a mixture of stir-fry beef sirloin with red onions, tomatoes, rustic potatoes and cilantro.

Seco de Cordero is a braised lamb shank, cilantro, aji amarillo, cannellini beans, radish criolla served with a red quinoa and greek yogurt.

A trio of pepper sauces were available to add extra spice and flavor.

For dessert La Tapioca de Coco, a pineapple sorbet and compote served with vanilla crunch and a coconut foam, with alfajor (short bread cookies with lucuma dulce de leche) on the side.

Last week, thanks to some visiting guests in town for the National Restaurant Association show, we were able learn about Peru and taste some of its characteristic cuisine. Chicago has a hearty pocket of Peruvian restaurants and we were excited to dig in family style with a few Peruvian guests in town at the cuisine's most recent addition to the city, Chef Gaston Acurio's venture Tanta.

Chef Jesus Delgado served up a menu showcasing the variety of regional fare from Peru, from hearty beef and potatoes to rich lamb and quinoa and of course a spotlight on fresh seafood. It was all paired with Peru's famous peppers and a few rounds of classic Pisco Sours. We always love learning about different cultures but one of our favorite ways to learn is passing around indigenous dishes and sharing native drinks. Check out the dishes we tried during this complimentary media tasting and head over to Tanta (and their recently opened rooftop patio) for your own taste of Peru.