Taste of Peru

Sitting in-between a Laundromat and a nail salon, Taste of Peru is easy to miss. Don’t let the grungy strip mall fool you- Taste of Peru is awesome. I can’t say that I have had a lot (or any) Peruvian food in my life, but going to Taste of Peru made me want to raise llamas. The restaurant itself is very small and slightly kitsch, but also warm and welcoming. The staff was friendly and helpful, but never overbearing. Because of Spanish, Basque, African, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, French and British immigration to Peru, Peruvian cuisine is among the most diverse in the world. To start, my friend and I ordered beef empanadas and anticuchos. My rough translation of an anticucho is “beef heart on a stick”. I thoroughly enjoyed my heart shish-kabobs because they were tender and well marinated. Unfortunately, I have a nut allergy, so I couldn’t try the empanadas (contains walnuts), but my friend said they were good and I trust her judgment. For our main courses, we ordered Lomo Saltado and Cau-Cau (tripe stew). Lomo Saltado is a traditional Peruvian meal with thin strips of beef, tomatoes, onions and French fries thrown together and sautéed in a pan. Often times, thin slices of beef can get stringy and tough, but this was tender and flavorful. The combination of the onions, tomatoes and French fries was random, but it worked. Cau-Cau, on the other hand, is not for the faint of heart. Some may call it tripe, some may call it cow stomach, I call it surprisingly good. Although I wouldn’t order Cau- Cau again, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment for trying something different. If you haven’t had tripe before, I would describe it as a porous, rubber eraser. The chewy texture is slightly overwhelming at first, but with some rice, it eventually grows on you. Although I ate an abnormal amount of internal organs that night, there are many other options as well for a less adventurous eater. As if we didn’t already eat enough, my friend and I also ordered sides of maduros (plantains) and thinly sliced sweet potatoes. The maduros were ridiculously delicious and the sweet potatoes were great with a large scoop of the spicy jalapeño and garlic condiment that is given to every table. As we were leaving, I struck up a conversation with the owner, Cesar Izquierdo (pictured), and it was apparent he loved his work and his native country of Peru. He was a good combination of friendly and quirky, and he made an effort to talk to all of his customers as if they were old friends. Basically, Taste of Peru has something for everyone, and I strongly recommend it.
Taste of Peru
6545 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60626-4001
(773) 381-4540