Just two weeks ago, world-famous culinary mogul, Gastón Acurio, opened his first restaurant in NYC. He handed the reigns of La Mar to executive chef, Victoriano López - his right-hand man for the past two decades.
Peruvian cuisine has been flooding NY this year with Miguel Aguillar, Lima-born chef of Park Slope’s Surfish Peruvian Bistro, winning the Food Network’s cooking competition on Chopped, and the new pisco bar, Amaru, by the same owners of the uber-successful Pio Pio chain opening in Jackson Heights this July.
According to the Consulate General of Peru, the number of Peruvian restaurants in NY has grown significantly from approximately 20 to 50 in the past five years alone. Before we know it, Peruvian cuisine might be as readily available in NY as Chinese and Italian.
La Mar raises a notch in the Peruvian food ranks in NYC though. The interior of the restaurant, designed by famed Stephanie Goto, is an oasis from the city. She transformed the two-level space into a sea-haven of white walls and splashes of turquoise, and a not-to-miss chandelier spewing bluish transparent beads through the center of the two floors. A hanging mosaic made of Peruvian corn by Brent Kanbayashi adorns two of the walls.
López says he doesn’t have a favorite dish, while he demonstrates how he makes a traditional Chinese-influenced lomo saltado (juicy flame broiled hanger steak chunks stir fried in oyster sauce with onions and organic blue potatoes from the Union Square market) in a flaming wok in 1-minute, with precision, and most importantly, with potent flavor and color.
“We make 10 of these every five minutes,” says López.
Besides the delicious food, one can choose from many cocktails made with 18 different pisco varieties, ranging in price from $12 - 15. Some options include Chicha Tu Ma, a combination of chicha morada (a Peruvian juice made with purple corn that is slow-cooked for eight hours on-site with pineapple skins, apples, quince, cinnamon, and spice), and then mixed with organic passionfruit, and pisco quebranta; and Pisco Punch which is made from a recipe from 1860 with La Mar's own twist - house-made punch syrup, fresh-squeezed lemon, and pisco acholado.
The head bartender, Saul Ranella, who has come to NY’s La Mar after bartending at the San Francisco location for the past three years, is now a pisco connoisseur who enjoys pairing pisco with Peruvian food. He says, “The kitchen to the bar is as authentic to Peru as possible.”
Read more of my coverage in the NY Daily News here to learn more about Chef López, who says his wife originally was against him coming to NY and leaving her and his three kids behind in Peru. As he speaks though, you can almost hear his heartfelt smile as he raves humbly about his new project and how it all started.
Peruvian cuisine has been flooding NY this year with Miguel Aguillar, Lima-born chef of Park Slope’s Surfish Peruvian Bistro, winning the Food Network’s cooking competition on Chopped, and the new pisco bar, Amaru, by the same owners of the uber-successful Pio Pio chain opening in Jackson Heights this July.
According to the Consulate General of Peru, the number of Peruvian restaurants in NY has grown significantly from approximately 20 to 50 in the past five years alone. Before we know it, Peruvian cuisine might be as readily available in NY as Chinese and Italian.
La Mar raises a notch in the Peruvian food ranks in NYC though. The interior of the restaurant, designed by famed Stephanie Goto, is an oasis from the city. She transformed the two-level space into a sea-haven of white walls and splashes of turquoise, and a not-to-miss chandelier spewing bluish transparent beads through the center of the two floors. A hanging mosaic made of Peruvian corn by Brent Kanbayashi adorns two of the walls.
López says he doesn’t have a favorite dish, while he demonstrates how he makes a traditional Chinese-influenced lomo saltado (juicy flame broiled hanger steak chunks stir fried in oyster sauce with onions and organic blue potatoes from the Union Square market) in a flaming wok in 1-minute, with precision, and most importantly, with potent flavor and color.
“We make 10 of these every five minutes,” says López.
Besides the delicious food, one can choose from many cocktails made with 18 different pisco varieties, ranging in price from $12 - 15. Some options include Chicha Tu Ma, a combination of chicha morada (a Peruvian juice made with purple corn that is slow-cooked for eight hours on-site with pineapple skins, apples, quince, cinnamon, and spice), and then mixed with organic passionfruit, and pisco quebranta; and Pisco Punch which is made from a recipe from 1860 with La Mar's own twist - house-made punch syrup, fresh-squeezed lemon, and pisco acholado.
The head bartender, Saul Ranella, who has come to NY’s La Mar after bartending at the San Francisco location for the past three years, is now a pisco connoisseur who enjoys pairing pisco with Peruvian food. He says, “The kitchen to the bar is as authentic to Peru as possible.”
Read more of my coverage in the NY Daily News here to learn more about Chef López, who says his wife originally was against him coming to NY and leaving her and his three kids behind in Peru. As he speaks though, you can almost hear his heartfelt smile as he raves humbly about his new project and how it all started.
Te felicito Kristina, espero estes pronto en Lima y conversemos harto o de repente me voy para alla un ratito ohhhhh Ana Maria
ReplyDeleteCongrats Kristi great article about La Mar Restaurant with the magnificent Chef Victoriano and our amazing Peruvian food!!! so proud of you!!!! salud
ReplyDeleteFelicidades! Me encanto el articulo! Se que te encanta la gente Peruana y su comida. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for mentioning talented chef Miguel Aguilar of Surfish. Peruvian Food rocks!!!
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