Google Tag Manager icon Peruvian Dining Skip to main content

Featured

The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...

Peruvian Dining

The place that we heard and read about was called Chicha.  One doesn't get a table for dinner there without reservations.   And there were simply no reservations available before our Inca Trail hike, unless we were willing to eat at 9:30 p.m.  I'm not one for eating a meal right before bedtime.

Instead, we ended up at a place called Morena Peruvian kitchen which overlooked the Plaza de Armas. Peru is well-known for delicious food, and this was probably the best dining experience that we've had in many years anywhere for less than the price of Olive Garden in the U.S.

It started with a Pisco Sour.  Pisco is a grape distilled spirit.  The cocktail is generally made with Pisco, lime juice, egg white, and bitters.  Mine had some other fresh juices in it and was made table-side--something new to me.


Julia and I shared an appetizer:  grilled alpaca on a skewer, along with  potatoes and vegetables.  Peru has over 200 varieties of potatoes. 

Yes, the flowers are edible

Julia had a non-alcoholic drink made from purple corn and a chicken dish.

I had what they called beef stir-fry, but that doesn't do it justice. The marinated beef was flavorful and so tender that you could cut it with a fork.

 

Next up:  our guided tour of Cusco's public market and historical sites.


Comments

MFH said…
I see people wearing masks. Aren't they listening to the American pundits who assured everyone Covid was a global scam thought up by the pharmaceutical companies and the NRA?

Could you tell how many of the other diners were "locals?"
John said…
At Morena, the people wearing masks are the employees who are locals. Public health is taken very seriously in Peru. Despite loosening rules, most locals still masked anywhere people congregate, inside or outside. Seeing a high percentage of locals masking on Peru's downtown streets outside was a surprise to us. Peru required everyone, including tourists, to mask on any public transport (planes, trains, buses).

The difference between Americans and other international tourists is that the people we talked to from Europe and Brazil seemed to think that Covid danger was largely over now that we have vaccines. The "Covid scam" idea was something they attributed to certain Americans being crazy.

No locals dining at that restaurant. We saw locals eating at the public market and at street stands but not at tourist restaurants.
MFH said…
It's reassuring to hear SOME people take their and others' health seriously.

Popular Posts