2009-07-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Urubamba (Inti Raymi)
86-20 37th Avenue
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
718-672-2224
http://www.urubambarestaurant.com/

Inti Raymi, at c. 36-years-old the doyenne of Peruvian restaurants in Queens, has reopened as Urubamba (The old name, which refers to an Incan sun festival, survives parenthetically on the menu). Glittering masks of wide-eyed deities, dark wood, dimmed lights, and gracious service make this an intriguing setting in which to explore a wide selection of grilled meat and sea-food dishes, spicy and garlicky appetizers like papas a la huancaina, and an especially fiery version of the beguiling light-green salsa found in many Peruvian restaurants.

Tacu tacu (fried rice and beans) underneath grilled carne encebollada--a meal to sustain you all day--cried out for the company of a crisp lager such as Peru's Cristal, but Urubamba is currently without a liquor license. However, there is a loop-hole: chicha jora, a refreshing, mildly alcoholic fermented drink made from corn, resembling hard cider. This drink went particularly well with ceviche of corvina, redolent of lime and cilantro.

Regular hours are scaled back on weekends, but Breakfast is served until 11:00 AM (Sunday) or 12:00 AM (Saturday). Buen provecho! (07/17/09).

2009-07-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

Las Delicias Peruanas
43-07 104th St.
Corona, NY 11368
718-565-1272

Short of trekking to Patterson NJ or settling for the limited offerings of the ubiquitous Pio Pio, the search for good Peruvian food in the Big Apple leads to Queens. Specifically, Corona boasts reliable spots like Delicias Peruanas. The name does justice to the restaurant and to Peruvian food, a happy marriage of Eurasian and indigenous American influences.

Pastaphiles: Don't expect al dente if you order tallarines verdes con apanado (breaded beef on spaghetti with pesto). Also, substitution of queso fresco for pecorino results in a mellower pesto. Aji de gallina (chicken in a savory sauce enriched by aji panca, a smoked chile puree) earned a smile from my wife, a homesick Limen(~)a.

Ceviche is one of the glories of Peruvian cooking. My suegra improvises on the citrus-cooks-fish theme by adding ginger juice, while others garnish with seaweed and/or toasted corn. Everything collects at the bottom of the plate to create an elixir called "tiger's milk" savored by Peruvians in shot-glasses after the sea-food is consumed. However, the sour ceviche we tried at Las Delicias seemed pickled in citric acid, so we elected not to test the alleged aphrodisiac properties of leche de tigre.

Las Delicias' simple decor provides an escape from the clamor of 104th Street. A photo of the annual procession of El Sen(~)or de los Milagros recalled the fragrance of incense and grilled anticuchos sold outside Lima's Iglesia de la Nazarena. Service is gruff but efficient. Las Delicias Peruanas is a good place to try one of the world's most winning cuisines, except on Tuesdays; the restaurant is closed. (06/26/09)

Le Vin des Chiffoniers