Page 14 - Boca Exposure - February '20

Page 14, Boca Exposure
Dining Out: This Is Just A Little Alpaca Ride

For A Big Taste Of Peru!

By Alan Serinsky of Bocaire. First Impressions: Here at Pukara, you’ll be going mix. Here the word “mix” is an understatement. This net from
Hungry Al’s love of food started for great Peruvian food. So, don’t expect tablecloths or the sea was filled with baby octopus, scallops, calamari, fish,
young. Never satisfied at the an extensive wine list. Here the décor is typical of what shrimp and a mussel topper. The rice was perfectly cooked
family dinner table with his you would find in the city of Cusco. There are simple yet with a rich homemade Sofrito sauce. Yes … I took a good
Mom’s dishes, he started to cook comfortable wooden tables and chairs, a decorated brick portion home!
his own way through her Betty wall with shelved clay artifacts of traditional pottery, and a Another signature dish at Pukara is their Covina. The
Crocker cookbook. His food simple but elegant drop lighting throughout. chef indicates it’s one of their most popular, and it’s imported
journey consisted of working The waitstaff is overly friendly and with Peruvian heritage. directly from Peru.
many restaurants both as server and cook, attending The good news is, the menu has English descriptions of every Note: I should mention that all our dishes were plated
numerous cooking classes, and traveling the world in an dish, or you can simply ask the waiter for more details. beautifully in very appropriate Peruvian-style bowls and
effort to expand his palette of different flavors and cuisines. Prime Your Taste Buds: If there’s one thing Peru is noted plates. It’s nice to see the kitchen taking the effort to deliver
As a professional writer, Hungry Al will give you his for it would be their Ceviche. The icy water currents that something that not only tastes good but is also pleasing to the
perspective on current food trends and guide you through flow from the Pacific Ocean just off of Peru’s coast support eye.
your local restaurant choices. one of the world’s most plentiful sources of seafood. This From The Dessert Tray: At this point we had our full
dish is typically made from raw fish that’s naturally cured share of food. So, it came down to one selection: the Dulce
Pukara from the acidity found in citrus juices (lime and lemon). To de Leche Cheesecake ($7). This graham cracker base cake
6063 S.W. 18th Street add more flavors, it’s usually spiced with red onion and aji was devoured in less than two minutes. The best part was
Suite 103 (next to Howard’s Market) peppers. the sake-spiced sauce that surrounded this rich, creamy and
Boca Raton, FL 33343 The Hungry Squad shared a dish of Ceviche al Aji heavenly slice of sweetness.
(561) 419-8009 Amarillo ($18), which consisted of a mixed array of fish Check Please: I hope after reading this review that you,
marinated in lime juice with aji (mild pepper) limo, garlic, too, might just want to deviate from the normal steakhouses,
Food For Thought: Peruvian food? I know it’s outside of cilantro, and of course red onions. You can opt for the chains and Italian restaurants that over-saturate our community.
your comfort zone. But for me it ranks in the top five culinary Ceviche de Pescado Clasico with rocoto pepper that might For us, we sometimes just reach a point of boredom. Really,
destinations. If you have ever been to Peru you probably deliver a bit more heat. just how much grilled steak and salmon can you eat?
understand why. A few years ago, Hungry D. and I spent a week The big winner for us that evening was the Causa de Think about it…when was the last time you went to an
touring this country and our biggest takeaway was that Peru Camaron ($15). If there’s one dish that most Americans Indian restaurant? Or, even better, branched out to an African
was a “living” culture. The indigenous people of this country should know about, but don’t, it’s Causa. To best explain this or Jamaican eatery? There are so many different types of
are still true to their roots. starter, it is a nicely cold stack of mashed potatoes layered cuisines now available within our city borders that there is
These folks still dress in colorful cultural garments, shop in like a cake with yellow pepper, avocado, shrimp (or chicken, no excuse for not eating outside-the-box. Please give Pukara
small local markets, bike or walk to get where they need to go, tuna) and dressed with a mayonnaise-y sauce. a try and you’ll realize that there’s more to Peru than Machu
grow their own produce, and still loom their Alpaca sweaters Straight From The Kitchen: Hungry D. chose a very Picchu.
by hand. As for their culinary, many of their recipes date back interesting dish called Aji De Gallina ($16). It was comprised The Hungry Squad would walk the Inca Trail for more of
centuries and have been passed on through family generations. of only tender shredded white chicken meat floating in what Pukara has to offer. Therefore, we are giving this hard-
I’ve been all over the world and I have yet to see elsewhere what looks like a bowl of Velvetta cheese. Please don’t get working Peruvian restaurateur four golden alpacas!
the variety of vegetables and potatoes I did in Peru. Add that disillusioned by this description, because it’s not what it
along with the local spices and original cooking techniques looks like. This creamy rich yellow pepper sweet sauce will
and you’ll discover a unique formula for redefining the word turn you into an “Aji” junkie. Warning: It’s very filling, so
“gourmet.” expect to bring some home.
That being said, it was hard to resist our desire to test the Hungry Al (that’s me) selected the Arroz con Mariscos
kitchen in this small tucked-away restaurant. ($20) that is best described as Peruvian paella with a seafood