Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide

Desi's Chicken and Steak, web site, 10801 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax, VA, 703-865-8150 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window)

Right now this is the best Peruvian place around. It looks terrible, as if it’s trying to cater to the worst sort of American diner. But the chef can’t help himself. The Lomo Saltado is first-rate, the soups excellent. The chicken is pretty good, though not #1. The rice and seafood dishes are quite good. Go, and go now. Many other restaurants in this space have gone under, it has not been a stable space since the old days of Pars.

Ceviche, web site (flash and music), 921-J Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, MD, 301-608-0081 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Silver Spring Voice | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell]

I went here with about seven people and sampled many dishes. I thought the rice was quite good, the ceviche pretty good. They have lots of Peruvian dishes you can’t find elsewhere. All a good recipe, but somehow I ended up a bit underwhelmed. I wouldn’t mind going back, but I’m not pushing to either. It’s in “that part” of Silver Spring and appeals almost exclusively to yuppies. It’s missing a certain edge. It’s still pretty good, though, and never to go is probably a mistake. Not super cheap like some ethnic places, but cheaper than most other places for yuppies.

Las Canteras, 2307 18th Street NW, Washington, DC, lower Adams-Morgan, 202-265-1780 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | Yelp | Gayot]

A Peruvian place designed to appeal to yuppies. I walked by, looked at it, looked at the menu, and was thoroughly unimpressed. A friend of mine with impeccable taste tried it and didn’t like it. I won’t go unless I start hearing it is great.

Majestic Rosa Nautica, 2922 Annandale Road, Falls Church, VA, 703-538-8888, 703-538-8885 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window)

The dining hall is huge, indeed cavernous and the waitresses are skimpily clad. Drunk Peruvians watch soccer on huge screens. I had to wait a long time before being served. The fish in my pescado saltado was falling apart. They have music at night, and on a few web sites are listed as providing “adult entertainment.” (Not when I was there.) Dance lessons too.

Are these auspicious signs or not? Well, the kitchen does “get” the fundamental essence of Peruvian seafood and they do serve it fresh. I’ll go back, but when I’m in a patient mood. So far I give this one a thumbs up, but I can’t imagine how they can afford to pay for so much space.

Wild Chicken, web site, 11039 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA, West Fair Shopping Center, in the rear, this is the hardest place to find in this whole guide, it is simply behind the big buildings facing the main street, 703-383-0266 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Yelp]

They have Peruvian chicken, a 7 on a scale of one to ten. On Monday there is Lomo Saltado, Tuesday has Aji de Gallina, and Friday has Seco de Carne (beef stew with cilantro). Those dishes are quite good, and occasionally on offer other days as well. An intriguing mom n’ pop, and certainly worth trying at least once. They also offer unusual (and tasty) Latino ice creams, seasonally.

Lima Restaurant, web site (Flash and music) 1401 K Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-789-2800 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | MenuPages | City Paper | Yelp]

Peruvian is trendy now and this place is hot. It is a wonderful and diverse cuisine. But what is this place? The reviews indicate a lot of citrus-cooked fish (OK) and lots of Spanish dishes. The verdict remains out…

Update November, 2006: The new hip place, and the best ceviche in town, without a doubt. Not cheap and hard to get in on Friday and Saturday. Parts of the décor are stunningly attractive, while other parts resemble a bad high school cafeteria. Friendly service. I thought the short ribs were excellent, plus of course the ceviche. I recommend focusing on the appetizers. I don’t feel I need to go here often, and I suspect that not all the menu items (of course I picked the best ones) are good. But it is definitely a place worth trying. I’ll add that at least half the menu items are not “Peruvian,” in the classic sense, but the same could be said for the hot spots in Lima, Peru. This place is aptly named.

Pio-Pio, 3360 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA, 703-465-5200 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window)

Good rotisserie chicken, and look for the chicken standing outside the front, waving a large placard.

El Pulgarcito del Callao, 11333 Elkin Street, Silver Spring, MD, 301-942-5395 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | Yelp]

Peruvian, El Salvadorean, and Mexican dishes, but Peruvian at its core. I have yet to try it.

See the Peruvian category.

Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world. Thanks to its pre-Incan and Inca heritage and to Spanish, African, French, Sino-Cantonese, Japanese and Italian immigration (mainly throughout the 19th century) it combines the flavors of four continents.

Peruvian cuisine - from Wikipedia

The Economist magazine, for example, reported in a January 2004 article that Peru could "lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines". Norman Van Aken, one of Florida's most gifted chefs, acknowledged that Peruvian cuisine was possibly the most enticing of those he had studied. And Patrick Martin, academic director of Le Cordon Blue, said that one of the reasons why they had a branch of the school in Lima was the excellent quality of local cuisine.

"Peruvian Cuisine: An Introduction to Peruvian Gastronomy," The Peru Guide

The guinea pig, or cuy as it is known in Peru (from its chirping cries), is a delicacy throughout the central Andes. It was domesticated nearly 5,000 years ago. “Raise guinea pigs and eat well,” enjoined an Inca saying.

"A guinea pig for all tastes and seasons," The Economist, July 15, 2004

To outsiders, Latin American food may conjure up not much more than the smell of Mexican tacos. But Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines. Beyond its trademark dish of cebiche (raw fish marinaded in lime juice), Peruvian food is little known abroad. That may be about to change. Peru is in the throes of a “spontaneous revolution” in gastronomy, as Raúl Vargas, a journalist and foodie puts it.

"Peru's gastronomic revolution," The Economist, January 29, 2004 (subscription required)

Rivera's Restaurant, 6552 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA, 703-451-5343 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Citysearch]

Has pupusas as well, selection of standard Peruvian dishes, very small, definitely a mom and pop, I have yet to try it.

Ceviche, web site (flash and music), 921-J Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, MD, 301-608-0081, closed for weekend lunches I believe. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Silver Spring Voice | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell]

Somehow I doubt if this place is good but I guess you should…um…get the ceviche.

See the update, February 2008

El Chalan, web site, 1924 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-293-2765 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp]

Peruvian food for the World Bank crowd, basically. Not an extensive menu but it does draw on several parts of Peru, including Ariquepena. Acts like a real restaurant, differs from the other Peruvian places listed here. Worth visiting, order the lamb in beer sauce and the chicken in peanut and onion sauce.

Chicken House and Family Kitchen, 6007 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA, 703-379-1255, in the Culmore Shopping Center (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Yelp]

The most stripped down chicken place you can imagine, barely deserves to be called a restaurant. Not above average, but not below average either. The immediate area has stiff competition, but occasionally I end up here.

Peruvian Chicken and Steak, 6198 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church, VA, 703-237-7704, in Willston shopping center strip mall (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Falls Church News-Press | Washingtonian | City Paper | Yelp]

Yet another chicken place, yet another good chicken place. They have interesting fruit juices, too.

Costa Verde, 946 North Jackson Street, Arlington, VA, 703-522-6976, near GMU Metro campus, across from the gas station, usually open. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]

A good Peruvian place that has gotten better with time. Very good ceviche de pescado and very good seafood, my favorite is the Pescado Saltado but most dishes are excellent. Recommended. Use lots of the green sauce.

La Granja de Oro, 2920 Annandale Road, Falls Church, VA, 703-534-5511 / 5519 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Yelp]

The place to go for Peruvian mixed grill, including beef heart, tripe, calf liver, etc. The other items are adequate, though not the very best around. Not on a major strip, so most people don't know about it. Not so far from either Rt. 7 or 236. Live music on some evenings. I’ve heard there is a good branch in Washington, also (1801 Adams Mill Road, Washington, DC, 202-232-8888 [WaPo | City Paper | Yelp])

By the way, don't drink Inka Kola, no matter how many locals you see ordering it. It's like boiled, sweetened, liquefied bubble gum.

Santa Rosa Seafood, 2224 18th Street NW, Washington, DC, in Adams-Morgan, 202-518-8100 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp]

Very good place for ceviche. Ceviche is raw fish, and the Peruvians mix it with coriander, red onions, and a lime marinade. This place also has good scallops. The cooked fish is quite good, but the raw seafood is the thing to get. I suggest getting the ceviche mixto, and the paella, although you cannot finish both. Pescado Saltado is another treat. That being said, I find the atmosphere of this place depressing. I love dumps, but somehow this place is a dump without trying to be.

El Pollo Rico, 932 Kenmore Street, Arlington, VA, 703-522-3220, near the GMU Law School, they have moved from the old location. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp]

You have to admire any restaurant that has only one item on the menu. One of the best chicken places. Maybe the best chicken. And certainly the best fries. But no yucca. On the negative side, the portions are smaller than in many places, and it doesn’t always come piping hot. Great for people-watching.

(Peruvian chicken is "pollo a la brasa')

Pollo Inka, 656 Elden Street, Herndon, VA, 703-481-9090 (703-871-0362?) (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper]

Another good Peruvian chicken place in a Herndon mini-mall.

A reader recommends Pollo Real, again in Herndon, 1114 Herndon Pkwy, Herndon, VA, 703-796-9000, Elden Street at Herndon Parkway. [Yelp]

The Chicken Place, 5519 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA, 703-931-3090, near Bailey’s Crossroads, where the old Edy’s used to be. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window)

They have one of the tastiest chickens, a place to go if you are tired of the large crowds at Edy’s, you can eat here with no sacrifice in quality, plus the chicken comes more quickly.

- - -

Never been to these other restaurants named "The Chicken Place": 2418 University Blvd. West, Wheaton, MD, 301-946-1212 [Washingtonian | Gayot]

In Gaithersburg, La Flor de la Canela used to be called "The Chicken Place": 117 N. Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD, 301-519-9100 [WaPo]

Edy's Chicken and Steak, 5240 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA, 703-820-5509, Las Brasas, Leesburg Pike, Bailey's Crossroads, on the north side of Route 7, just east of Chesapeake Plaza, where the old Borders used to be (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | Yelp]

After moving to fancy new digs, at first the quality declined but now it has recovered. That being said, the waits for chicken are now sometimes interminable, once it took a solid 35 minutes. One is reminded of Yogi Berra’s old adage: “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” Still, I love this place. And an A plus for atmosphere and good general fun. Oh, get the chicken, not the steak. For yucca fries, I think the best is Brasa Roja, in Fairfax, or the place in Willston Plaza (Peruvian Chicken and Steak), on Rt. 50; the yucca here is actually substandard.

Machu Picchu, 5912 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA, 703-379-7777, near Bailey Crossroads, in the same shopping center as Maxim’s, the Chinese place previously known as Fortune. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Falls Church News-Press | City Paper | openlist | Gayot]

I went once and had a good experience with grilled salmon and the Peruvian spicy green sauce. Plus they have some good stuffed avocado appetizers. Rio Bravo failed in this locale in the past, the premises are simply too big to support an ethnic restaurant, here’s to hoping that I am wrong.

El Majahual Chim-Pun Callao Restaurant, 3815-B S. George Mason Drive, Falls Church, VA, 703-845-9501. Off Rt. 7, just east of Skyline Mall, or take the confusing Seminary Road from Alexandria. Open any time you would care to go. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Yelp]

This restaurant's name has something to do with soccer, it seems. Many Peruvian wonders here. Papa Huancaina makes for a nice appetizer - potatoes covered with a spicy cheese sauce. The Ceviche is very good. Among the mains, Seco is lamb stew with beans. Lomo Saltado is the dish I use to gauge any Peruvian restaurant - salty beef, olive oil, tomatoes, and french fries all mixed together. Don't worry, the French Fries are supposed to be soggy. It's best here. The Italian-sounding dishes are less interesting. Same with some of the steaks (see the remarks under "Cecilia's" Bolivian on this point). Go for the dishes that mix ingredients.

The restaurant also serves good El Salvadorean food; I like the Taquito appetizer. Plus the usual E.S. assortments. The mini-mall also deserves a full walk, both front and back sides. This is what Northern Virginia is all about, and what makes living here tolerable. You'll find ethnic groceries for Filipino, Ethiopian, Indian, Afghan, and Vietnamese foods.

Crisp & Juicy, multiple outlets [WaPo | 10Best | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Citysearch | Gayot]

• 4540 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA, on the corner of Lee Hwy and N. Woodrow Street, 703-243-4222 [Hobnob Blog]
• 913 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, VA, 703-241-9091 [Falls Church News-Press | Tarting it up]
• 1331-G Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, 301-251-8833
• 3800 International Drive, Silver Spring, MD, 301-598-3333

Many of my readers like these places, I have yet to go.

Crisp & Juicy, 4540 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA

913 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, VA

Crisp & Juicy, , half of whole chicken dinner

Crisp & Juicy, , half of whole chicken dinner

Crisp & Juicy, chicken breast sandwich with everything on it

Crisp & Juicy, whole chicken

Crisp & Juicy, black beans and rice, fries, and salad

Kam Po, 5884 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA, 703-578-4017 [City Paper]

They have Chinese dishes and Peruvian dishes, with mutual influence running both ways. Visitors to Lima will be familiar with the concept, the place is run by Chinese Peruvians. An interesting novelty, and reasonably good, but it doesn’t beat trying either cuisine pure up.