Pollo ala Brasa Chicken: So Good, Few Words Are Needed

For awhile now, I've been hearing from friends about how good Pollo a la Brasa's Peruvian Chicken was. Though it took awhile, I finally made it there with said friends. Now if you're looking for fancy, this isn't the place. Think hole in the wall dining and you've hit the mark.

However, fancy doesn't always equate good food and Pollo a la Brasa is one example of that. While there, you may want to order the Chicha Morada, the Peruvian purple corn drink. I found this version a little too sweet, but the melting ice watered it down to my preference.

More ...

With the chicken, you have a choice of sides that includes black beans, rice or French Fries. The black beans were a choice by some in the group.

I was in the mood for French Fries, so that's what I went for. As for the chicken itself, Wow! The chicken had crispy skin and took on some woodsy flavors from being cooked in a wood-fired oven. The meat was juicy and succulent and that included the chicken breast. Simply, the chicken was fantastic. Now if only there was a Pollo a la Brasa closer to me. Oh well.

Simply, the chicken was fantastic. Now if only there was a Pollo a la Brasa closer to me. Oh well. :(

Pollo a la Brasa
764 S Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 382-4090




^

Already Planning a Return Trip to Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant

I'm sure everyone can relate to having show tickets and trying to figure out where to grab a bite to eat beforehand. That was my dilemma as I was rushing from work to meet a couple of friends and of course, on my way there, I got a call with the inevitable question, "Where should we eat?" Given that the show was at the Pantages Theater, which isn't too far from Thai Town, a Thai restaurant was the obvious choice, but for once, I wasn't in the mood for Asian food.

Still pondering options, I got off the Hollywood Boulevard exit and spotted a sign partially hidden behind a building that said Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant. My tastebuds stood at attention. Thankfully, I also remember from the recesses of my mind reading some good reviews. Yes! I knew what was for dinner and directed my two theater buddies to meet me at the given address. Walking into Natalie Peruvian, the dining room was a rectangular room. It wasn't very big, but I really liked the bright red wood furniture.

More ...

Not wanting to linger too long, we placed our order right away. Anytime, I go to a Peruvian restaurant, I have to order a drink called a Chicha Morada, which is a drink made out of purple corn. The one at Natalie Peruvian was a bit too sweet, but still refreshing.

Corn was still on the books for our appetizer which was Cancha or simply, dry fried corn. The cancha were similar to corn nuts, but with a smoother texture. There wasn't anything special about the cancha, but it's a nice salty and savory way to start the meal.

For my entree, I went with the Pescado Sudado, which is a steamed filet of fish cooked with onions, tomatoes and touch of white wine and served with steamed rice. The fish was wonderful. It was delicate and moist. As for the sauce, when they said a touch of white wine, they meant it and that was a good thing. The wine added just the right amount of citrus notes to pair well with the tomato's acidity and it was yummy poured over my rice.

My two dining partners went for the Chicken Saltado and the Beef Saltado dish. The only difference between the two were the meats, but both were meats sauteed with onions, tomatoes and French fries, served with steamed rice. Both their plates were eaten clean. Enough said.

The service was also really nice. When we told our server that we had a show to catch, the food came out really quickly. Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Natalie Peruvian and am looking forward to trying other items on their menu.

Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant
5759 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028-6719
(323) 463-8340




^

Lunch at Los Balcones del Peru

Recently, I finally made my way with my dining group to Los Balcones del Peru and ever since then, I've been kicking myself for having taken this long to have made the trip there. Upon entering Los Balcones, you might be surprised at what it looks like inside. Compared to both Don Felix and Mario's, which definitely have a more relaxed restaurant décor, Los Balcones did make an effort to rise above the regular "hole in the wall" restaurant look.

There was a red tiled flooring, walls painted with a textured light brown paint and hung on those walls were various pictures of Peru and even art pieces representing the ornate balconies on the buildings surrounding the Plaza de Armas in downtown Lima. Nothing was overtly fancy; yet, you can tell that some care was given to the design of the restaurant interior.

Now on to the food. First off, we were served with warm crusty bread that came along with the green Peruvian spicy sauce. That green spicy sauce is always the highlight of any Peruvian meal that I have. For that particular meal, I would tear off pieces of bread and spread the sauce on top. It was a great way to jumpstart my taste buds.

For our appetizers, we shared three and they were as follows:

1) Camarones a la Piedra - shrimp cooked in aji amarillo, Peruvian spices, yuca and julienned red onion.

**I thought that the sauce that came with this dish was really good. It was mild, but I could taste a hint of the lime juice. I liked the combo of the yuca and crunchy corn kernels. Between the shrimp and those two items, the different textures made for enjoyable eating.

2) Conchitas a la Parmesana - broiled scallops topped with grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil and butter.

**They certainly didn't skimp on the Parmesan cheese and being a cheese lover, I was very happy. The one thing that I was concerned with is that with all the cheese, the scallop would be too salty, but it wasn't. Perhaps the topping of butter and olive oil cut that down

3) Choritos a la Chalaca - fresh boiled mussels served open faced in its shell, topped with their house salad made of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro and Peruvian kernels.

**The mussels were good, but what I really fell in love with was the house salsa. It was just so fresh and the lime dressing that the salsa was mixed in was awesome. I could completely see myself snacking on this salsa with chips. Yum!

As for my entrée, I had the Pescado a la Chorrillan, which was a fillet of fried fish topped with a sauce of onions and tomatoes, bell peppers and green onions and served with steamed rice. The sauce in this dish reminded me of the sauce used in the camarones a la piedra, but it tasted more lemony and also just a tad sweeter, although I'm not quite sure where that little hint of sweetness comes from. Overall, this was a good entree and one I'd order again.

For dessert, a few of us order the Peruvian cookies or Alfajores. My, my, the filling for this cookie was either dulce de leche or some other kind of caramel and wow, this cookie was absolutely decadent. The dulce de leche was practically oozing out every time you took a bite, but the really nice thing about this cookie is that it wasn't overly sweet, even with the amount of caramel filling that came with this cookie.

Finally, our meal ended and there were very many happy diners. Although the service was sometimes a bit spotty, the food was excellent and I would definitely come back and recommend this restaurant to other people as well. If you get a chance, be sure to check Los Balcones del Peru as well. I'm pretty sure that you won't be disappointed.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594260755869/

Los Balcones del Peru
1360 N. Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 871-9600