Los Andes is a Peruvian restaurant in Providence. One of HG’s all time favorites. It’s a big restaurant, jam-packed with an astonishingly diverse crowd of diners, all having an uproarious good time. This was the restaurant chosen for Profesore Massimo R.’s birthday dinner and HG/BSK and the Riva family were in high spirits. A big pitcher of very good sangria appeared. But, before sampling, HG and Massimo R. downed some beautifully made (and lethal) Pisco Sours. So good that HG had two. The Pisco Sour (Pisco Brandy, sugar, lime and whipped egg white) is HG’s favorite cocktail. The only other place in North America where you can get an authentic Pisco Sour is San Francisco. Peruvian sailors introduced it to San Francisco during the Gold Rush days. (San Francisco is also the city where you can taste another South American treat, the Ramos Gin Fizz. The venerable Tadich Grill makes it a specialty). The HG/BSK/R group started their meal with two ceviches: Ceviche Clasico (lime juice marinated clams, Prince Edward Island mussels, squid, shrimp and tilapia. Flavored with pureed garlic, and fiery leche de tigre). Ceviche de Pescano: (tilapia marinated in lime juice and cilantro and served with sliced red onion and strips of arugula in a leche de tigre sauce). There were three salads: Causa Limena (whipped potatoes and avocado topped with shredded chicken); a traditional Peruvian salad of sliced hard-boiled eggs adorning slices of purple potatoes; salad a la russe (the Russian salad of cooked vegetables in mayonnaise). Main dishes were powerfully robust and flavorful: Parillada Antica (a huge platter of grilled rib steak; homemade chorizo, marinated chicken thighs and fried yucca); Fricase (pork rib stew in a winy, dark sauce served with rice mixed with melted cheese). Wonderful tastes. A meal fit for a holiday and a birthday celebration.
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