Panca, New York City

Last May, Alvaro and I spent a week playing tourists in New York City. Before arriving, we did our research and found a Peruvian restaurant in the West Village. After spending the morning at the UN (and buying the flag you see here) we went to Panca for the closest thing to authentic Peruvian food available in the US.

Causa- a cold, mashed potato-esque bottom topped with
avocado and chicken salad
Of course, I thought everything was delicious, the true test was whether or not Alvaro's more particular palette would approve of ceviche in the city. And it did, he loved it. We dined on causa, ceviche, lomo saltado and tres leches. We sipped on pisco sours and Cusqueña. All in all it was a success.

Lomo Saltado- steak, tomatoes, onions and aji cooked in
soy sauce, served with fries and rice

Recently, Panca earned a food score of 23 on Zagat. This is the highest score a Peruvian restaurant in Manhattan has ever received. Believe me, it's well deserved. Congrats, Panca!

If you or someone you know is going to NYC, send them to Panca. There's a reason Peruvians are so proud of their food.