Peachy Picks Warique Peruvian Kitchen Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Peruvian Owner Jimmy Lozano
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A great aspect of dining in Manhattan is that you can travel around the world without leaving our lovely borough. We've featured many Italian, French, and American venues but rarely do we find something that's as one-of-a-kind as Warique Peruvian Kitchen, open since April 2011. We of course have heard of Peru but were not familiar with its cuisine prior to our fantastic takeout experience:
Owner Jimmy Lozano does a great job with this spot, and he should as he is from Peru. We began toasting the evening with a Pisco Sour, at Jimmy's suggestion. Pisco is like vodka he tells us, and it is added to lime juice, egg white and simple sugar. It is a festive start to a trip to Peru, the Peru on the Upper West Side, that is.
In Peachy Deegan's humble opinion, the standout menu item is the Chupe de Camarones, which we also tried during the Takeout review. The flavor and ingredients in it are outstanding.
The definition of the name is fresh shrimp soup served with rice, green peas, peruvian baby corn, and batted eggs. As it is now officially freezing in Manhattan, this is one of our top choices for foods to warm you up! When Peachy orders something again in the formal review that she already had in the Takeout, she is looking for consistency in quality if she liked something. This did not disappoint.
Looks like a dessert? Wrong! It is beautiful though. Jimmy suggested we try the Causa Peruana con Pollo o Atun. This translates into whipped potatoes, avocado and aji amarillo with chicken (tuna also available instead of chicken). It is a cute little casserole kind of appetizer that have flavors that blend together nicely.
To contrast with our stellar fishy start, Peachy asked Jimmy what is his best carnivorous choice? Jimmy said she should try the Tacu Tacu con Lomo Saltado: Tender Beef Sauteed with onions, tomatoes, and soy sauce over french fries. It's served with Tacu Tacu rice (which is white rice mixed with red beans) and sweet plaintains topped with fried egg. We've never seen anything like it before and felt as if we were visiting someone in Peru! The atmosphere in Warique Peruvian Kitchen is festive without being loud and all in all it is a great experience.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
If you are looking for a great neighborhood gem than look no further then Warique. This Peruvian kitchen is a delightful place to dine. The newly renovated space is cozy and comfortable but the main show here is of course the native Peruvian cooking. Being unfamiliar with this cuisine I was very excited to try the dishes and they did not disappoint. Before a dish could be ordered it was insisted that I try a Peruvian cocktail, the Pisco Sour and it was great. The perfect accompaniment to the meal, the nicely crafted cocktail set the tone for the Peruvian journey I was about to embark on.
The menu has many offerings from salads, soups, ceviche and more. To start off I tried the Warique salad, this lovely salad platter featured a bed of lettuce with quinoa, corn, avocado, cucumbers, tomatoes and dried cranberries. The Warique salad was fresh and delicious. I especially enjoyed the house made dressing. The table also sampled the Causa Peruana con Pollo, which was unlike anything I have ever tried.
This beautifully presented appetizer features cold whipped potatoes, avocados and chicken with a delightful tangy sauce. This is truly something unique that you need to try.
Off to a great start, I couldn't wait to try the main dish. The menu offers so many different entree selections from seafood to chicken, beef and even pasta. All the enticing options make it difficult to choose just one but I settled on the Pescado a Lo Macho. This tasty dish featured fresh pan fried fish, shrimp, mussels and calamari in a special Peruvian sauce with yellow rice. It was very good, the sauce was a bit creamy with a very nice tang and all the seafood was fresh and flavorful. It was a wonderful choice and I will be back for it again. The service at Warique makes the dining experience as well. Attentive and friendly they really make you feel welcome and that too added to the wonderful experience I had at Warique. Now that I have experienced true Peruvian cuisine I can't wait to have more, and I am sure you will agree.
Peachy Picks Warique!
