Skip to main content1314 NW Glisan St., 228-9535, andinarestaurant.com.
[EDIBLE ANDES] Andina's massive menu charts the course of contemporary Peruvian cuisine. It starts somewhere in Madrid's basement taverns, where Spaniards crowd around tiny booths to pluck at shared plates of tortilla espanola and jamon serrano, then heads to the crowded markets of Lima, where sticky fingers grab for fried yucca and empanadas that cost less than a dollar. A decade in, Andina still packs in ExOfficio-clad gastro-tourists looking for a little Peruvian warmth in the Pearl. The encyclopedic menu's highlights include two versions of their famed ceviche: the classic de pescado served with fresh ono ($17); and an interesting deviation, the passion-fruit-spiked mango verde y langostinos ($15). The quinoa-peppered table bread comes in handy to sop up the extra juices of leche de tigre. Also particularly savory are the lamb shank seco a la norteña entree ($25) and anticuchos de corazon ($10.50), marinated beef-heart kabobs perfected by peasants back when upper-class Spaniards considered organ meats to be suitable only for slaves. The Spanish know better now, and so will you.
Ideal meal: Pair one of the four types of ceviche with a couple more tapas of your choice. The mango verde y langostinos varietal ($15) was a delicious spin on a classic, with passion fruit leche de tigre and generous slices of green mango among poached prawns.
Best deal: Enjoy the ambience over dessert, with a glass of sangria ($5) and a couple melt-in-your-mouth alfajores cookies ($2.50 each).
Pro tip: Absolutely call to make a reservation, particularly Thursday-Saturday. Even if they're fully booked, they'll call you if they get a cancellation.
11:30 am-2:30 pm daily, 4 pm-11 pm Sunday-Thursday, 4 pm-midnight Friday-Saturday. $$$.
WWeek 2015