On March 6th, DASF dined at the highly popular restaurant of Latin America’s celebrity chef Gastón Acurio, who has plans to introduced his concept of Peruvian Cebicheria to the Americas. Acurio has elevated Peruvian food to white-table cloth status. In attendance were the Phans’, Tim and his mom from Portland, Terry, Jen and Errol, Lehman and Jason and my neighbor Peter.
Food = 87
Due to the size of our group, they requested us to go with the set menu (see image).
Para Comenzar
The Cebiche Clasico was very good and on par with Limon’s. The Tiradito Clasico (similar to Japanese Sashimi but with marinate) was rather bland. The Ensalada Nikei (green papaya and jicama salad with rocoto dressing) was solid. Everyone loved the Causa Casera (purple potato puree), the toppings were especially delicious.
Especiales
As for the two main course seafood specials, both the Chorillana (roasted striped sea bass filet) and Atun (seared Peruvian spiced Ahi tuna) were cooked perfectly and has good flavor. Although some thought the sea bass filet was a little too salty.
The Lomo Saltado (traditional Peruvian style beef tenderloin stir-fry top with fries) was a solid and hearty dish and the Piqueo was a disappointment – perhaps it is because they left out a few items (Peruvian corn and the Chalaca salsa) and the servers failed to tell us.
Postres
For dessert, the two chef’s choice dessert we got were the Picarones (traditional warm pumpkin and sweet potato fritters with spiced Chancaca honey) and the Tiramisu de lúcuma. The Picarones were pretty good but the Tiramisu tasted just like those from the frozen section of your local Safeway.
All in all, the food at La Mar was pretty good but for the price we paid, it was not a good value. We can get just as good Peruvian food at Limon or Fresca for half the price. Lehmann did us right again with her wine selection – a Rioja from Allende.
Atmosphere = 90
La Mar is a swanky restaurant with beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay. The dining room is highlighted by a huge open kitchen and an impressive Ceviche bar that glow blue at the bottom (like the sea) and show cases pristine pieces of fresh fishes. The only complaint we had was that the sound travels and the space is very loud. We could hardly hear each other at our own table.
Service = 75
Lackadaisical service. All our waiter did was took our order and was rarely seen again. The food runners did a good job of explaining some of the courses. The worse offense was when they brought us a dish that was missing two key items. We had to ask another waitress about it and she corrected the mistake by bringing us the missing items but only for one of our two dishes. Definitely room for improvement here.
