Friends…it snowed in DC this week! What about where you are? It made me want to eat something warm and stewy and stay inside with a glass of Mencia. Or to put myself in an entirely different setting, a big plate of ceviche and a pisco sour, like I was on a beachfront in Lima, where the weather is in the low 80s all week.
A pisco sour sounds good right about now…
Last week I asked for your favorite places to drink, and you delivered! Here are a few…we’ll get to more in the future, of course.
For anyone travelling across Canada, The Night Jar is a great place to get a nice, affordable cocktail in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. –Andrew Paul K
Saskatchewan! Is anyone planning to go cross-Canada in 2024? Looks like The Night Jar is halfway between Calgary and Winnipeg…neither of which I’m planning to visit, but I love the specific recommendation, Andrew.
In the Victorian Seaport city of Port Townsend, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, there is a small, elegant restaurant named Finistère. At the bar is a fabulous bartender, Alexander. He is charming, respectful and makes the best damn Old Fashioned I've ever had the opportunity to imbibe. He is one of those creative bartenders who will ask "what sorts of tastes do you like?", then will whip up something your tastebuds will never have envisioned. (And you will come back for, again and again). —Rachel R
Rachel…maybe you know that Finisterre is a small town in Galicia, the furthest point west on the main land of Spain, and the end of the Camino de Santiago—the pilgrim’s route across northern Spain that I have walked multiple times in my life. (The name comes from the Latin, finis terrae, the end of the earth!) It’s an absolutely beautiful place, and I imagine that Port Townsend and the far west of Washington State is just as beautiful…I don’t think I’ve ever drunk an Old Fashioned in Finisterre, Galicia. Or it could be named after the Finistere on the west coast of France, but I prefer the Spain story!
My wife Tichi and me on the Camino a few years ago
Huber's Cafe — A Portland (Oregon) institution since 1879. Huber's invented their Flamboyant tableside presentation of their flaming Spanish Coffee. Wow all of your guests here and order Spanish Coffee for the table (hot or cold) any time of day and enjoy the show. —Nat H
Okay, so Nat…you can’t come in here and mention a “flaming Spanish Coffee” and not expect me to chime in! So I’ve never been to Huber’s, and I don’t know any Spaniards who have, but if I am doing my research, I see that their version really is a show…strong rum is flamed in the glass, spices and coffee are added, and it’s topped with some Grand Marnier-infused whipped cream to put out the flame. This is not Spanish!!! I’m sure it’s super tasty, though…the original Spanish Coffee is something we call cafecarajillo, which is espresso with liquor, usually Spanish brandy. Or maybe it’s based on cafe barraquito, which is originally from Alicante and also big in Tenerife (where I drank one on my show with my daughters José Andrés and Family in Spain!)…made from espresso, sweetened condensed milk, and the unique Spanish liqueur called Licor 43. Maybe it’s a Rom Cremat from Catalonia or a Queimada from Galicia, two drinks that are flamed, one with coffee and the other with coffee beans…but those are more like punches, served for a group, not in their own cup. Nat, you have me spinning! No matter what, I guess I need to go to Huber’s to try their version for myself…!
Cafe carajillo
Okay…enough about Spanish coffees and the end of the earth. Let’s get back to Peru! Have you guys been? What do you think of my recommendations from last week? Do you have others? I’d love to hear what you think. I didn’t even get to talk about sánguches (sandwiches), chilcanos (pisco cocktails), or pollo a la brasa (the very famous Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken).
So tell me … what do you love in Lima, or anywhere else in Peru?
El Albergue in Ollantaytambo - farm to table and Pachamanca along with coffee and distillery
Antigua Casona San Blas in Cusco - Piedra & Sal restaurant - purple corn bread with an herb infused olive oil and flake salt - so simple and so delicious
❤️ World Kitchen❤️ What a great column. Loved your responses. Totally enjoyed your adventures in Spain with your daughters. Would you like to adopt a 74 year old abuela to travel with you??😎
Finally got to try Kjolle this year...was worth the wait! But for every year can't miss places (wife is Peruvian so we go each year):
Pisco Sour: La Calesa, no question
Pollo a la Brasa: Pardo's (easy to find and never disappoints)
Cocktails: Carnaval (best in South America, maybe?)
Lomo Saltado: Tanta (owned by Gaston)
Ceviche: El Mirador (la Punta), La Mar
Japanese Fusion: Hanzo
Anticuchos: Grimanesa
Sandwiches: La Lucha
The beauty of Lima is that small, unmarked huariques can provide incredible dining experiences in every district. We had our rehearsal dinner at Huaca Pucllana, never miss caldo de gallina at any 24 hour place after a night out, and have the best memories drinking res de pisco at Quierolo or La Quinta Bolivar with family and friends.
I was very disappointed in Carnaval- definitely not close to the best cocktails in Latin America compared to multiple places in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Cartagena, etc. Even in Lima, Sastrería Martínez is far superior.
My favorites in Lima:
Overall- Maido
Ceviche- La Mar, Pescados Capi7ales, El Mercado (first two more traditional and third is more modern)
Pollo a la brasa- Tori
Traditional/comfort food- La Picantería, Isolina Taberna
Business lunch- Rafael
Fancy date/celebration- Central, Mayta
Fusion/modern- Mérito
Chifa- Chifa Titi
Chilcano- Astrid y Gastón
Pisco Sour- Huaca Pucllana
Cocktails- Sastrería Martínez
Spent 2 weeks in Cusco last month. Loved the pisco sour at Museo del Pisco! Also took a cooking class and learned how to make them.
Cala: great seafood and ocean view. Much better price/quality ratio than the overpriced and more touristy Rosa Nautica
Huaca Puccllana: mentioned above for Pisco Sour but, more importantly, it’s located in a 900 year old pyramid complex. Stunning at night
El Albergue in Ollantaytambo - farm to table and Pachamanca along with coffee and distillery
Antigua Casona San Blas in Cusco - Piedra & Sal restaurant - purple corn bread with an herb infused olive oil and flake salt - so simple and so delicious
❤️ World Kitchen❤️ What a great column. Loved your responses. Totally enjoyed your adventures in Spain with your daughters. Would you like to adopt a 74 year old abuela to travel with you??😎
Finally got to try Kjolle this year...was worth the wait! But for every year can't miss places (wife is Peruvian so we go each year):
Pisco Sour: La Calesa, no question
Pollo a la Brasa: Pardo's (easy to find and never disappoints)
Cocktails: Carnaval (best in South America, maybe?)
Lomo Saltado: Tanta (owned by Gaston)
Ceviche: El Mirador (la Punta), La Mar
Japanese Fusion: Hanzo
Anticuchos: Grimanesa
Sandwiches: La Lucha
The beauty of Lima is that small, unmarked huariques can provide incredible dining experiences in every district. We had our rehearsal dinner at Huaca Pucllana, never miss caldo de gallina at any 24 hour place after a night out, and have the best memories drinking res de pisco at Quierolo or La Quinta Bolivar with family and friends.
Lima will always be special to us.
I was very disappointed in Carnaval- definitely not close to the best cocktails in Latin America compared to multiple places in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Cartagena, etc. Even in Lima, Sastrería Martínez is far superior.
Always love a good pisco. Had great ones on the rooftop bar at Casa Republica in Barranca