To celebrate my 29th birthday, our friends Paul and Sylvia joined Andy and I for lunch at Andina. Billed as "novo Peruvian cuisine", Andina has been an oft mentioned restaurant among friends and has long been pegged as a place that we have to try... as soon as we have a suitable occasion (translation, as soon as we have the cash to give it a go!). Located right in the middle of the Pearl district (and only a few blocks away from our reception site), the restaurant maintains an atmosphere of relaxed chic with exposed wood furnishings and brightly colored linens. Your dining experience can be enjoyed one of two ways: tapas-style with shareable plates of varying sizes or with traditional entree selections of upscale South American dishes. The tapas dishes are sized small ($7), medium ($12) and large(22) regardless of what items you choose. This is odd in that you'd pay as much for a salad as you would for river-caught smoked fish or rack of lamb with new potatoes. Any of the proffered ceviche dishes are particularly tasty. In addition to some unusual corn-based drinks (looked dark purple and apparently taste not like corn at all) and other South American classics like margaritas, Andina carries a well rounded wine selection. In fact, there is an associated wine shop below the restaurant. All of the dishes we had were excellent, from the mixta nikkei (spicy tuna, crab and shrimp on fresh potatoes with lime) to the anticucho de pollo (marinated chicken kebobs with a hucatay-peanut sauce). For the four of us, we ordered five dishes and it worked out well, leaving us full and not too terribly broke (for lunch, roughly $15 per person. Dinners are more, but if you order off of the tapas menu, the prices are the same). Surprisingly, one of the highlights of the meal was the beginning bread and dipping sauce. A trio of sauces is served in a white porcelain dish which off-sets the vibrant colors. There is a vivid orange mango habenera sauce, a deep green lime jalipeno concoction and a creamy peanut/cheese sauce. I'm a sucker for bread and dipping sauce, and the vibrant and bright flavors were a pleasant kick off to the meal.
If you are looking for an upscale place to enjoy a fresh meal, Andina would be a great choice for a special occasion. Its steep pricing puts it out of everyday dining, but if you are looking for a good meal and have reason to celebrate, Andina makes a great choice.
For full menus and more information, head over to www.andinaresturaunt.com
