By Suzanne Parker
Peruvian cuisine is extremely cosmopolitan, drawing on many influences. The diet of the pre-Colombian Quechan communities of the Andes relied heavily on the potato for sustenance, and grew thousands of varieties. With successive waves of immigration, the food reveals not only a Spanish influence but the influences of other European and Asian arrivals. Between 1849 and 1874, 100,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in Peru. As a result, Peru is by far the Latin American country with the most Chinese restaurants, supporting more than 2,000 chifas, as they are called. At one time in Peru, it was an important status symbol among the wealthy to employ a Chinese cook, and the cuisine was strongly influenced as a result.
Don Alex is a small, unpretentious eatery catering to an ethnic clientele. Its attempt at decoration are limited to a few scattered Peruvian pictures and artifacts. There is a partial view of the kitchen through the dining room through which soaring flames can intermittently be seen. A Spanish language pop station plays music and commercials on the sound system.
A welcoming snack of cancha, lightly oiled, roasted jumbo corn kernels easily mistaken for featherweight peanuts is placed on the table along with an incendiary creamy green sauce.
Don Alex serves no alcohol, so we accompanied our meal with chica morada, a traditional Peruvian drink made from purple corn (yes, unlike cows, some corn is purple). It is a sweet refreshing drink with a hint of cinnamon and bits of apple floating on top. Purple corn was considered a sacred crop by the Incas, and natural food proponents assert that purple corn is one of the richest sources of anti-oxidants.
For our “entrada” (appetizer) we chose ceviche mixto, a mélange of fish and seafood that has been “cooked” by steeping in acidic citrus juices. The abundant portion made a more than adequate appetizer for two enthusiastic diners. The fish and seafood were impeccably fresh, “cooked” to a pleasing tartness with a mild chili induced “heat” chopped red onion and cilantro. Ceviche is available here made from fish (ceviche de pescado), fish and seafood (mixto), octopus, calamari, and shrimp (mariscos) or Peruvian-style shrimp (camarones).
Peruvian cuisine appears to be in the throes of making the transition from a strictly ethnic cuisine to one that's more widely known and appreciated by mainstream Americans. The Peruvian specialty driving this craze is rotisserie chicken, or pollos a la brasa, chicken that's been marinated in Peruvian spices. This dish is growing in popularity as both an eat-in and take-out food. The smiling chef-hatted chicken holding a chicken platter affirms Don Alex's mastery of this dish (although I wonder what the chicken has to smile about). Their chicken is among the most moist, succulent and flavorful you'll ever experience. It was served with white rice that comes molded in a little cylinder the way Chinese rice is molded into a little hemisphere, and salad. The salad is loaded with sliced avocado.
Our other entrée, corvina a lo macho was solid, if bland. It was a kitchen sink of seafood dishes. Mixed seafood sautéed with onions and tomatoes is heaped on a fish fillet which has been placed on a bed of French fries. The dish was hearty and abundant, but the flavor lacked the piquancy we would expect from Peruvian fare.
We completed our meal with leche asada (flan) and alfajores. The flan was served in a clear plastic clam shell, as if pre-prepared for the “to go” crowd. It was nothing special. The alfajores, a distant Latino cousin to the Ring Ding, are large sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche (milk jam). Not bad, in a child's delicacy way. Presented tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, they furthered the “to go” theme. So we went.
The Bottom Line
Don Alex is an interesting opportunity for exploration for the gastronomically curious. The ceviche and the pollos a la brasa are their obvious strong points, but their other traditional Peruvian fare is worthy of exploration.
