Monday, May 21, 2018

Peruvian Food Comes To Carlsbad: Pisco

About a year ago Sammy Ladeki, best known for his Sammy's WoodFired Pizza restaurants, opened Pisco in Liberty Station.  It's been so successful that he has now opened another Pisco in Carlsbad, in the space formerly occupied by, you guessed it, Sammy's.  I finally went there for lunch with my lunch bunch group, and we all came out  happy, full, and satisfied.

Peruvian food must be the trendiest food  around right now.  In North County alone, there are at least six Peruvian food.  Why is it so popular?  Because it's good.

Sammy's closed for a few weeks to redecorate the restaurant with a Peruvian theme.  Not much was done, but it's very effective.  Colorful umbrellas cover the entire ceiling, new lighting fixtures were installed, a coat of colorful paint was added, and a few Peruvian scenes were plastered on the wall.  Seating is the same, except pretty red barstools look new.  The food is the star at Pisco.  There were six of us.  We ordered the classic ceviche (halibut and sea bass in lemon and lime and spices), chicken and beef empanadas (we ended up ordering more, we liked them so much), grilled octopus salad (cold) in a red pepper sauce over potatoes, aji de gallina(a classic Peruvian dish of shredded chicken in a yellow pepper sauce, and chicken and rice (made with their delicious rotisserie chicken).  Everything was outstanding.  For dessert we were served a complimentary order of freshly spun cotton candy.  We ordered fried plantains with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, and shortbread cookies.

The service was excellent.  Our waiter did everything he could to make sure our visit to Pisco was memorable.  He succeeded.  The bonus to this restaurant is that they take the Passport card!  What a deal.  Make reservations if you plan to go.  We were there on a Tuesday, and the restaurant was full.  Also, check out their excellent Happy Hour, everyday from 3-6.  You can go for an early dinner and really save.  Peruvian food is NOT spicy.  It is just delicious, and I encourage you to visit Pisco.



No comments:

Post a Comment