Picca Peru Freshens Up with Carrot Habanero Air, Peruvian Fish 'n Chips

Making a Dante Bellpepper cocktail at Picca Peru

So many restaurants forget that it might be a good idea to freshen up the menu every so often. Not so at Ricardo Zarate's Picca Peru, which adds new dishes and even more imaginative cocktails several times a year so its still-enthusiastic diners won't get bored.

New look:

The upstairs mezzanine area has been bedazzled with a gold tile ceiling and twinkly lights. It's still a bit cramped up there, but the tiny bar and seating area are handy for private events or when it's even more crowded downstairs.

Among the new dishes: 

Fish 'n chips, Peruvian style: Tender filets of the giant Peruvian Paiche fish are fried up with a savory dipping sauce and served with homemade sweet potato chips.
Paiche with dried potatoes: pan roasted paiche, papa seca risotto, aji panca tomato sauce  (unusual and delicicious!)
Glazed lamb chops: gochuchang marinade and aji amarillo miso give them an Asian-meets-Peruvian vibe

new tuna causa

Spicy tuna causa: A pretty and delicious bite of tuna on a smooth potato bed
Ceviche: There's already plenty of variations on ceviche, but Zarate is always trying out new combos, with paiche, salmon, tuna and Madagascar prawn joining the various raw preparations.
Papa rellena: Potato stuffed with truffle-braised chicken
Alfajores: We didn't get to try

these but I love these Peruvian shortbread cookies sandwiched with dulce de leche so I'm going to have to go back and try them.

New cocktails include:

The Dante Bellpepper cocktail: If you've become jaded from too many sweet or boring drinks, here's something a little different: vegetal, spicy, and rather challenging in a gazpacho-meets-booze kind of way, it includes Mezcal, lemon, red bell pepper, agave, carrot habanero air and cracked pepper.
Sherry Manilow: Oloroso sherry, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon syrup, lemon, brandy. A cocktail for a proper lady who gets a little crazy now and then. My favorite of the bunch
Fig old-fashioned: A stiff, autumnal, well-balanced drink.