better late than never at mo-chica

"better late than never"....like the 40 year old virgin when he finally got laid. "hey, better late than never" when i show up 2 hours late to my friend's birthday party. oops...."better late than never" when heidi montag finally realizes spencer pratt is nuts. yes, some things in life are definitely better late than never, like me FINALLY going to mo-chica contemporary peruvian restaurant located in downtown's mercado la poloma to FINALLY get my grub on. sheesh.

for one who was late to the mo-chica game, the urge to order everything was hard to resist, but i reigned in my urges because i was being treated to a fine meal there and i am not one to take advantage of the situation....though i will if you allow me to. just let me know ok, i am open to it.

i started off with mo-chica's blood red chicha morada ($2) which is purple corn tea. it's a tad too sweet for me and after sipping my friend's maracuya (passion fruit juice), i thought his drink was the better choice. shucks.

i started the grub fest with the ceviche del dia (market price). the huge kernels of peruvian corn and the hard stone-like toasted corn added great texture to the dish. the limey sauce and the sweet sting left on my tongue by the ribbons of raw red onion was a loud gustatory wake up call for my belly. yummy! nothing like good ceviche to start the meal off right.

although there were a ton of intriguing dishes to choose from, the choice was an easy one as i decided on the oxtail risotto ($13)...something about that beefy tail makes me weak in the knees. the small mound of meat heaped in the middle of the cheesy risotto pool was tender to the touch and literally melted in my mouth. the risotto was rather smooth and uber cheesy, requiring a slow-down-and-savor approach to the meal. i was quite satisfied with this dish and burped a loud appreciation for it to the dismay of the well mannered folks that surrounded me.

although i did not wreck havoc on the menu, the two dishes i've tasted thus far at mo-chica has given me more than enough reason to head back for a second tasting. i am glad that i was "better late than never" rather than "a day late and a dollar short." there is something seriously tasty going on in that food court and oh you lucky usc students, it must be crazy busy when school is in session for y'all.

Mo-Chica Contemporary Peruvian Restaurant
3655 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 747-2141

www.mo-chica.com

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

limey ceviche is goot!

Mamita Peruvian Restaurant

714 S Brand Blvd

Glendale, CA 91204

(818) 243-5121

price: $$

verdict: omg, i love it!

i had a seriously debilitating craving for ceviche one night and dragged my buddy down to mamita's to 1) satisfy my crave 2) to try out a peruvian restaurant that i've been hankering to try. i love killing two birds with one stone!

it was inevitable that my eyes were bigger than my belly once we situated ourselves in a booth. we ended up ordering a seafood soup (it's the first one on the menu under soups...forgot the name), ceviche mixto, fried calamari, and lomo saltado. the ceviche was ON POINT! delicious! i LOVED the sourness and the spicy kick to it. it satisfied my ceviche craving for sure and the squid and octopus tentacles were fabulous. the soup was equally delicious. very hearty and stocked full of seafood to pick from. the lomo saltado was probably my least favorite dish out of the four. the beef is tough and based on my previous experience at mario's, i'm beginning to realize that perhaps this dish is just not my thang. tough meat does not excite me unless it's beef jerky. the fried calamari was good...but then again, when are fried things ever NOT good?

the dishes are a bit on the pricier side, but the food is consistently good which helps sooth the wallet a bit. i would come back when i get my ceviche cravings again.

peruvian done right!

a salty peruvian

Mario's Peruvian & Seafood
5786 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 466-4181

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

i've never had peruvian food so i was excited to try mario's based on yelper reviews. when a friend serendipitously suggested this place for dinner last night, i was already out the door. come on let's go!

it was a long wait as expected. after an eternity passed. we were finally seated in mario's modest looking dining area. we started off our dining experience with the ceviche mixto. holy crap that's good! it is super limey which really hits a good spot for my taste buds. wow, if all the other dishes delivered itself like the ceviche, i'm totally going to pitch a tent outside their door.

:( the lomo saltado dish DID NOT DELIVER. sadness. the beef was really tough and it was an overall SALTY dish. maybe it was a sign when you can isolate the word "salt" in saltado. ugh. why oh why did it taste so....disappointing? i loved the french fry concept in the dish and was so ready to fall in love with mario's. i don't know if risking hypertesion is worth the second chance.

hypertension served daily!