RESTAURANTS : Peru’s Regional Dishes Come to Life as Part of Eye-Catching Menu

Santa Ana is far, far away from the coastal valleys and mountain villages of Peru, but Mi Rincon brings them a little closer. A converted bungalow in a modest residential neighborhood, this engaging family restaurant re-creates many of Peru’s regional dishes. It is a surprising, delightful cuisine--nothing like what we traditionally identify as Latin, but not as European as the cuisines of Argentina or Chile either.

When I sat myself in the restaurant I was greeted in Spanish by the friendly owner, Roberto Leva. When I replied in English, he seemed mildly surprised. It seems that until now, most of his customers have been Peruvians or other Spanish speakers.

The dining room is simple, with seven or eight tables decked with bright green place mats. Walls are colored what could be called “artificial-turf green” and completely overwhelm the humble Indian tapestries hanging on them. It is an eye-catching color scheme for a dining room, so I asked Leva if green was the Peruvian national color. “No” he said, “our national colors are red and white.” Maybe he bought the place from an Irishman.

The menu is an eye-catcher, too. Ceviche, the seafood appetizer so often identified as Mexican, is actually Peruvian in origin. Maria Leva, Roberto’s wife and Mi Rincon’s chef, makes one of the best versions I have ever tasted. She marinates cubed red snapper in lime juice and garlic, and piles on a small barrel of onions, cilantro and red chili. She also prepares ceviche mixto , adding squid, octopus, shrimp and scallops to the marinade. Both dishes are served on platters, instead of in the more familiar cocktail glasses.

Since Maria Leva is from the north of Peru, her menu is filled with northern dishes. Papas a la Huancaina (potatoes from the city of Huancayo) is a classic. Whole boiled potatoes are blanketed with a rich sauce made from cheese, cream, chili and olive oil, then topped with black olives and boiled eggs . It sounds heavy but actually is not; in fact it is usually eaten as an appetizer. Papa rellena con salsa , another northern specialty, is a large potato croquette stuffed with olives, raisins and a ground-meat mixture, then rolled in flour and sauteed. This dish is also given appetizer status on the menu, but personally, I would give it an upgrade.

Don’t miss the appetizer called tamales con salsa . In Peru, tamales can contain virtually anything--cooked peanuts, raisins, pork, sausage, eggs or sweetmeats, and they are more elaborate than their counterparts in the Northern Hemisphere. At Mi Rincon, expect a giant tamal, with pork or chicken, and eggs, peanuts, or whatever else Maria Leva feels like tucking inside the dried-corn package that she steams in banana leaves. It is doubtful you will have cause to object.

You may object, however, to the restaurant’s one annoying trait--namely, the tendency to overcook some of the meat and fish. If you don’t like things prepared well done, I would advise you to make your preference clearly known. Fried calamari was frazzled to a crisp, making it impossibly chewy. A combination plate of deep-fried pork with crispy yucca chips was far too dry. And most disappointing of all was an overcooked pescado frito al ajo --a whole fish sauteed in garlic--which could have been a real showstopper.

There are a host of other good dishes, all of which are distinctly Peruvian. A different regional specialty is prepared daily. On Thursdays, there is cau cau , stewed tripe and potatoes in a sauce of oregano and garlic. Fridays feature arroz con pato , an amazing braised duck with coriander rice. I rushed over on a Saturday for seco norteno con frijoles , large chunked lamb in a northern sauce with potted beans, that was sweetly reminiscent of favada from northern Spain and hearty enough for a winter evening.

From the regular menu, try jalea , a deep-fried combination (ask the kitchen not to cook it too long) that contains fish, shrimp, octopus, squid, scallops, corn, yucca and potatoes, with lemon and Peruvian spices. Meat eaters can feast on bistec apanado con arroz , chicken-fried steak Peruvian style, or costillas de puerco , sauteed pork ribs. Both go nicely with Pilsen, an imported beer from Peru with a yeasty froth, and badly with Inca Cola, a sickeningly sweet, pale yellow monstrosity that comes in the can. It tastes like liquid bubble gum.

Mi Rincon makes a few Peruvian desserts that are largely based on sugar and milk, in the tradition of so many other Spanish-speaking countries. I had the restaurant’s fresh flan (caramel custard), but found it far too sweet for my taste. Instead, I contented myself with worhueros , a dessert I had never heard of. The airy pastry tubes filled with a carmelized cream melted on my tongue--I’ve certainly heard of them now.

Prices at Mi Rincon are about what you would expect from a neighborhood ethnic restaurant. Appetizers are $2.95 to $6.50. Soups, often whole meals, are $2.95 to $5.95. House specialties are $4.50 to $6.50. Main dishes are $4.50 to $8.95.

MI RICON

701 S. Bristol St., Santa Ana

(714) 836-9482

Cash only. Open daily from noon to 9 p.m. (10 p.m. on weekends). Closed Monday.