San Diego Spotlight : Machupicchu Will Do When Craving Taste of Peru

The great thing about delving into unfamiliar cuisines is the way the experience can broaden your horizons, not just gastronomically but culturally.

There are occasions when you discover that some horizons are just as well left in place, though, as did a guest at the new Machupicchu Peruvian restaurant in Ocean Beach. When confronted with a typical dessert called frijol colado , she tasted a tiny spoonful, shook her head and asked, “Why would you want to eat beans for dessert?”

The answer to that probably would be because you grew up with this brown, gooey, sesame seed-sprinkled mash of sweetened beans, and like it. Given the general range of American cooking--which has itself expanded enormously in the decade-- frijol colado probably would be less an acquired taste than something most would decline to acquire. It is, in fact, a challenging sweet, and seems like what might result if an effort were made to caramelize a pot of baked beans.

The rest of Machupicchu’s menu should seem much more familiar and appealing. Peruvian food is not terribly complicated, as those who have visited El Chalan already know. (El Chalan was a long-running fixture in Bird Rock that closed in the mid-1980s and later reopened in Pacific Beach.) Basically, Peruvian food emphasizes simply cooked meats in savory but usually mild sauces.

Machupicchu chef-proprietor Carlos Vinazza was an early partner in El Chalan, and his menu repeats many of the same dishes. If there is a single unifying thread among virtually all the dishes, it is the inclusion of potatoes as an ingredient or garnish. This is not terribly surprising, since it was the Incas of Peru who gave the world this tuber, and it remains a Peruvian staple.

One might not describe Vinazza’s cooking as delicate, although it comes close and certainly is done with a careful hand. However, diners who monitor their salt intake might wish to mention this when ordering, since Vinazza uses salt the old-fashioned way--which is to say, quite liberally.

The restaurant, although small and modest, is not without a degree of charm. Despite the generally low prices, tables are dressed with red tablecloths and, on occasion, a fresh carnation or two. A partition makes an effort to make two areas out of the single, smallish room, which is hung with elaborately framed photographs of the Machupicchu excavations high in the Andes.

The menu frequently mentions the huancaina sauce, described as Vinazza’s grandmother’s secret recipe; El Chalan also serves it. Beyond the sieved cottage cheese base, the composition of this creamy, yellow, almost custardy sauce has always been a mystery of sorts, but on a recent visit the secret, a large infusion of American-style prepared mustard, became abundantly clear. It is available on the grilled fish of the day, on a grilled steak that manages to be perfectly adequate, and on the cold boiled potatoes that garnish a number of entrees. This sauce probably would do something for the steak were it a better cut. With the potatoes, it is quite pleasant, but although these can be ordered as an appetizer, they work better in a supporting role.

A more interesting potato-based starter is the papa rellena , a torpedo-shaped croquette whose smooth potato dough encloses the chopped meat and egg filling used throughout Latin America for the pastry snacks called empanadas . Crisp, chewy but a bit bland, it benefits from the piquant garnish of marinated onion salad.

Ceviche, or fish “cooked” in a marinade of spiced citrus juice, is served with corn and sweet potatoes; Scandinavians copy this idea when they served potatoes with pickled herring, and the two elements do perform a nice balancing act on the tongue. The anticucho of grilled beef heart morsels takes a little nerve to order; it is also available as a skewer of marinated steak cubes, very tender and tasty, and delicious with a dab of the fiery chili paste offered on the side. The colorful salad of greens, tomatoes, cubed potatoes, mozzarella-style cheese, olives and fresh cilantro sprigs also makes a good starter.

The menu does not announce the fact, but meals include a bowl of the soup of the day; one described as a cream of asparagus and lettuce had a good, rich, homemade flavor and a peppery undertone that suggested the lettuce in question was Romaine.

The simplest of the beef dishes would be the bisteck apanado , or thin breaded steak, a Latin American standard, done here with a minimum of crumbs but a good sensitivity to seasoning. Cut thinly, it has a tenderness that the steak huancaina lacks. The lomo saltado is an especially likeable presentation that crosses cultural borders but is good anywhere when well made; this consists of chunks of deeply browned beef sauteed with sliced onion, tomato and green bell pepper.

Pasta has invaded even Machupicchu, in the form of tallerin verde , probably a corruption of the Italian tagliarini verde . In this case, it takes the form of spaghetti in a pesto-like sauce of basil, spinach, walnuts and cheese, and is topped with a small portion of breaded steak. It’s good, but there are better things on the menu.

The menu description for the Peruvian-style arroz con pollo specified marinated chicken cooked in a sauce of cilantro, onions, peppers and potatoes, and sounded quite tasty, but was unavailable when ordered. Also in the chicken department is aji de gallina , or hen stewed to the shredding stage and finished with a creamy nut-based sauce.

The fish of the day is offered in three styles--including huancaina --and was recently a respectable, fresh sea bass. It was somewhat dry, though and a little salty under a sauteed onion, tomato, green pepper and garlic garnish similar to that in the lomo saltado . The third option is a sauce of garlic and lime juice.

In addition to the bean dessert, Machupicchu offers flan. Although restaurants increasingly interpret this as watery custard, it was prepared the real way, with so many eggs that it had a firm, almost cheese-like consistency. It was delicious, and the richness made it easy to share.

MACHUPICCHU

4755 Voltaire St., Ocean Beach

222-2656

Dinner served Wednesday through Monday; closed Tuesdays

Entrees $4.95 to $9.95. Dinner for two, including a glass of wine each, tax and tip, about $25 to $45.

Visa and Mastercard accepted