I had never tried Peruvian food before so a few of us decided to eat at Incas Restaurant for lunch. Located at 800 White Street in the same building as Stay Fit Gym, we were pleasantly surprised when we walked in to this establishment. The huge mural of Machu Picchu on the wall transported diners to Peru along with the little Peruvian trinkets that also adorned the place. It was bright and clean and the owner came over to greet and seat us immediately. He was very amiable and explained the items on the menu and answered our many questions.
The owner also brought us Peruvian popcorn with dipping sauces just to try which was a very nice touch. The popcorn looked very similar to our popcorn before it is popped, but when you bite into it is is softer with a slight crunch. It had more of a nutty taste than our traditional popcorn.
I had heard that Incas had a good sangria, so I ordered a glass. It was a tasty, healthy serving made very sweet by the canned fruit cocktail in the bottom of the glass. Personally I would have preferred fresh fruit, but it was still a tasty drink.
For lunch I ordered the Lomo Saltado de Pollo which is sautéed chicken with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, rice, and french fries. Steven ordered the Tallarin Saltado de Carne which was spaghetti with sautéed beef, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. Pam ordered Arroz Chaufa, fried rice with vegetables.
The chicken in my dish was very tender and tasty. I love onions, but I was overwhelmed with the amount of them on the dish and I felt that it took away from the rest of the dish. The cilantro was rendered indistinguishable to me with the overpowering onion taste. But I really liked the fries which were like a delicious potatoes treat on the bottom of the plate soaked up in the juices of the dish.
Steven seemed happy with his dish, although he too thought that there were just too many onions versus other food on the plate.
Pam’s fried rice was good, but we were all disappointed that the vegetables were obviously frozen peas and carrots and not fresh vegetables.
We were all surprised that the Peruvian food was very similar in looks and taste to our American Chinese food, although a little less saucy. It was also slightly bland, but a little salt was able to fix that right up.
While I realized that I am not a huge fan of Peruvian food, I enjoyed my experience in this small, family run establishment. I think that I will go back one day and try out the seafood or possibly the tacos which sounded good. Definitely something without onions next time!
Before deciding where you are going to eat while visiting Key West, be sure to read my other restaurant reviews too; check out our restaurant review section of this blog as well as our previous restaurant reviews.
And to see what is happening on Key West during your visit, check out our Key West Events Calendar to see other upcoming special events. For more information about the fun side of Key West… things to do and see in our island city, go to our Key West Web Site.
Feel free to Email Me if you have any questions about Key West!!
