Come to papa.
At The Fine Fishhook, the literal translation for the name of this congenial Peruvian restaurant, you'd expect an emphasis on things that swim (or used to). And yes, that's how I was hooked myself one lunchtime, by a bowl of creamy clam soup (true, clams aren't the best swimmers) followed by a large plate of white rice, lentils, and a fried corvina filet topped with sauteed onions and tomato, all for $6 (as a lunch special; see the first two photos below).
When I returned with a party of ten, I also discovered a superb papa rellena (above; $6), a deep-fried wad of mashed potato surrounding seasoned ground beef. (We ordered our apps not long after 7:00 and got the last two.). Another favorite that evening, to my surprise, also hailed from Peru's high country: cabrito a la Norteña ($12), a tender slab of goat meat with butter beans, rice, and potatoes. The food isn't fancy, but it's more than fairly priced, especially when you figure in the BYO policy and the hearty, even heavy portions. A total of six apps, three ceviches, and five entrees, plus two pitchers of the purple-corn chicha morada beverage ($6 each), left us room to pick away at just two desserts, even though we hadn't been diligent at cleaning the shared platters. Total: $23 each, including tax and tip.
Shown below: ocopa ariquipeña ($6), a cold appetizer that covered disks of boiled potato in minty huacatay sauce; anticuchos ($7), three skewers of sliced cow heart (hiding behind the choclos, or big-kernel Peruvian corn); mixed-seafood ceviche de mariscos ($14); aji de gallina ($9), disappointingly close to chicken a la king; lomo salteado ($11) soy-sauced beef and fries; jalea especial ($19), a towering heap of deep-fried seafood, though with a heavy, crunchy breading; cabrito a la Norteña; corvina a lo macho ($16), a "sea trout" filet covered in mixed seafood and drowned in a rich red (wine?) sauce; picarones ($4), doughnut-shaped fritters that incorporate ground pumpkin, although you might not guess without a hint; and helado de lucuma ($4), ice cream flavored by a South American fruit that tastes like none other than butterscotch.
El Anzuelo Fino
86-01 Northern Blvd., Jackson Heights, Queens
718-426-8660
Also at 98-01 Jamaica Ave., Woodhaven, Queens
718-846-0909
Papa rellena!!!! My all time favorite Peruvian dish. Tell me, did the filling have raisins in it? That's the way my Peruvian grandmother made the filling.
Posted by: jc | January 24, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Raisins, no. For that matter, I don't recall a papa rellena with raisins anywhere in New York, but I'd love to try "the way [your] Peruvian grandmother made the filling." Does anyone have a lead?
Posted by: Dave Cook | January 24, 2009 at 02:52 PM