Urubamba

For those of you in search of authentic Peruvian food, look no further. Urubamba (say "ooh-lu-bahm-ba"!) is easily one of the best Peruvian restaurants in town. Many of my Manhattanite friends seem averse to the idea of traveling to Queens "just for food," but a trip to Jackson Heights is an eyeopening adventure for any true foodie. I first tried the amazing food at Inti Raymi, which merged with Urubamba last year.

Restaurant: Urubamba
Rating: ♔♔♔♔

There isn't much about the decor, other than the huge sombrero sign in the back with "URUBAMBA" written out in big letters. But as you will discover, the food makes up for nearly everything else. Since dinner was just the two of us, we had to limit our orders to the must-have dishes, which consisted of a huge seafood platter and a traditional chicken dish.

Piqueo del Mar is a large platter of fried calamari, tostones, ceviche of shrimp and fish, mussels, yucca fries, and the irresistible Tiradito, slices of raw white fish, marinated in lime juice, aji amarillo paste, and cilantro.

There is really no other way to describe the tiradito other than divine. The tanginess of the lime juice gives a perfect kick to the tenderness of the fish. Along the left side of the dish are extremely large kernels of corn, which are native to Peru. Peruvian cuisine is based heavily on corn and potatoes, and there are apparently hundreds of varieties in different regions.



For the entree, we had the Aji de Gallina. Tender chicken strips and potato cubes are cooked in a creamy, bright-orange aji sauce with aromatic spices. A hardboiled egg, cut into halves, rests on the dish. The entree looks simple, but the rich, flavorful sauce undoubtedly requires several hours of concocting.



Urubamba is one of those places that I would take friends from out of town, not only to show them the Jackson Heights neigborhood, but also to take them on a culinary adventure. You can follow this lady's adventures here at http://queens.about.com/od/eatingout/a/latinoeats.htm

Or, if you're up to it, you can always write your own.

Urubamba
86-20 37th Ave
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
(718) 672-2224