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Estampas Peruanas (Peruvian cuisine)  $$

 8.25
JaT Rating

715 El Camino Real, Redwood City, 94063  (Directions)


650-368-9340


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Boring looking exterior gives way to nice interior and accessible menu.


Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 10/24/2004
Rating: 8
My photo gallery 		After reading the Peruvian guinea pig food article on MSN, I had to visit the closest Peruvian restaurant near me and see if they were serving it up. If I was lucky, maybe even alpaca. With a couple of restaurants in the bay area, Julie and I headed off to Estampas Peruanas in San Mateo. We arrived about 8pm and restaurant was rather empty. It did not deter us from enjoying something new.

I opened the menu at Estampas and no guinea pig or alpaca entres. Looks like I will settle for the fried chicken appetizer and fried red snapper. Fried chicken was breaded lightly and contained some spices but could not tell what they used. Nothing special but it reminded me of my dads fried chicken. I would order it again.

The red snapper was prepared by frying the fish first and smothering it with sauteed onions and tomatoes. The dish itself was extremely oil but the fish was AWESOME. I have had the best luck this week with fish (Yuki Sushi for Halibut and Estampas Peruanas for Red Snapper). Im guessing they used a cast iron skillet or some type of wok to saute the vegetables. I might be making this up, but I swear cooking in those types of pans adds a iron flavor to it. For sides, I had rice and 2 petite cuts of french fries. They didnt taste like yukon golds but a tad sweeter.

From the Kola Inglesa to my fried snapper, I enjoyed my Peruvian meal. Estampas Peruanas felt like home cooking with no pretentious feeling to the dining experience.

***Update 02.24.06 ***
I drove by the San Mateo location and it looked like it went through a name change. I believe they still serve Peruvian cuisine. Im not sure if the Redwood City location exist, be sure to give them a call before you visit.
 


Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 738
Reviewed: 8/16/2004
Rating: 8.5
My photo gallery 		I was a little unsure what to expect at Estampas Peruanas. I had had Peruvian food that was home cooked, but never been to a Peruvian restaurant so was unsure what to expect. Also to note is that Peruvian culture has a number of different types of cuisine. This being the coast variety, it consistented of a variety of seafood as well as meat and vegetable items.

My peruvian friend took me and my family here and we trusted him to order us some good food. He ordered a variety off the menu.

I found the exterior to be rather plain and boring with a metal grate entrance. Inside, however, the interior was very festive with beautiful carvings on the walls and colorful lamps. He ordered us the Inca Kola which I found to be very delicious. He mentioned that it is more popular in Peru than Coca Cola and after drinking it I can see why. A few appetizers started us off. The potato dish (Papa a la Huancaina - image 6) was very tasty, especially the yellow sauce), the calamari (image 4) was equally tasty. My main dish was the seafood combination (Picante de Mariscos - image 9) that was advertised as spicy. I didn't find it terribly spicy however. It had a LOT of seafood (almost entirely) which contrasts heavily to other restaurants' dishes where they give you a little bit of seafood and mostly rice or noodles. I found it to be good, if not a little overwhelming in the meat department. I also had the fish appetizer - Ceviche - pictured in image 10. It was VERY tasty but at this point I was pretty stuffed. It was a cool and refreshing way to wind down the meal. Would make a good appetizer as well. I finished off with the purple dessert - Mazamorra Morada - in image 11. VERY tasty. Its made from purple corn.

Overall I found this place to be very UN-mexican style food and quite refreshing. There was not a lot of foreign substances in the cuisine and would easily return again to try a variety of things on the menu. I would say the menu is very accessible and most people should have no problem finding something they like on the menu.

Give Estampas Peruanas a try, you will not be disappointed.
 
7
Agent Rating


Reviewer: Julie
Total Reviews: 46
Reviewed: 10/26/2004
Rating: 7
My photo gallery		 I was excited to try Estampas Peruanas and was hoping I'd really like it. I did enjoy the restaurant itself, but the food was just okay.

The decour in this place was fun for me. There were a lot of peruvian things and the menu contained many items you don't normally find in the states, such as Inca Kola. I also liked the layout of the restaurant (I was at the San Mateo location). I could see into the kitchen where the owner was cooking the food and I really enjoyed watching him work. The staff was very friendly, the place clean and it had a great atmosphere.

The food was decent, but nothing that really stood out in my opinion. I ordered a steak churrasco, which came with rice and potatoes. The marinade on the steak had a lot of vinegar in it, and that made it a little sour tasting to me. It also wasn't a high quality cut of steak. And what can you say about rice and potatoes? They tasted like rice and potatoes...

The most unique part of my dining experience at Estampas Peruanas was the fact that everytime the chef turned on the vents over the grill, the window I was sitting next to would rattle and it sounded like a helicopter was landing on the roof. I know that sounds like a negative, but I actually liked it.

I enjoyed my dinner, just not because of the food. I would go back again if a friend really wanted to try it, but Estampas Peruanas is not high up on my list of must return restaurants.
 
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“A group of us tried their Friday lunch special - Carapulcra Chicken/potato. Soup/salad and tea/coffee are included. ”

5/29/2009 1:37:49 PM