aji de gallina

Somos Peru, literally translated as, "We are Peru," is a name that leaves no questions about what you will get. The folks at Somos Peru take great pride in the fact that they are Peruvian, and for once, there is no mishmash of cultures here. We have been to at least three restaurants that claimed to have Peruvian food, but each time, they have also had Mexican, Salvadorian, Ecuadorian, or some other Latin American cuisine mixed in. Somos Peru lets Peruvian food speak for itself without the seemingly necessary nod to burritos, tacos, and other more recognizable Latin (Mexican) foods. Certainly, with this kind of focus, we can learn a little about this ethnic food. 

Sometimes I like to let the decisions come to me. We still have probably 25-30 Latin restaurants on our list to try. How are we to know what we want or where to go? This time, I let a little luck guide me. I had a few ideas, but as I drove to a meeting in St. Paul I decided that surely I would find something along the way. I decided to enter St. Paul from the crosstown/airport area, which left me driving down 7th street west. Almost immediately, I took in the names in a small strip mall between Davern and St. Paul avenue, and sure enough, the was something called "La Hacienda." 

I drove on to my meeting sure that this was the answer and really hoping that it was not the same folks who own Taqueria La Hacienda in Minneapolis. Of course, Charles was game, so we convened around lunch time and were pleasantly greeted by the owners of this establishment.