La Casona

Posted by Edmund in Peru, Peruvian, Restaurants | 0 comments

La Casona
Traditional Peruvian
About $8 to $15 for main course.

Lima 517
Puno, Peru

During my trip to Peru, I spent a night in Puno before heading off to Lake Titicaca to spend some time on an island with some of Peru’s indigenous people. That’s great and all, but unfortunately when you’re stranded on an island with no electricity, transportation, or even a supermarket, you’re probably not going to get much to eat. Thus, I knew I needed a large dinner that night. Puno, though, isn’t really one of Peru’s culinary treasures, so I decided to try out some of the traditional Peruvian dishes I hadn’t had a chance to taste yet. I settled on La Casona, a somewhat recommended, traditional Peruvian restaurant (recommended being a loose term, since it’s hard to really recommend much in Puno). Surprisingly, what I got was borderline good, especially for the price I paid.

I can’t really say much about La Casona, except that simplicity runs through in almost every facet, from the ambience to the food. The restaurant interior is really just some small wooden tables and chairs, with a homey, slight log cabin vibe, but it’s really very plain. The service was nothing noticeable, though there were no problems. And the food was just plain Peruvian, with no frills whatsoever. That’s the charm of it, though—this is one of the few places I ate at in Peru where I didn’t see any attempt to infuse a bit of a modern flair to the Peruvian cuisine, and I actually liked that. I was on a quest to taste a whole slew of real Peruvian dishes, but everywhere I went, I always had to taste some modification or modern update—it’s as though typical Peruvian cuisine is taboo among restaurateurs. La Casona, though, does it the old-fashioned way, and I can attest to that, because every single one of the courses I ate was true Peruvian fare.

As for the quality of the food, I can’t say I was highly pleased, but the menu was varied enough for me to find what I had specifically been looking for (Aji de Gallina—chicken stew), and the food was decent enough at the price for me to enjoy it. There were some flavors that really just didn’t work, in my book, but I do know that that’s probably more because of the nature of the dish than the quality of the restaurant’s preparation—I mean, some dishes just aren’t for everyone.

In any case, I normally wouldn’t recommend a place like this, but judging by the fact that it’s in Puno, it’s really quite a good choice to consider if you’re ever nearby.

What I had:

1. Causa (Layers of smashed yellow potato and a dash of lemon, stuffed with meat): Just like chicken salad or a potato sandwich with chicken salad filling. Rich and heavy. Good potato part. Too much mayo, which is rather cloying, but the strong potato presence balance it. Way too heavy, though. 1.5/5.0
2. Anticucho of Alpaca (Meat marinated in red chili seasoning with onions, red peppers, potatoes): Great meat—tastes just like steak but on the leaner, gamier side, like a rabbit. Great mix of veggies, especially of boiled potatoes. The sauce works but it’s underwhelming and too salty. 2.5/5.0
3. Aji de Gallina (Shredded chicken in chili and peanut and sauce with potatoes, lettuce, tomato, hard-boiled egg, and olives): Very good. Like a yellow chicken curry but with a peanut aftertaste (i.e. Thai style),and some of the odd vegetables that are included do help to add a bit more flavor. Rich and creamy with great chunks of meat and a nice base of potatoes. Andean potatoes have a great rich, starchy flavor—even more so than the potatoes Americans are used to—that really helps to thicken the whole stew, which is never mushy, gritty, or inconsistent. Rice would have been better (and rice is the traditional accompaniment to this stew), but potatoes are so common in Peruvian cuisine that they can often be substituted for rice.  3.4/5.0

Ambience: 2.0/5.0
Service: 2.2/5.0
Food: 2.4/5.0
Value: 3.0/5.0
Overall Score: 2.4/5.0. Really simple place, but it’s about as nice as it’s going to get in Puno, which isn’t known for a great culinary scene.