Review: Pisco Mar is a hidden gem where Peruvian dishes shine
Order the house specialty ceviche at Pisco Mar, and you’ll net a bountiful catch of fish and shellfish, tossed in the classic Peruvian dressing of lime juice and rocoto pepper (aka aji amarillo), and spangled with chopped cilantro and slivers of red onion. Served with the traditional accompaniments of sweet potato and crunchy kernels of corn called cancha, it’s a seafood bargain for $20. No extra charge for the side benefit: According to the menu, the dish is an aphrodisiac.
No such claims are made for the other variations on the ceviche theme, though the freshness of the seafood in any of them (not to mention the fact that they’ll set you back a few bucks less than the Pisco Mar combo) will nonetheless leave a satisfied smile on your face. Options include fish (baby corvina, according to a cheerfully accommodating server recently), shrimp, and octopus.
The menu also offers a Peruvian rotisserie roasted chicken that’s been marinated for 24 hours in “a secret Incan recipe” that includes vinegar, garlic, black pepper and herbs. Fans of Lucky Chicken in Cary might recognize this one. It’s the specialty at that restaurant, which Pisco Mar owner Betty Ortiz also owns. (She’s currently in the process of converting the original Lucky Chicken in Clayton to an Italian concept.)
Ortiz named her latest venture for that country’s famous liquor, which gets star billing in a limited bar offering that includes a first-rate pisco sour. And the dishes of her native Peru account for the lion’s share of the menu.
But Pisco Mar’s embrace extends beyond Peru. Scattered throughout the menu is evidence of the owner’s international culinary background. Pisco Mar’s excellent Colombian style empanadas, crispy corn dough pastries redolent of achiote and filled with chicken, vegetables or juicy shredded beef, are souvenirs from the country where Ortiz has family and lived for several years.
Tostones, twice-fried plantains, are popular across the Caribbean from Puerto Rico to Venezuela — where she also has family. Her Venezuelan grandmother taught her to make arepas, which she plans to add to the menu.
More recently, Ortiz learned to make mandu and noodle soups from the owners of Waba, the Korean restaurant that was the previous tenant in the upstairs space where Pisco Mar opened last summer. She says she kept these dishes on the menu so as not disappoint returning Waba regulars.
Still, for all its gastronomic globetrotting, home base for Pisco Mar is clearly Peru — although, as any fan of the cuisine will tell you, Peruvian cuisine is itself a multicultural adventure. Evidence of the mingling indigenous and immigrant cultures is scattered throughout the entree list, where stir-frying is the favored cooking method for a marriage of Old World and New World flavors.
Lomito saltado (more commonly known as lomo saltado), is a prime example. A wok-sautéed medley of lean beef strips, tomatoes and onions splashed with soy (and just a touch of aji), it’s served over steamed rice and fries (yes, both). Lomo saltado is Peru’s most popular dish, according to the menu, and Pisco Mar’s rendition (a chicken version is also available) is sure to win a strong following as well.
The menu describes chaufa as “Peruvian fried rice,” though I couldn’t begin to say what might be Peruvian about the chicken chaufa I had recently. It’s tasty, mind you, but I’m hard-pressed to distinguish it from what you’d get in a Cantonese restaurant.
Peruvian tamales, filled with your choice of shredded chicken or pork and steamed in a banana leaf, can be hit or miss. The shredded pork filling was juicy and flavorful when I tried it, but the masa was dry and crumbly.
Papas a la Huancaina — sliced potatoes blanketed with a creamy sauce that gets its pale yellow color (and a touch of heat) from aji amarillo — is a more reliable starter option. Better still, go for Yucainas, a variation on the dish that replaces the potatoes with fried yuca for a gratifying crispy contrast to the sauce.
The menu devotes an entire page to a commendably strong vegetarian selection. Most are meatless versions of traditional dishes found elsewhere on the menu: fried rice, saltado, tamal and empanada (a must, whichever filling you opt for). Cauliflower “wings,” batter-fried and tossed in your choice of sauce (Buffalo, mango-habanero or BBQ), offer a trendier alternative.
Like the menu, Pisco Mar’s decor is a collection of souvenirs: folk art from places where Betty Ortiz has lived, colorful tiles, flags of Colombia and Peru in the windows overlooking Hillsborough Street. It’s a warmly inviting, quaintly charming space which, combined with the off-the-beaten-path location, up a flight of well-worn stairs — could be described as a hidden gem. A gem, you might say, that sparkles with the rainbow hues of a different cultures.
Pisco Mar
2502-1/2 Hillsborough St., Raleigh
919-615-0689
Cuisine: Peruvian
Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Prices: $-$
Atmosphere: colorful, quaintly charming
Noise level: low to moderate
Service: friendly, generally attentive (though at times short-handed)
Recommended: ceviche, empanadas, yucainas, lomito saltado
Open: Lunch Monday-Friday, dinner Thursday-Saturday
Reservations: accepted
Other: full bar; accommodates children; good vegetarian selection; parking on street.
The N&O’s critic dines anonymously; the newspaper pays for all meals. We rank restaurants in five categories: 5 stars: Extraordinary. 4 stars: Excellent. 3 stars: Above average. 2 stars: Average. 1 star: Fair.
The dollar signs defined: $ Entrees average less than $10. $ Entrees $11 to $20. $$ Entrees $21 to $30. $$ Entrees more than $30.
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 12:00 AM.