Culinary Experience

So Katie got to Peru about three days ago, and we`ve been on a whirlwind tour ever since. There will be more about our adventures to come, but right now, I have to describe one of the best culinary experiences I`ve ever had.

The coast of Lima is build on a cliff overlooking the beach. I don`t really know how this particular geologic feature came about, but the results are dramatic. It makes the perfect backdrop for walking along the cliffs and looking at the ocean. It also makes a perfect spot for paragliding as we have already seen. Well, Katie and I were walking along this perfectly situated spot and spied a long pier that held what looked like a fine restaurant. Our curiosity was peaked and so we wandered down to the beach to look at the menu. The restaurant was called the Rosa Nautica and it was a very fancy seafood restaurant built out over the water. It was beautful and Katie immediately fell in love with it, so we got reservations for that night and returned.


We walked out on the pier that night and the first thing we encountered was a little monkey. Actually, it was one of those pet monkeys, and it had an owner who would have the monkey give you fortunes for 10 soles apiece. I, being gullible, didn`t understand that this little piece of paper filled with illegible Spanish was going to cost me ten soles. We reluctantly paid the man and walked into the restaurant. It was beautiful inside. It was a combination of an old lighthouse and a ship. You could feel the waves crashing against the pilings below. The server took us in and sat us down in a waiting area to wait for our table. I was a little miffed because I had made reservations and our table wasn`t ready. But, that`s not really the way it works down here. Most people take a few minutes and have a few drinbs before they head for food. I relaxed a little and asked the wine specialist for a recommendation. We settled on a nice white chardonnay and then the server came with our seats.


The view was incredible. We were seated right next to the window that overlooked the pier and the lights of the city reflected off the water. The waves lapped gently below the window and the abiance was just perfect. Our bottle of wine came and both Katie and I were very pleasantly surprised. It was delicious. I have had wine a few times since I`ve been here and it`s all been brutally sweet. It`s like drinking alcoholic soda. This was perfectly dry and sweet. I`m not a wine conossiuer or anything, but this was great. Fresh bread was brought in a wicker basket and Katie and I sat back and basked in the opulence.

We had already decided what we were going to eat. We had seen it earlier when we stopped in. It was the seafood special. It had shrimp, crab, octupus, fish, and squid. It sounded awesome. We ordered that when we first sat down and the food was brought out at the perfect time, right as the wine started to go to our heads. The waiter brought out a gleaming tray and when he lifted the lid, our noses and tastebuds were assaulted with a delicious flavor. We dug right in, and although I don`t eat seafood often, this is probably the best meal I have ever had in my life. The food just absolutely melted on your tongue. The crab was especially good. I have no other way to describe the flavor except that it was amazing. Just writing about it makes me very hungry.



The dessert menu was brought out, and I didn`t understand a word. So I just took a chance and ordered something that looked big. Just when we didn`t think anything could possibly top the food, the dessert was brought out. It was three flavors of chocolate wrapped in chocolate and set in different flavored sauces. At the risk of sounding redundant, it was amazing. Katie and I sat there and savored the dessert and the last of the wine, and reflected on what couldn`t possibly have been a better culinary experience. If you ever go to Lima, make sure you go to the Rosa Nautica. It`s expensive, but I would`ve paid ten times what it cost for the meal we got.