I'm out on the road a lot - especially now that things are pretty much back to normal. My job usually has me traveling all over the county. So there aren't too many reasons why I would agree to drive over an hour and a half from Kendall Florida to Boca Raton - except for good food and wine (or pisco) or a nice hotel on the water.
If you follow me you know that I have a deep obsession with both Peruvian food and Sushi. It's something I dream about both awake and asleep. Ceviche tickles my taste buds in ways I haven't been tickled before. So...when I heard about Chef Danny Kou's newest spot in Boca Raton: Kousine Boca Raton, I was intrigued. Danny Kou is a world renowned chef that has led kitchens in several Peruvian restaurants such as Balcones del Peru and El Rocoto, both in Los Angeles, as well as Osaka in Hollywood, California. At his last post, he held the position of Executive Chef for four years at La Mar, Cebicheria Peruana in San Francisco, by Gaston Acurio, ambassador of Peruvian cuisine.
Over in Florida, Chef Danny Kou has opened two Kousine Peruvian Kitchen restaurants. The first one in Fort Lauderdale, and his most recent in Boca Raton. I must say I was very excited to get a taste of his delicious Peruvian gastronomy and from the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with a refreshing selection of Pisco libations. Just take a look:
If you think those drinks look fabulous, wait until you take a look at the food. We started out with an assortment of appetizers consisting of traditional Peruvian dishes prepared in a very original way. The first was the
Tiradito Tri Color. Can we just agree that it was not only delicious but a work of art? Just close your eyes and imagine a foodgasmic experience of sliced fresh catch of the day, bathed in rocoto and aji amarillo passion fruit leche de tigre, and served with sweet potato, cancha and choclo for crunchy texture and to cleanse the palate between bites. Following that adventure, came one of my favorite Peruvian dishes -
La Causa. This potato delight was layered with tuna tartar, aji amarillo and avocado, then topped with crispy fried shrimp and cherry tomatoes, and drizzled with rocoto cream. Easy on the eyes and the appetite.
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Tiradito Tri Color
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| La Causa |
You really haven't experienced the culinary essence of Peru if you haven't tried Ceviche so that was next on our palate-pleasing adventure. We got to sample the
Ceviche Kousine and
La Copa. The Ceviche Kousine is Chef Kou's unique creation and it is unbelievable. He prepares it with chunks of tuna, aji amarillo and passion fruit to give it a sweet and salty flair. Then to elevate the taste buds even higher, he adds nori, avocado, cucumber and sesame seeds. La Copa is also a favorite both aesthetically and in flavor. Prepared more traditionally but with a fun presentation, La Copa unites the fresh catch of the day with shelled seafood, aji limo, rocoto, fried calamari, cancha and choclo.
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| Ceviche Kousine |
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| La Copa |
You would think we would be slowing down but let's face it.... when you're a hard-core foodie, there is no stopping when the dishes are this good. After a few minutes of deep breathing to make room in our tummies, the entrees made an entrance. We sampled four favorites from the menu: the
Plancha Marina (Grilled Seafood), Kam Lu Wantan,
Carapulcra con Costillar de Cerdo (
Carapulcra with Pork Ribs)
, and
Arroz con Pato (Duck Rice). I loved that the entrees came from different sections of the menu and represented the variety Kousine offers. For example, the Plancha Marina was a grilled seafood fest of grilled salmon, shrimp, calamari, octopus and mussels, topped with anticuchera sauce and served with grilled vegetables, marble potatoes and chimichurri sauce. There is a strong Asian influence in many Peruvian dishes and the Kam Lu Wantan represented that fusion. This time the stir-fried shrimp took center stage in this plate but with them came BBQ pork, beef and chicken. This combination of land and sea was combined with seasonal vegetables, pineapple and daikon radish, and served with fried wontons and sweet and sour sauce.
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| Plancha Marina |
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| Kam Lu Wantan |
The Carapulcra con Costillar de Cerdo is found in the Criollo section of the menu. This flavorful dish is actually a traditional sun-dried potato stew with pork and chicken, and it is served with roasted pork ribs and creole sauce. The last entree we indulged in was the Arroz con Pato, which is also in this portion of the menu. The half duck crispy confit was juicy and tender. It was served over black beer rice with cilantro and salsa criolla, and the ever-famous Papas a la Huancaina,
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Carapulcra with Pork Ribs
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| Duck Rice |
You're probably wondering if I'm going to leave you hanging because we didn't have room for dessert. But frankly, you don't really know me that well if that thought even crossed your mind. I would never do that. Why do you think I wore a stretchy dress? Here is the parade of happy endings we had the pleasure of tasting... (I'll always take one - or three - for the team.)
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| Chocolate Cake with Lucuma Ice-Cream |
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| Passion Fruit Cheesecake |
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| Lucuma Mousse |
They say pictures say a thousand words and these are all saying "eat me". If you haven't been to Kousine in Boca Raton, you are missing out. The cocktails are amazing and there are so many outstanding dishes on the menu, you will have to visit several times to just begin to experience all the goodness Chef Danny Kou offers.
Cheers and for more information on Kousine Boca Raton, check our their menu
here.
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