Llama Inn

Mi Gente, It is no easy task for parents trying to balance work, home, children, and love life so Nick and I always try to sneak in at least two date nights a month to function if you know what I mean. For the past couple of months, we have been looking to expand our plates and try dishes and drinks we won't normally order. This date night we headed over to Llama Inn in Brooklyn, a Peruvian restaurant with vibrant shareable dishes and fresh Latin cocktails.

Llama inn is located on the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg beneath the Brooklyn Queens expressway. With plenty of street parking it is perfect for a spontaneous date night or just to chill with friends and family.

Choosing from the menu was no easy task, I am one who looks online before visiting restaurants. Everything posted on their Instagram page made me want to jump right into the screen and devour it. We decided to choose an item from each section of the menu (to the left).

We began our night with drinks, I ordered Llama del Rey a crowd favorite with sweet notes almost similar to sangria. (top middle photo)

For starters, we ordered both ceviches (top left) {Salmon, ginger, peanut, crispy wonton} and (top right) {Fluke, sweet potato, celery}. Both were very different and challenged my taste buds but if I had to choose between the two I would go with the fluke. The flavors in both were fantastic, the salmon was fresh with sesame oil and the right amount of acidity, not to mention the crunch of the peanuts and wontons tied the dish together. The fluke was just out of this world, it was an explosion in my mouth like I'd never had before.

The middle section of the menu contained descriptions of dishes I would've never thought of putting together let alone ordering at a restaurant but after having great starter dishes we knew we were in for a ride. The photo on the left is an Oyster mushroom with rocoto, (a type of chili pepper), potato, and ahi verde (a spicy Peruvian sauce). I promise you the photo does this dish no justice. The mushroom was charred to perfection and the combination of the red salsa and ahi verde took this ordinary mushroom to a level 10.

After tasting three dishes it was time to move on to the main course which we decided to share after being told that the portion was perfect to do so. And how can you visit a Peruvian restaurant and not order the famous Lomo Salted aka Latin stir-fry?

This Lomo combination was everything. The steak was cooked to perfection (there's something about grilled streak that does it for me) smothered in a flavorful pepper and onion sauce and topped with crispy French fries. It's accompanied by white rice, scallion pancakes, pickled chilis, and rocoto cream. I love the addition of the scallion pancakes it gives tribute to the Cantonese-Chinese community that migrated to Peru and influenced this dish. There's no correct way when eating Lomo saltado, I tried building a taco using the scallion pancake and loading it up with a bit of everything creating a memorable bite.

Don't forget to check out Llama Inn next time you're in Brooklyn.