Eating Out of the Vox in Fountain Valley

 Vox Kitchen

16161 Brookhurst Street

Fountain Valley, CA  92708

If you search Yelp for the most reviewed Orange County restaurants, Vox Kitchen is ranked number seven, with over 5,300 reviews. What's even more astonishing than that is that Vox Kitchen is the proud owner of a four-and-a-half-star rating. Yelp is notorious for its reviewers getting on their platform to complain about restaurants, so a place with such a high rating and many reviews has excited me. 

I was also excited because we were finally going to be able to eat at Vox Kitchen after a false start. About six months ago, we had come here and were met with a two-hour wait, which was not conducive to how hungry we were. We found a Peruvian spot a few miles away, but I knew we would be back to try this busy spot. With the help of the Yelp waitlist, we got our name on their list and timed it ideally to arrive at the restaurant just as our table was ready. It worked like a charm. 

Vox Kitchen is part of the Kei Restaurant Group, run by Executive Chef Viet Nguyen, who started Sup Noodle Bar in 2014. From there, he and his team opened up Vox Kitchen three years later and now have a full roster of restaurant concepts under their tutelage. Their website boasts 11 restaurants, most located within striking distance of the Little Saigon area. 

Vox Kitchen is described as Asian Comfort Food inspired by chifa cuisine. What is chifa cuisine, you ask? I had to look it up as well. It's the culinary fusion of Chinese and Peruvian cuisine brought to Peru in the 19th and 20th centuries by East Asian immigrants. The menu resonated with the community, as they are packed almost every night. Let's check out what all the hoopla is about. 

We started things off with two small plates, the first of which was these Bacon Brussel Sprouts ($12). Everyone is doing a brussel sprout dish these days. This one from Vox is topped with crispy bacon, an egg, and pork sung, which I'd describe as pork dust. I liked that they did not try to do too much with this. They did not rely on a sweet sauce to make these sprouts enjoyable. Instead, they doubled up on the pork and allowed the runny egg to tie everything together. The sprouts could have been left to get a bit crisper, but they are a solid starter.  

Elote ($13) was not something I was expecting to find at Vox Kitchen, but they nailed it. Sweet corn mixed with parmesan, parsley, and spicy crema came together to create a nicely done version of this Mexican street food staple. It was not on the cob, so it was easier to eat this way. 

Our good friend Adrienne will start the entree part of our meal with her selection, the House Fried Rice with Chicken Thigh ($16). The fried rice is mixed with scrambled eggs and scallions and topped with a fried egg. The cubed chicken is served to the side, which I liked, as it lets the chicken stand out a bit more. The chicken was seasoned well and tender. No complaints from Adrienne with this one, as she took half of it home to be eaten for lunch the next day. 

Katie switched things up by getting the House Garlic Noodle with Filet Mignon ($20). They use an organic wheat noodle here and mix it with a little dusting of parmesan, butter, garlic, scallions, and a secret sauce. The result was quite delicious. Very comforting, and it went nicely with the cubed steak and onions. Katie enjoyed the tender beef, but it was overshadowed by the garlic noodles, which she called wonderfully delicious. She was also a big fan of the green aji sauce. 

I'm a sucker for a good Saltado with Filet Mignon ($20), and this one was one of the better ones I've had. Another comforting dish, this had a base of french fries with tomatoes, onions, and steak heaped over it. It was good, but their spicy green aji sauce raised this a level. The fries picked up the juices from the steak and made them a little mushy, which was fine. I steered clear of the big hunks of tomato and used my leftover aji sauce to mix with the scoop of rice to ensure my carb consumption was even higher than it typically is. 

Unlike me, my buddy Chris is very carb conscious, so he steered clear of the mound of rice on his  Mushroom and Rib-Eye Stir Fry ($17). Instead, the plentiful shimeji mushrooms are mixed with little bits of ribeye in a soy beurre blanc sauce. I thought the mushroom to steak ratio was one-sided here, in favor of the mushrooms, but no complaints from Chris about this. 

We made another visit to Vox Kitchen with my aunt and uncle a month or two later, and on that visit, I tried the House Fried Rice with Rib-Eye ($27). This was even better than my first meal here. Even though I'm a big fan of their saltado, the fried rice will be my go-to meal at Vox from here on out. The rice, fried egg, and the nicely done medium rare steak worked together to create a well-balanced meal. 

It's easy to see why Vox Kitchen is so popular. Their food is very comforting and appeals to a wide range of people. I could even see taking my parents here, who are not exactly the most adventurous eaters, and I bet even they would enjoy the food at Vox Kitchen. The prices here will not break the bank, but you need to be aware of something when eating here. They get their food out incredibly quickly, which is usually good, but not when you eat in a sit-down restaurant with family or friends. We felt rushed on our two trips here and were only here for 45 minutes. However, that doesn't change the fact that we really enjoyed Vox Kitchen and will return soon. I'm sure their popularity on Yelp will continue to grow. 

Out of five comic books (because there's a character in the DC Universe known as Vox), five being best to zero being worst, Vox Kitchen gets 3.5 comic books. 

For more information about Vox Kitchen, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.eatvox.com/

Getting to Inka Cantina in a Roundabout Way

 Inka Cantina

18279 Brookhurst St. 

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

When going out to eat, it's good to be with people that are flexible. We had made plans with our friends Chris and Adrienne to meet up for dinner recently. We had picked a spot, drove the half-hour from our place, and were met with a nearly two-hour wait. This was not going to work out, so I quickly went to Yelp to find a nearby restaurant that had a more manageable wait, and that's what brought us to Inka Cantina. 

Inka Cantina is situated in the very same shopping center as Paderia Bakehouse, which I contend serves the best cookies in all of OC. Along with anchor stores, T.J. Maxx, Rite Aid, and Ralph's, there's also a Super Mex, Flame Broiler, and Subway in this almost always busy shopping plaza, located a few blocks south of the 405 freeway. 

Now that you have the lay of the land, let's get down to business. Predictably, Inka Cantina serves Peruvian food. For those unaware, Peruvian food can best be described as a fusion cuisine that draws from the indigenous people of that South American country, along with all the other corners of the world, Europe, Africa, and Asian influences are prevalent. There are 28 microclimates in Peru, so the bounty is varied, which allows for great diversity in its cuisine. I'm by no means an expert in Peruvian food, but out of the handful of times I've had it, I've enjoyed almost everything that I've been confronted with. 

Inka Cantina has been around since 2011, and in those eleven years, they garnered a four-star rating on Yelp with over 600 reviews and were mentioned a couple of times in the now-defunct OC Weekly as being the jewel of Peruvian restaurants, at least that's what they said when they visited back in 2016. I was definitely curious to see if anything had changed in the last 5 years. 

The menu has exactly what you'd expect from a Peruvian restaurant in OC, with empanadas, ceviche, and lomo saltado being offered, but there are deeper cuts here. Things that you can't find in other Peruvian restaurants in our great county. Luckily, these are explained very clearly in their descriptions, which also probably helps the waitstaff from answering an absurd amount of questions. No questions from the four of us, so we quickly ordered and waited for our food to arrive, while hoping that this impromptu visit to Inka Cantina would be a good alternative to where we were going to eat in the first place. 

First up was a trio of Empanadas ($12.45). At Inka Cantina they offer three kinds of empanadas; spinach with cheese, beef, and chicken, so we opted to try one of each. Maybe it was the hunger that I was experiencing, but I really enjoyed each of them. If I had to pick, I'd say the spinach and cheese was my first place winner, followed closely by the beef version. Definitely some of the better empanadas that I've had in a long while.  

Entree time, and starting things off for us is Katie's choice on this evening, the Tallarin Verde con Pollo ($16.45). It's basically a boneless chicken breast that is pounded thin and seasoned with Peruvian spices and served over a spaghetti pesto. I really enjoyed this plate, as the chicken was nicely tender and the seasonings really popped. The contrast between the pesto and the chicken was nicely done and has got me thinking that I need more pesto in my life. Katie was thrilled with her selection, and would not hesitate to get this one again. 

Another dish I have never seen at a Peruvian restaurant was sat in front of Chris, the Cantinas Asado de la Abuela ($19.45). Sliced beef bathed in a rich deep gravy, served with buttery garlic mashed potatoes, a smattering of green beans, and a pyramid of steamed white rice created this very comforting plate. It's not a stretch to imagine this being served by a grandmother. The beef was fork-tender and the garlic was prevalent in the mashed potatoes. There could have been a more substantial serving of green beans, but Chris did not seem to mind as he cleaned his plate rather quickly. 

Call me a traditionalist or just basic, but my first meal in a new to me Peruvian spot has to be the most famous of all Peruvian plates, lomo saltado. At Inka Cantina they have two versions, one that uses regular strips of beef, or the one that both Adrienne and I opted for, the Cantina Lomo Saltado ($19.45) which uses strips of ribeye, which is my favorite kind of steak, and definitely worth the extra three bucks. This was a pretty straightforward version with onions, cilantro, peppers, tomato, and french fries joining the strips of beef. The ribeye was nicely done, just a tad over medium rare, which would have been optimal. The fries remained pretty crisp, maybe due to this version not having a lot of sauce incorporated into it. Still a very solid lomo, and made even better with their very good aji verde sauce which provided a very nice bump in the spiciness quotient of this plate. 

Inka Cantina filled in admirably for the restaurant we had originally wanted to go to, but did not want to wait a couple of hours to eat at. This is easily some of the best Peruvian food we have had in OC, and again, I'm by no means an expert of Peruvian cuisine, but I do know what I like, and the food here was delicious. The space is unpretentious, the service was warm and efficient, and the prices are on par with the portion sizes we received. Inka Cantina has definitely gotten me excited to try more Peruvian places in the coming months. 

Out of five yellow underpants, (because it's a custom in Peru and other Latin American countries to give the gift of yellow underwear on New Year's Eve, bringing good luck to the recipient in the upcoming year), five being best to zero being worst, Inka Cantina gets 3.5 yellow underpants.  

For more information about Inka Cantina, head to their website by clicking here: http://www.inkacantina.com/ 

A Taste of Peru in Lake Forest - CLOSED

Renzo's A Taste of Peru

24354 Muirlands Blvd. 

Lake Forest, CA 92630

Whenever someone asks me what kind of cuisine I think will trend next, I always have it in the back of my mind that it will be Peruvian food. Peru, much like the US, could best be described as a melting pot when it comes to the culinary scene of this South American nation. Besides the dishes of the indigenous inhabitants, Peruvian fare draws from Europe, Asia, and Africa to create its own mashup. Peruvian food is ready for its moment in the sun, just like quinoa or rainbow-colored fads of the last few years. 

A quick Yelp search of Peruvian restaurants in OC yielded nearly 40 restaurants, which was more than I thought there would be. I feel bad I have not done my part to promote Peruvian food, as I've only reviewed two Peruvian restaurants during the run of this blog, both of which have since closed. On one of my recent days off from work, I decided to remedy that with a trip to Renzo's in Lake Forest.  

Renzo's caught my attention with their very active Instagram account and the delicious-looking sandwiches and plates they feature there. As you will see, their food can even make a subpar photographer like myself take good-looking pictures. I excitedly called in my order on a Thursday before noon and hurried over there within the 15-minute time I was quoted. 

In case you were wondering, there is a Renzo, and he's Renzo Macchiavello, owner and chef of this joint. He's from Peru but has lived in the US since he was 17. Renzo started as a dishwasher in San Francisco and knew he wanted to become a chef after that. He moved to Los Angeles, worked in numerous hotels and restaurants in the LA area, and graduated from culinary school in 1993. His migration south continued when he moved to OC and opened Peruvian Grill in Huntington Beach to wide acclaim. 

That restaurant closed, but now Renzo is back, taking over another Peruvian restaurant after the previous owner suddenly passed away. Renzo's is situated in Lake Forest, near the intersection of Ridge Route and Muirlands, behind the Walgreens, and in the exact center as Avila's El Ranchito and Burger Town USA. A little hard to find, but I was looking forward to finally trying Renzo's take on Peruvian cuisine. 

The menu is small and compact but full of what you'd expect to find at a Peruvian spot. There are six starters, including the national dish of Peru, ceviche, which I learned is a sandwich. There are five sandwiches, three salads, five entrees, and a trio of sides. No main dish will cost you more than $20, and lunch and dinner portions depend on how hungry you are. I was hungry, so let's see how well I liked Renzo's. 

I'm no Peruvian food expert, very far from it, but I'd argue that while ceviche is Peru's unofficial national dish, Lomo Saltado ($18) is the most popular, It's also so damn photogenic, as you can see from the pictures above. For those that don't know, this is a stir fry dish which combines strips of steak, french fries, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. It came with a big side of white rice also, which soaked up a lot of the soy sauce. Even though the steak was not the most tender I have had, and maybe needed a bit more seasoning added to it, when combined with everything else it was a very good plate of food. The fries stayed crisp almost all the way through my meal, the delicious aji sauce really tied this plate together wonderfully, and the three extra dollars I paid for the dinner portion of this really was a lot of food, even for me. 

 

For part 2 of my meal, I tried the Roasted Pork Loin Sandwich ($11), also listed on the menu as the buttifarra. This hefty sandwich comes with sliced roasted pork, sweet potato, onion, citrus salsa, lettuce, and aioli, all on a French baguette. There was only one issue keeping me from loving this sandwich: the roasted pork. It was extremely dry the day I was here, which is a shame because the rest of the sandwich was excellent. I loved the notes of citrus and the tang from the aioli, and the bread was top-notch. I took off some of the pork, and it made the sandwich better, but I was still bummed. I hope they just had an off day, or I'll try their Cuban or turkey sandwich next time. 

Even with the subpar roasted pork on the sandwich, I'd still suggest you try Renzo's. The lomo saltado alone is worth the visit, and for ceviche fans, I hear you will not want to miss the one here. I found the price point more than fair, especially considering the size of the portions. A regular person could easily split one of the dinner portions with a friend. Service was prompt, as they had my to-go order ready and waiting at the promised time. Renzo himself also thanked me for visiting, which was a nice touch. I'm still sure that Peruvian food will have its moment in the sun, and I look forward to having it more often, especially before everyone else finds out about it. 

Out of five alpacas (because Peru is home to more than 75 percent of all the alpacas in the world), five being best to zero being worst, Renzo's A Taste of Peru gets 3 alpacas. 

For more information about Renzo's A Taste of Peru, head to their website here: http://www.renzostasteofperu.com/

Centrally Located Peruvian in Laguna - CLOSED

Central

361 Forest Ave. #103

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

As it gets closer to my birthday, we get a lot busier trying out new restaurants. This trip to one of our favorite coastal towns was perpetrated at a birthday party for my good friend Joe. I had not seen my old roommate Rob for close to a year and learned that he had moved down to Laguna with his fiance, Bre. He mentioned that we must have dinner with them at one of their favorite spots, Central.

Central is a Coastal Peruvian restaurant, which of course means it is seafood driven, but there's so much more to it than that. Peruvian fare has been described by New York Times Food Critic, Eric Asimov as being one of the world's most important cuisines, and a great example of food fusion, due to Peru's multicultural makeup. Influences come from the immigrants that came to this South American country from Europe, West Africa, and Asia, and who mixed their cuisines with the indigenous population of Peru, including the Incas. The result is a unique kind of food, but one that I've always been rather fond of. I was especially excited because Rob and Bre talked so highly of this restaurant, and Rob is not always so easy to please when it comes to food.

Central just had their one year anniversary, which is a big milestone in the restaurant business. Located in the old Sundried Tomato space, and sharing the same shopping center as Laguna Wine and the Laguna Beach Visitors Center, this restaurant is kind of tucked away from the crowds, but if you are still lost, just look for the iconic red English phone booth out front, and you'll know you're close. Like a lot of restaurants in their first year, there has been some turnover here, and when we were here in early June, they had just lost their chef but were confident that their sous chef, who had been at Club 33 at Disneyland, could take over. Not sure how it all played out for them, but looking at the menu online, it looks very similar to the menu when we're here just over a month ago.

We arrived at Central at just before 6 pm on a Thursday evening. Laguna had not been hit with a ton of tourists, so it was relatively easy finding parking before the hoards of Pageant of the Masters and Sawdust Festival attendees start crowding this small town. I never came here when this was Sundried Tomato, so I'm not sure how much has changed, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere here. Lots of exposed wood, cool, hip music, and a small ten-seat bar dominate the space. There's about ten or so tables inside, with a few more outside on their patio, near the fountain. We were finally settled in to see if this place matched Rob's hype for it.

We were patiently waiting for Rob's much better half to arrive from work, so we started with a round of drinks while catching up. Not sure if Peru actually has a national cocktail, but when I typed that into Google, the Pisco Sour ($12) was the first thing listed. The base of this beverage is pisco, a white brandy made with muscat grapes, and joined in the glass by egg whites, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and angostura bitters. This was a very frothy drink, with a unique taste. The sour definitely came through, and I did get the lime, but not much in the way of the syrup. Much better was Rob's selection, Cristal ($6), which is Peru's number one selling beer. This lager went down smooth, with a very mild taste to it. Not too hoppy, and light. I'd get this on my next visit here.

Just as our appetizers arrived, so did Bre. We had ordered two appetizers to start, the first of which was this Pulpo a la Parilla ($17). I was actually surprised that they wanted to order this grilled octopus starter, but I've always been a big fan of octopus, so I was all for it. The wonderfully done octopus was paired with onions and grapefruit, an aji Verde, romesco sauce, and topped off with an organic fried egg. The romesco sauce here was top notch and helped elevate this appetizer to greater heights than it would have attained without it. The fried egg could have been cooked a little less, so the runny yolk could cover the delicious octopus, but it was still delicious. I was trying to play it cool by not favoring this appetizer, but I wanted one all to myself.

A little less to my liking were these Lamb Empanadas ($13). The lamb inside of these was very good, tender with a good seasoning to it, but the empanada shell was a little too heavy and kind of on the dry side. I was hoping that the aji agro dulce sauce, which is like a sweet and sour sauce would have helped, but it kind of fell flat in adding anything to these empanadas.

Rob and Bre also got this oddly named Tomato Tower ($14) before our entrees made their way out. This gets a lot of love from people on Yelp, and from Bre and Rob. This is basically the Peruvian version of a Caprese, with its heirloom tomatoes, burrata cheese, opal basil, balsamic, and the only difference I could detect from across the table was the addition of the zucchini carpaccio. Maybe because of the new chef here, the presentation of this salad is different than both Rob and Bre remember it, and the pictures on Yelp definitely show a different looking version of this. This is a more spread out version, instead of being more vertical, which did not wow Rob and Bre like the times they had this before. Not bad, but a different preparation than they were used to, and one that was a little more challenging to get all the elements into one bite.

Since it was my birthday in a matter of hours, I went big at Central by ordering this Braised Lamb Shank ($32). I don't eat lamb nearly enough, and this version has got me hooked again. This good-sized lamb shank was joined by Peruano beans, crispy kale, sarza Criolla, which is a salsa made up of onions and other items, a cilantro gremolata, and finally, all tied together by chicha de hora jus, which from what I can at least guess by looking online is a Peruvian corn beer, but I might be wrong about that. Whatever it was, it helped make this dish a winner. The lamb was tender, without the gaminess that sometimes comes with ordering lamb. There could have been more sauce here, but the sauce that was present was very good and added to this mutton. The beans and onion salsa helped round this dish out perfectly. A very good meal to start out my birthday week.

When most people think of Peruvian cuisine, they almost always mention the most famous Peruvian dish of them all, the Lomo Saltado ($29). Of course Central has their own version of this dish, and Katie, Rob, and Bre all got this as their entree on this night. This dish, which was inspired by Chinese immigrants in Peru, is basically a stir fry dish with sliced filet mignon, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and french fries, all served on a bed of rice. Katie expected the filet to be a little more tender than it was, and she would have liked there to be more sauce and onions included with this. She did praise the fries though and thought they were a highlight of this dish.

We selected two desserts to share between the four of us, the best of the two by far was this Banana Empanada ($8). The outer shell was a little tough to get through, but I loved the creamy banana inside, which went well with the smear of Nutella and the ice cream. Yes, they needed a little more ice cream added on here, but a very satisfying dessert.

I was not as excited about this Mango Cheesecake ($8) as I was about the banana empanada. I must admit that I'm not really a big fan of mango or cheesecake, but none of my table mates were that impressed by this dessert ether. The mango flavor was muted, and only present in the cut-up mango placed on top of this, and the cheesecake underneath was only average. I did enjoy the cracker crust, but would much rather have ordered an extra banana empanada.

It seems to me that Central is kind of at a crossroads, and still trying to find some stability with their head chef position. This is definitely not unheard of in the restaurant business, but you want the food to be served in a consistent manner from a visit to visit. If they get some stability in the kitchen, the skies the limit for Central. They have a good base menu, and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here. The lamb, octopus starter, and the banana empanada were standouts, but other items need some work. Service on this evening was excellent, and we were never in need of anything and felt right at home. The restaurant can get a little loud, especially near the end of our stay when they were doing a booming business. Peruvian cuisine is due for a big breakout in the US, and we're looking forward to experiencing it at Central.

Out of five pieces of chalk, (because the oldest college in the Americas, the University of San Marcos, was founded in Peru in 1551, and I'm sure being that old of an institution, the professors here have used lots of chalk), five being best to zero being worst, Central gets 3.5 pieces of chalk.

For more information about Central, head to their website here: https://www.centrallagunabeach.com/

Lima Tell You About Inka Mar! (sorry for the bad pun) - CLOSED

Inka Mar

25542 Jeronimo Rd. 

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Lately, I have heard a lot about Peruvian food. I remember eating Peruvian food long ago in Costa Mesa at a restaurant called Inka Grill. I liked it the one time I went, but I have yet to go back. I am still trying to figure out why. I recently got an email asking me to try Inka Mar. Wanting to try something out of the norm for us, I enlisted Katie and Richard to tag along with me.

Peruvian food has been influenced by many different cultures over the years. Italians, Asians, and Spanish, among others, have left their marks on the food of Peru. The result is a menu that is unique and varied. Inka Mar recently changed from an Italian/Peruvian restaurant to a Peruvian restaurant only in mid-January. Let's see if the food here will make us crave Peruvian cuisine.

Above is the Bread and Aji sauce served before each meal. The bread was average, but the aji sauce was very good. Made of lettuce, jalapenos, and other spices, this really had a great spicy flavor. The spice did not overpower the sauce, but you definitely knew it was there.

When I am trying a place for the first time, I like to get a sampler platter to judge more of the food. So that is what we did here. This appetizer platter consisted of three items, the Trio Criollo.

Going left to right on the plate, we have the Papa a la Huancaina. This is boiled potatoes served with a creamy cheese sauce, garnished with a hard-boiled egg. I was not in love with this part of the dish. The potatoes surprised me by not being warm. They were served cold. The cheese sauce was also just average to me.

The middle portion of the plate was occupied by the Ceviche Mixto, which is fish, shrimp, calamari, and mussels mixed with lime juice. The fish tasted fresh and had a good flavor, but the lime at the end of each bite overpowered this part of the plate.

The last portion of this appetizer platter was the Choritos A La Chalaca. Here, mussels are topped with tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro, and lime juice. I found the seafood fresh, and the mussel topper was very flavorful. This is like an oyster shooter, just with a different shellfish. This was definitely my favorite part of this plate. Katie did not try this because she is not a fan of mussels (that is why she dates me!).

Now, on to the entrees. Up first is my Arroz Con Mariscos, or Peruvian Paella. This dish combined Peruvian rice with peas, onions, mussels, and other assorted seafood. I liked the flavor of this, and it came out steaming hot. The rice was very flavorful, but if there was one drawback about this dish, it was that there was not an abundance of seafood. A little more seafood would have made the $16 price tag for this a lot better.

Richard got the Bistec a lo Pobre or poor man's steak. This charbroiled steak had fried eggs, plantains, sweet potatoes, and rice. I had this kind of dish at a Colombian restaurant a few months back. The steak here was more tender, though. Richard would have liked the steak to have more seasoning. He loved the rice but felt the egg did not add anything to this plate. This was Richard's first time having a plantain, and he was not sure he liked it. I tried it and enjoyed it.

My favorite item of the night was Katie's choice for dinner, the Saltado de Pollo. This unique dish combines chicken, tomatoes, onions, and French fries, sauteed and served with white rice. These items all worked very well together. The chicken was flavorful and tender, and the fries were not all soggy like you would expect. Katie was even excited by the rice. I would gravitate towards this the next time I came here.

For dessert, we were given some of their homemade ice creams. The flavors were Lucuma (kind of like pumpkin), Maracuya (passion fruit), and Mango. All of these were very good, and you can definitely tell that they make them here. They had the texture of homemade ice cream that I had as a kid, and the flavors were very unique.

Inka Mar has a good vibe. They have a very large menu, and it may take me some time to find my favorites. The food here was very fresh. The service was good, but there were only four other tables eating at the time we were there (7 p.m. on a Wednesday night). Hopefully, the word will get out about this place, and they can fill those tables.

Out of five Machu Picchus (the most familiar icon of the Inca world, located in Peru), five being the best and zero being the worst, Inka Mar gets 2.5 Machu Picchus.

For more information on Inka Mar, click here: http://www.inkamar.com/index.php