Pisco y Nazca - a Florida-Based Peruvian Chain in South Dupont Circle and Reston

[KeithA]

I've walked by Pisco y Nazca downtown numerous times but never had the chance to try it before lunch today. It was overall a really enjoyable experience. It is a nice, comfortable setting with an open kitchen tucked in the corner. Service was very good and attentive but not intrusive. The lunch menu is huge with lots of options (it may be the same as dinner menu) but I had seen online they also have a regular lunch 3 course menu for great price $26 with a few upcharges for certain items but still a lot of variety in the apps and entrees. I had to ask for the 3 course menu, but they brought it right away and we ended up ordering from it. The table next to us had a really good looking and they said really tasty and ample Japanese style tuna ceviche from the regular menu that I'd try next time. I started with the ceviche of the day, which was a small portion of the cremosa ceviche - raw white fish, onions, disk of roasted sweet potatos, what appeared to be plump large size corn and tigre sauce. It was pretty good but I think I'd try the tuna or another ceviche next time. They were fine with leaving out the usual shrimp from the ceviche when I requested that since I don't eat it. My fellow diner had the Causa de Pollo which is a chilled, whipped potato dish with shredded chicken, mayo, avocado, and sauce all layered - it was a large portion. She said it was very good. For main course, she had the Chaufa de Pollo - essentially peruvian fried rice which was really big and she said it was tasty. I loved my lomo saltado (biggest upcharge at $11 but worth it) - perfectly medium cooked cubes of steaks, great steak fries, sauteed onions and slices of tomato with a mound of rice with a great thin, soy based sauce that was delicious - tangy, sweet but not too sweet. I'd eat the lomo saltado again anytime. It was a really big plate too. We finished with the two dessert options - a small slice of cheesecake and a small piece of flan. I had the flan and it was really good caramel flavor, with the right amount of slightly dense but still not too heavy. It had small pieces of grilled pineapple around the base which were a nice complement but a bit overpowered by the rich caramel. I'm going to have to add this to lunch rotation and check it out for dinner sometime too. It was nice to see the restaurant more than half full downtown on a Friday - and this is without any sidewalk seating. I have hope for downtown just yet as I expected it may be deserted.

[Pat]

Thanks for the review! I pass this place a lot too, and I love causa.

[KeithA]

Went back to Pisco last weekend with my wife. It was nice to see it so busy on a Saturday night. Bar was packed and most tables filled. Happy we made a reservation a few days before. They have a happy hour special that lasts 4pm-7pm everyday so that was likely a draw too. We were really drawn to the Pisco flight of 3 different ones so even though that was one of the few non-HH cocktails, we went for it and really had fun trying the different types - traditional with lime, passion fruit (sweet and smooth - I'm a sucker for passion fruit too), and chicha morada (it is a dark reddish-purple, traditional made from corn, it was somewhat sweet but unique, my least favorite). We had the Nikkei (japanese) ceviche to start with is an ample portion for 2, and probably would have been fine as a small starter for 4. The portions of everything appeared to be large. So good for sharing. The ceviche was nice big chunks of fresh tuna, with shredded onions, chopped cucumber and avocado with a big piece of wonton like cracker and a soy based savory sauce. Similar to a tuna poke without rice. We enjoyed. For mains, my wife had the excellent Lomo Saltado that enjoyed on my last visit. Next time we'll probably share and the size was good she didn't mind me stealing fries - the sauce is so tasty. I got the lamb shank which was pretty good but I'd probably go for something else next time. Nicely cooked, with a rich brown stew like sauce that they cover the whole plate in. Not the best presentation because I almost didn't see the peas and carrots covered in sauce or the rice (& maybe potato) under the shank. It does have a nice contrast though as piled on top of the shank are shredded onions in aji marinade. Overall we really enjoyed the food, nice to be in a lively place for a date night, and the service was very good too. The menu is really big too with a bit for everyone but especially good if you like seafood. We were stuffed and skipped dessert.