Its Monday, roughly around 2pm, and I get a call from BMoll: " Dude, I'll be there in 30 minutes, is that cool?". The events that took place the rest of the day, will forever be known as Epic LBC Eat-athon part deux. Now what started out as a simple 'hey lets go check this place out and see what happens', ended up being a full on culinary journey of about 9hours. Yes I said 9hours! This time on the spot was El Buzo Restaurant Peruvian cuisine (1436 N.Semoran Blvd. Casselberry ). Owned and operated by Bruno Ferreyra, El Buzo serves up traditional Peruvian classics such as ceviches and anticuchos, and a few other less popular street fare. As soon as we walked in, the familiar scents and aromas coming out of the open kitchen somehow made me feel like I was a little closer to home.
At a glance one could definitely drive by and completely miss this spot. Thank God we didn't, and struck gold with this amazing find. Oh, and don't mind the other big Peruvian restaurant next door, I bet El Buzo has enough Umph! to stand its own ground with bold intense flavors, and satisfying portions of goodness. With a very friendly and knowledgeable staff, this establishment left us with nothing left to want and our appetites quite satisfied.
What to drink what to drink? I went for the Inca Cola and a chicha morada (a non-fermented beverage derived from maize or choclo, pineapple, and spices such as clove,cinnamon, and bay), and BMoll opted for an ice cold Heineken (Oh yeah, I failed to inform you they were having problems with their A/C that same morning and the drinks were suggested by our very lovely server). First off, the Inca Cola gave me quite a surprise as I started to pour and saw an unexpected golden yellow color going into my glass. If you've ever had cola-champagne or a "Colombianita" you know exactly what I am talking about here. Needless to say, I went to my nearest supermarket and bough me a 2 litre bottle of cola-champagne days after our little endeavor. The chicha morada hmmm, how can I put this? I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it. If any of you have had mulled wine imagine a watered down version of it. Although refreshing, I couldn't get over the intensity of the spices. Maybe its just me, but for some reason my brain associates cinnamon and clove with sweet desserts and savory dishes. Don't let my words discourage you from giving it a go if you do decide to visit. To each their own flavor profiles and palates I always say.
Finally our appetizers start rolling in, and already I am as giddy as a four year old in Disney World. Enter the "Causa de camaron". This beautiful and colorful dish looks almost to good to eat. Before our server gets a chance to leave our table I quickly bombarded her with questions about this aesthetically pleasing piece of goodness sitting before us. She explained that the 'fondant' looking yellow outside is in fact made up of yellow potatoes, whipped to the consistency of a soft pliable dough. It all makes sense now after having over-whipped a few batches of mashed potatoes in culinary school. With enough mixing the potatoes start developing their gluten, becoming stretchable and 'dough-like' all by itself, but I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, the causa. The filling, she explained, was a mix of a classic american egg salad, and a poached shrimp salad. Soft, velvety, creamy and lemony. It was definitely a good preview of what was to follow.
Second course, the well-known ceviche tradicional. We're firm believers that when you have the freshest and best products available, you rarely have much to do to these ingredients. In most cases, just combine and let them speak on their own. In this case they're saying "freshest, cleanest tasting grouper, lime, pungent red onions, and the natural juices in one dish". This has to be the best and most simple ceviche I have had in Orlando. No unnecessary garnishes, fancy herbs or oils, peppers, or fancy chips. Just clean, simple, definite ingredients. It did strike me as a surprise the little mounds of two types of corn and the sweet potato that was served on the side. Before I even asked the reasoning behind it, I had a bite and decided to not question it at all. Makes sense, if you think about it. Corn and potatoes being staple ingredients in the Inca cuisine for thousands of years, and the raw seafood preparations from their heavy Japanese influence ( I bet some of you didn't know that lol) form a prefect marriage in this one simple dish. Touche cultural culinary fusions, touche.
Third course arrives, and yes you guessed it, the 'lomo saltado'. You can not have a Peruvian restaurant and not have a version of this dish one way or another. Take sauteed strips of cilantro/garlic marinated skirt steak, peppers, sweet yellow onions, tomato and serve them over french fries for a complete meal. #winning You might think the french fries are a little weird in a dish like this, but trust me you're gonna want them to soak up all that delicious flavorful pan sauce.
We weren't even half way done with our lomo saltado when the 'anticuchos' arrived. Beef hearts 'a la plancha like no other my friends. So tender and clean, perfectly seared outside, creamy inside. I know most of you are probably thinking that it was metallic tasting, like most offal are, but none of that iron flavor here my avid readers. It tasted like the leanest, "beefiest" piece of red meat you have ever tried. The way beef has always tasted in my country, beef to the power of 4. God, I miss those churrasquerias back home right about now! Now the sauces looked pretty standard to me, one creamy, and one oil based like a chimichurri per say. Yes, they seemed common and unnecessary for the amazing quality of the beef hearts we were enjoying, but after trying both of them I couldn't stop myself from double and triple dipping my cardiac morsels of heaven. The creamy sauce I could only describe as a spicy aoli, probably made with some kind of hot pepper and garlic. The lighter, oil based sauce was definitely a new experiance for my palate. Our server explained to us its a mixture of olive oil, spicy peppers, and 'huacatay, also known as tagetes minuta and wild marygold. If I had to describe it to you, I would say its like a mixture of basil, mint, tarragon, and hints of citrus. Totally new to me, definitely interesting, and certainly will be keeping and eye out for this herb at specialty markets wherever I go from now on.
Our last dish arrives, and we're both still about half way full ( you must train hard young jedis). Our server places the 'seco de res' in the middle of the table, smiles and asks:"will that be all guys?". It is at this moment that we decide that we want to head to downtown after this meal and continue eating and seeing what else is out there. Back to the dish. The seco, she explained, was beef braised in beer, served with a side of boiled potatoes, and white beans. First of all, let me tell you about the beans. Tender, well seasoned, almost 'Tuscan if I may. Served with a healthy pour of olive oil and lots of fresh herbs, I would order this dish again for those beans alone. The potatoes were just as she had described, plainly boiled. The beef, alhough it had good flavor, it proved to be a little dry either from over braising it, or not braising it enough. Like I said, I would order this dish again only for those amazing white beans.
All in all, good find, good experience, and great service. LBC will definitely be visiting this place again for a quick fix of south American food cravings. We loved the photo display of their full menu on the wall behind Bruno's plancha. The harpoons and diver gear set the right tone for his love of seafood and all things marine. Don't forget to ask to see their photo albums, with tons of great moments captured in film. From his award winning catches in the sea, to a full catalog of every item on their menu, it will definitely impress you and give you a little insight of the owner's passions (food and the sea).
Visiting El Buzo has made me reflect on food, and why we cook they way we do. The many influences that have made a huge impact in what we know as latin food, and the native ingredients that have been around since before the discovery of many of these countries by their respective colonies. Traditions, standards, and things we take for granted. So, even though my appetite was satisfied that day, I have been left with a curiosity of wanting to explore more into cultural roots, traditions, and the cuisine that shaped what we know now as latin/south american food. As chefs/cooks/people/culture I say, "Adapt, master, and move on, always respecting traditions and history".
