There is a high energy buzz the moment you walk in. From the reflective glass walls to the scrawled murals, everything about the place says "of the moment". Picca is the only Peruvian fusion restaurant on the scene right now. It has come a long way since its innocuous sister,
Mo-Chica, made it big. The menu has a similar concept. But I am MUCH MUCH more fond of Picca.
Maybe it was the Pisco Sour...
Or the Martin Ricky....
But a girl needs some booze to go with her
causas and Mo-chica's no alcohol policy is definitely a damper. A quick run down of the night's favorites includes the
papa rellena - Peruvian baked potato stuffed with meat sauce and a boiled egg.
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| papa rellena |
The perfectly fried and battered seafood bits is a respite from the tart flavors that Picca is so fond of.
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| jalea mixta |
As the mussels come around, we soon realize the secret behind Chef Ricardo's success must be his adept skill at making sauces. Not your run-of-the-mill white wine-butter-garlicy mussel sauce. But more of a zesty-herby-clean-pancetta-y preparation unlike any I've ever had.
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| choritos |
I'm defenseless when it comes to uni. The combination of rice, uni and uni cream sauce hits home and not a single grain of rice is left on this plate.
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| arroz con erizo |
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| papa a la huancaina |
Picca has a variety of skewered items such as chicken, beef, salmon, scallops..Yet nothing compares to the quail eggs basking in a golden cheese sauce. Is it the sauce again? Or is the sauce a mere accompaniment to the ingredients. My dining companion decides it's all sauce. It might be. Sauce or no sauce- it's
damn good. Surprisingly, the
causas paled in comparison to the other contenders. You would thing
causas being a Peruvian staple would be the star. Despite the lackluster
causas, the meal was enjoyable with unique flavors foreign to our palate. This is exactly what LA needs, more foreign and exotic flavors. Tired of of the farm to plate trend, tired of
mo-ga, what I really need is some thought provoking food. Maybe a trip to Spain might be the answer?
Picca
9575 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 277-0133
