La Mar Cebichería Peruana has as its main mission "attaining that all who visit discover, enjoy and forever make their own the marvelous invention that is Peruvian cuisine, created throughout the past 5,000 years" with locations in Lima, Peru and San Francisco, California...and soon to open in Mexico City and Santiago, Chile.
La Mar San Francisco is located at Pier 1 1/2 on The Embarcadero in an amazing space with soaring ceilings, full of light, and views of the San Francisco Bay.
Have you tried a pisco sour, the quintessence of a Peruvian cocktail?
- 2 oz pisco brandy
- 1 oz key lime or lemon juice
- 1/4 oz simple syrup
- 1/2 egg white
- 1 dash Angostura® bitters
Shake ingredients vigorously with ice, strain, and garnish with bitters. Pisco is made by distilling 100% fermented grape juice in copper pot stills. It is a method developed by Spanish settlers in Peru over 400 years ago.
You can sample pisco flights at the bar. How does one describe pisco? Unique, rich, clean, lush, fruity, tangy, crisp, smooth, nutty, spicy, grappa-y... I would love to hear how you interpret the taste of pisco brandies.
Cebiche Criollo: Baja California yellowtail, mussels, calamari, scallops in a spicy aji rocoto leche de tigre with habenero, cancha, red onion, Peruvian corn and yam. Very spicy (that's a habanero ring as garnish) and very flavorful!
Tamalito Verde: Fresh Peruvian corn cilantro tamale with red onion and lime juice.
Causa: Whipped purple potato with avocado puree and aji amarillo sauce.
Cordero: Braised lamb shank, mashed rice and bean tacu tacu.
Some other dishes we enjoyed included...
Chorillana: Roasted red snapper, mashed yucca, tamarind, red onion and tomato sauce.
Lomo Saltado: Traditional stir-fry of sautéed beef tenderloin, onions. tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, aji amarillo with fried potatoes.
Arroz: Peruvian style vegetable risotto.
The desserts were excellent too. I love the china in which they serve their sunken crème brûlée over purple corn compote.
And these little orange glazed chocolate beignets were a hit as well...If you are in San Francisco, we highly recommend La Mar for its interesting and fresh Peruvian menu, both classic and modern dishes, its breathtaking colorful space, and engaging knowledgeable staff.
When we dine out, we love to share. With so many interesting dishes and new flavors, we had to put all the dishes in the middle of the table. In fact, we started out at a table for four, but had to move to a bigger table so we had room for all the plates. How about you, do you prefer to savor your own dish or would you rather try them all?
