461364 Fri Nov 16 14:36:26 -0800 2007 22 2 Los Angeles Area 0 3132210 So he admitted to me he already reserved at Lima in Tarzana. I'm excited, as I've never had Peruvian. He says they'll have a live peruvian band till 9, then dancing! My mom went to Peru and waxed poetic about the food. What is best at Lima? I know I want tacu tacu, but what else? Good apps? Drinks? Mains? dessert? also, isn't it right across the street from Gelson's? Thanks Fri Nov 16 14:36:26 -0800 2007 11201 Diana 1 3132461 We live around the corner from Lima and have been many times since it's soft opening. We love the pisco (sp?) sours and margaritas but they have a full bar and probably make martinis and other drinks. My favorite dish is the peruvian style paella while most of the fish selections are also very good. You're rght about the tacu tacu - very tasty. The owner is very friendly and hospitable and will probably come over to say hello sometime during your meal. A nice addition to the neighborhood. Fri Nov 16 15:54:42 -0800 2007 3132210 56937 zam 1 3139029 Can you please report back? We live near by and would love to hear more about it. Thanks! Mon Nov 19 11:19:33 -0800 2007 3132210 14124 CarlieInLA 1 3139081 19540 Ventura Blvd., in the former Costa Taverna space. Mon Nov 19 11:31:58 -0800 2007 3132210 10359 carter 2 3139905 The ceviche appetizer is excellent. Mon Nov 19 15:12:08 -0800 2007 3139081 142200 arlette 1 3139996 My son lived in Peru for two years, and he has tried a few Peruvian restaurants in LA... and he thought Lima was the best, and most authentic. He also raved about the cerviche! Mon Nov 19 15:42:32 -0800 2007 3132210 18824 creamof 1 3141680 We wnet. The experience was not good, but not because of the food. The food was fabulous. We had a mixed appetizer plate that consisted of 5 items, all balanced on mashed potato. Shrimp, beef, scallop, squid and halibut, all in wonderful sauces. Forgive me for forgetting the peruvian names. He had a dish of mixed seafood over papas, and I had the halibut over mixed seafood and tacu tacu. We asked for a half order of "mixed potatoes with cheese sauce" to taste. Well, the mixed potatoes had only one type of potato, but that was the only real food snafu. they also charged us full rpice for a half order. The food was fabulous, the mixed drinks we shared (pisco sour, margarita, special drink with purple potato juice/stuff) were good. I asked for low alcohol in mine so I could taste more. The drinks were shockingly expensive, and prices were not listed on the menu. I shoulda been smarter about that. My husband also had an "imported peruvian beer" for $6. You can buy it by the 6 pack at bevmo for that, and it's only peru's version of chepa lager! The whole meal, before tip, came to $90 something. We were sort of rushed through, with the food coming out lickety split. The "live peruvian music" was a band playing modern versions of songs that had a sconnection somehow to south america or mexico. "Girl from Ipanema" was played more than once in the space of half an hour. Perhaps they were from peru. I dunno, the food was very tasty, as were the drinks. The service was rushed, but really nice. The price was outrageous, fo me,considering the amount of food we got and the items actually on the plate. Potatoes don't cost that much, and halibut isn't that hard to get. I left feeling sort of confused and ripped off. Hed the drinks been reasonable, the service a little more relaxed, and the portions just a smidgen bigger, I would have been very happy. If I paid $60 for the meal, I would have been ravingly happy. So go for the food, but expect to pay a lot. I wonder iof Balcones de Peru is cheaper? Tue Nov 20 07:30:13 -0800 2007 3132210 11201 Diana 2 3142592 So, if I read this correctly, you had an appetizer plate, two mains, two side dishes (tacu tacu and a half order of the mixed potatoes, though you may have been charged for a full plate of potatoes), three mixed drinks and a beer for $90 something including tax (but not tip)....other than the halibut there were various types of seafood and meat in the dishes including scallops, shrimp and beef, and you thought the food was fabulous but felt ripped off. huh? What is the atmosphere like? I just don't see $90 for such a meal as 'outragous' . A bit pricey if the food wasn't good and the music was bad and I felt rushed, but for fabulous food, no....are prices really that much lower in the LA area than in SF? Indeed, if the takeout menu (from their website) is any indication, looks like entrees are all under $20, some well under $20. Drink prices are printed on the take-out menu, looks like the specialty cocktails like those you ordered are around $10 to $11 each. Perhaps expensive compared to the rest of the menu, though I have certainly seen worse...... http://www.limacuisine.com/pdf/LIMA_To_Go_Menu.pdf Tue Nov 20 11:19:51 -0800 2007 3141680 10158 susancinsf 3 3143508 I have to agree and I live in the same area as the OP -- $90 for a seafood appetizer, 2 seafood entrees, 2 additional side dishes and 3 alcoholic beverages doesn't sound absurd to me at all. Tue Nov 20 15:13:39 -0800 2007 3142592 12384 boogiebaby 4 3145312 Again, I'm more confused and let down than angry. the food was good, but I've gotten more for less-better for less-elsewhere. I live in Sherman Oaks, and I eat at nice places, not so nice places with good food, medium places with good food, etc, but rarely pay $90 plus tax and tip for a good dinner. The seafood appetizer didn't contain gold or providence level seafood, gang. We had an extra half appetizer. i asked the manager/owner if it was OK to have half, and he agreed. then we had two entrees. We each had two drinks. No dessert. I think it was the drinks that really did it to the price, though. This is why I tend to do a good beer or one glass of wine instead of mixed drinks. Lima really didn't have good beer. the wine was overpriced plonk. The margarita I had was good, but I had a better one with fresh mango from El katracho a few weeks before-for half the price! I can get the same amount of food or more, the same or higher quality ingredients, with the same preparation and presentation for less, around $60 to $70,. In fact, I can even get it for less than that! If you both think $90 for that is not outrageous or even just a little bit much, then maybe you aren't dining at the right places? Or perhaps you just make more $$ than me. Anyhow, lesson learned. Lima has good food, but the prices are not for me! But if you don't mind paying that much, I highly reccomend it. the food was very good, the fish perfectly cooked, the service very nice! Wed Nov 21 08:52:16 -0800 2007 3143508 11201 Diana 5 3145408 It sounds like the price was above what you normally expect because you don't normally order mixed drinks. Given that it's pretty much typical these days for mixed drinks to be in the 12-15 range, that easily could have added $30 to your bill. Otherwise, I think that price seems very reasonable for a meal with lots of seafood, even if not on par with Providence quality. Wed Nov 21 09:17:43 -0800 2007 3145312 12268 mollyomormon 6 3145423 I guess, but I know I've eaten better for less including corkage of a bottle...which puts the price up there. We try to avoid spending over $60 unless it's "special", like birthdays, anniversaries or "Life Day". (Life Day, we pull out all the stops.) Wed Nov 21 09:20:21 -0800 2007 3145408 11201 Diana 7 3145431 Please share where you're getting seafood for such great prices! That's a great chowtip. Wed Nov 21 09:22:06 -0800 2007 3145423 12268 mollyomormon 8 3145505 El Katracho in Van Nuys/ShermanOaks on Burbank just east of Kester is Honduran, and has some great dishes. The Conch or Blue Crab Soup, the shrimp..the...oh drool! All good. Try there first. Not such a facny atmosphere, but good food, great seafood.ccrrrr Mos anywhere in San Gabriel that is tasty, 888. Or is it 88? I forget. Wed Nov 21 09:41:56 -0800 2007 3145431 11201 Diana 7 3153265 cost of corkage and cost of three drinks aren't at all comparable: corkage would almost always be less, often considerably less, than the thirty to forty dollars you will generally pay these days for three mixed drinks, particularly at a mid-range place, which is basically where the prices at this restaurant put it. Indeed, I'd call it the lower end of mid-range. At a place in that category, I'd expect to pay around $15 for corkage, which means that it was a bit less than half the cost of your drinks. (and I am not even counting the beer). Sun Nov 25 12:35:01 -0800 2007 3145423 10158 susancinsf 8 3154703 Wow.. mixed drinks just shouldn't cost that much. I know they DO, but I think it's silly. Liquor seems to have a pretty steep mark up. From now on, it's beer or wine or water out, and we'll stick to mixed drinks at home. Mon Nov 26 06:24:38 -0800 2007 3153265 11201 Diana 5 3145570 It's not an issue of making more money or anything like that. I think $90 including the cocktails is normal. Like the other poster said, mixed drinks run $10-15 each nowadays. If you 3 mixed drinks and a beer, that's $35-40 right off the bat. That's why DH and I only have 1 drink each unless we're celebrating something -- to keep the cost down a little. I guess I don't get it -- you had great food, great cocktails, you said the service was nice, there was a live band, but you feel "ripped off". If you were on a budget of $60, I can't see why you would order 4 drinks and seafood entrees. I would have stuck with 1 cocktail (or even an iced tea), or ordered some cocktails and not have ordered seafood, which tends to be more expensive than say, chicken or some vegetarian entree. Especially after seeing on the menu that the fish entrees are $15-20 each depending on which fish you choose. Wed Nov 21 10:01:25 -0800 2007 3145312 12384 boogiebaby 6 3152844 ook, you're not going to make me change my minds, or feel wrong. I just wasn't happy. Not entirely sure why, myself. I, as an individual, would not go back there. But the food was good, and for anyonw able to spend $90 on a non special meal, please, go. I'm pretty sure that person would enjoy it. If the food cost less, I'd be there often. Till I get that kinda cash, I'll go more regularly for Handuran at El Katraco, which costa 1/3 and is just as good, with bigger protions and cheaper mixed drinks. Sun Nov 25 09:23:02 -0800 2007 3145570 11201 Diana 7 3153297 I think people are trying to get you to give it another shot for the FOOD, since you say yourself you liked the food. You could easily have kept it within your $60 or under budget if you hadn't ordered drinks. You say, 'if the food cost less', but it wasn't the food that was so expensive! So why not try again without drinks and see if you are happier? Sun Nov 25 12:44:54 -0800 2007 3152844 10158 susancinsf 8 3154700 I liked the FOOD, it was good, although a bit skimpy for the price (maybe not, I think the high drink bill biased me a bit.). But I think I want to try some other Peruvian place before I go back there. Mon Nov 26 06:23:57 -0800 2007 3153297 11201 Diana 7 3153612 I am in agreement for Peruvian food like you got would of been 60 at balconees or any of the other peruvian places. I feel teh same when I go for Cuban food here in LA it should be cheap!!!!! Sun Nov 25 15:08:35 -0800 2007 3152844 13733 monkey 5 3153097 The reason the margarita at Katracho might have been less expensive: it was made with wine, not tequila or any other liquor, as the place has a beer & wine license whereas Lima serves a full bar menu. Still want to try Katracho, though, as I get gas and go to the cleaners in that intersection, so it is convenient for me, even though living within walking distance of Senor Fred and the Boneyard. Sun Nov 25 11:21:56 -0800 2007 3145312 10359 carter 6 3154699 Do try it..the food is good! Wine or no, I liked the fresh mango margarita at El Katracho. Mon Nov 26 06:22:51 -0800 2007 3153097 11201 Diana