Change of Ownership @ Inkas?

[Kristine]

I drove by Inkas back in September and they had a sign in the window that they were closed for remodeling, and I had heard on this board that the owner was thinking of retiring. Recent reports on Yelp seem to confirm the restaurant was sold.

The reports since the change are mixed, but I don't trust Yelp. Has anyone been lately?

[Kirk_T]

We had only been to Inkas once before, and we never got the chicken. So, we were never terribly familiar with the restaurant to begin with; that said, when we returned over the weekend, it looked like a new set of people running the place. Previously, there was a middle aged Chinese Peruvian taking orders, with an older Chinese Peruvian couple in the kitchen with other cooks. We saw none of them this time. The space itself looks a bit brighter and more pleasant.

We requested the aji amarillo sauce that we loved last time, and the server immediately noted that it has changed. The new sauce has a stronger kick at the end. Still pretty good, but we both liked the older one more. We had the ceviche mixto and a mixed grilled item. The ceviche had good pieces of seafood, with the octopus being especially good, but I felt it was a bit too heavy handed with the salt and lime juice.

The mixed grill platter for 2 was a huge portion of meat for $28. The best item was the beef hearts, tender and full of beefy flavor; lamb was the runner up. The pork chops and grilled beef were kind of tough. It also came with a full chicken breast with the wing attached. Since we've never tried the chicken under the old ownership, I cannot say whether this is the same recipe, but this chicken was decent; it did not strike me as particular noteworthy. I'd probably go across the street to GFC if I was in the mood for chicken next time.

[Civil Bear]

>>"I'd probably go across the street to GFC if I was in the mood for chicken next time."

Then it has almost certainly changed.

Dang!

[grayelf]

Double dang! Shoulda gone in April. Back to the drawing board for that lunch... Thanks, Kirk T

[BernalKC]

They were open for lunch today. I was walking by with my dog on leash, so I couldn't step in to ask questions. Looked like they just cleaned the place up a bit rather than make any significant changes. My favorites were still on the menu.

[Civil Bear]

Could the owner have passed down his recipes and sold the place to his son? I assume the father who worked in the kitchen must have been the owner because the son who appeared to be running the place was much too young to retire.

[grayelf]

Argh, was so hoping the changes wouldn't happen before our Nov trip (couldn't make it in April). If anyone has eaten there since the changes, I'd love to hear whether it's still worth one our lunch slots next month... TIA!

[Dave MP]

I haven't been since the ownership change, but I did take a look at the menu when I was passing it the other day. It doesn't look very different from the old menu, so I'm curious how much the food has changed.

I did eat there a few months ago as part of my La Lengua Chronicles: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/861015 but that was the old owners I guess.

[Civil Bear]

That would be bad news, as Inka's was one of my favorite family owned & operated restaurants.