El Arpa, Peruvian Night

El Arpa, Peruvian Night

Walking in the door of El Arpa (formerly Cuban Island) last night, The Wife and I were ushered to a far off table to the side; The Wife was unhappy with the location (back to Coke machine), so we asked for a table near the front, and the server seemed hesitant, though I couldn’t imagine the place would get anywhere near so full that this table would be required (there was one other table of customers when we arrived).

Then the band took the stage; note wooden box percussion instrument (Puerto Rican?) that guy on the right is sitting/beating upon; it made a quite resonant and beautiful sound.



Then the singer came on, and she was a ball of fire, singing folk tunes, and a few love songs to her boyfriend, a bullet-headed lout who refused to even glance up at her or recognize her existence while she sang. It was odd but interesting in a voyeuristic sort of way.



I doubt that anyone but The Wife and I came for the food. This place does Cuban and Bolivian on the regular menu, but seems to focus on Puerto Rican, Mexican and other Latin American countries every weekend. Last night was Peruvian, and of the dishes I had, I enjoyed the marinated steak best; it was pretty simple, just meat and some veg, though I really liked the idea of rolling the French fries into the stew-y mixture for a little crisp here and there.



We had a few Peruvian beers with dinner: Kristal, which is a light lager with pleasant flavor.

Nothing we ate here could be called extraordinary. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable evening, due mostly to the exceptional warmth and enthusiasm of the performers and the people (many, I believe, Peruvian nationals) who came in and sang along to songs that were strangely touching, though I was able to make out only about one of three words in every song (usually “corazon” or a variation on the verb “illorar”).

I like this place, but more as an entertainment venue than a restaurant. By the time we left (around 11:00 PM), the place was SRO, and the server said the band would go to 2:00 AM, at least. It was a slice.


El Arpa
3446 W. Peterson
773.588.9922

David Hammond wrote:Then the band took the stage; note wooden box percussion instrument (Puerto Rican?) that guy on the right is sitting/beating upon; it made a quite resonant and beautiful sound.

That would be the straightforwardly named cajón. I had thought of it as more of an afro-caribbean thing, but it turns out:

The cajón is the most widely used Afro-Peruvian musical instrument in the 20th century. The instrument has been officially declared "Cultural Patrimony of the Nation" by the Peruvian government.

This sounds like a place I'd like -- are you saying that their weekend focus shifts from country to country? Do they have performances most weekends?

germuska wrote:This sounds like a place I'd like -- are you saying that their weekend focus shifts from country to country? Do they have performances most weekends?

I think they're getting their footing -- they've been open only about a month. My understanding is that they will be featuring different countries on weekends, but I don't know if they've got a an established schedule of which country is going to be featured when. Apparently, other issues are also in flux: when I asked if they served beer or wine, the server said, "Yes, tonight we do," as though this were not always the case. Last night, many folks also brought their own.

. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable evening, due mostly to the exceptional warmth and enthusiasm of the performers and the people

One of my co-workers is a part owner of El Arpe, and also one of the performers you saw. While I have yet to get to the restaurant, I hear on a daily basis what a labor of love this is. I hope they are able to find success!

Katy

FYI, on Saturday, April 28th, El Arpe is going to feature Reggaeton music (popular in Puerto Rico and elsewhere); every Sunday, they feature Bolivian food, which is not widely represented on Chicago menus.

This place is worth keeping an eye on, and it's a dining value when you consider you can get entertainment for the price of a dinner (under $10 for an entree), and it seems like BYOB is an option (though you can get beer and wine, sometimes, too)