Fina Estampa - Peruvian in RP

When I first saw a new storefront restaurant open on far-north Clark street advertising Peruvian roast chicken, I was hopeful that we finally had a replacement for the ill-fated El Llano, which burned down a few years ago (FWIW El Llano was not responsible for the fire. Blame the bakery next door). So it was with fairly high expectations that a friend and I went to Fina Estampa the other night. The establishment occupied a space that was formerly a Mexican restaurant named 'Tu Casa', which I had never visited. The restaurant was clean and well lit, but wouldn't win any decorating awards. The yellow stucco walls were sparsely adorned with a few over-saturated backlit pictures of the food. The simple formica tables sported plastic covered tablecloths, but the china was actually very nice, comprised of deep square and rectangular plates. Each table had two bowls of sauce, a creamy white one that was sort of like ranch dressing, and a tasty, but not searingly hot, creamy orange habanero. There were also containers of yellow mustard and ketchup®.

As it turned out, the much touted 'pollo ala brasa' was just OK to OK+. It was also rather pricey for roast chicken. It was plump, tender and very flavorful, but lacked any evidence of having been anywhere near charcoal during the cooking process. In contrast, El Llano had a lump charcoal powered cooking apparatus in the front window (a sort of sideways grill). Fina Estampa's 'pollo a la brasa' was very good, but just not spectacular.

What was spectacular, however, was the other entree we ordered. It was called Chicharon de Camarones and featured a pile of delicately battered fried shrimp. The batter was light and crispy, almost like tempura. The ample portion of shrimp was artfully arranged atop steamed yucca and potatoes and topped with pickled purple onions and fresh coriander. The dish was garnished with fried sweet potato slices. Not only was the dish pretty to look at, it was absolutely delicious. I noticed that they also offered chicken and squid prepared in the same fashion.

The next time I go to Fina Estampa (there will be a next time), I will forgo the roast chicken and try their version of 'broasted' chicken instead. The menu also featured several Peruvian style ceviches and rice dishes (paellas) that looked very interesting. After our initial visit, I feel more confident about ordering seafood there (which seems to be one of their specialties).

The Cicha Morada was also pretty good. It was a little sweet for my taste, but had a nice fruity tang from fresh limons (and pineapple?) which was countered by a spicy warmth from allspice or cloves. It was hard not to gulp it down.

At any rate, after a single 2 person visit, Fina Estampa definitely shows some promise, and appears to have some talent in the kitchen. I recommend skipping the roast chicken (get that at Supermercado Chapala up the street), and trying some of the more complex dishes. Hopefully, the menu is sufficiently different from Taste of Peru, that the immediate area can support two Peruvian restaurants.


Fina Estampa
6619 N Clark St.
Chicago

ps. At first glance, the menu seemed a little overpriced, but the entrees were large and were meant to be shared. Our two entrees would have easily fed three or four people.