Peru

Latin Bites: Peppers and Pisco in Perfect Harmony

Latin Bites has come a long way. First a catering business, then to its miniature space in the Warehouse District on Nance and now to its greatly expanded location on Woodway. The new venue is open, airy and bright. You can saddle up to the pisco bar -- the only one in Houston -- or to the cebiche ... More >>

Simple Sides: Delicious Herbed Quinoa

Up until about a month ago, I had never tried quinoa. I was like, "What the hell is it? How do you pronounce it? Is it a grain? Is it...like...pasta? What do you put on it? Why is there so much in my brother's pantry?" So many questions. The bro had recently come back from a little stint in Peru ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Roberto Castre of Latin Bites Cafe - New Cebiches and More

Photos by Mai PhamCebiche de conchas (scallops), a new item from the Cebiche Bar at Latin Bites Cafe​Chef Roberto Castre of Latin Bites Cafe knows what it means to work hard. The last two days, he shared the details of how he worked up the ranks after graduating from culinary school in Peru, a ... More >>

Tiradito and Turf

At Samba Grille, David Guerrero is breaking the traditional steakhouse mold wide open.

Monthly Cebiche Specials at Latin Bites Cafe

Photos by Mai PhamCebiche Serrano: In honor of the highlands of Peru: Fish Cebiche with Huacatay Herb​Latin Bites Cafe is one of my favorite restaurants in the city, but I don't get there as often as I'd like, so last week, when Chef Roberto Castre posted on his Facebook page that he had creat ... More >>

"Faces of History — Latin America: Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru"

Peru Gets Back Stolen Artifact Seized At Bush Intercontinental

Nabbed in Houston.​A book from the 1700s that a traveler tried to smuggle through Bush Intercontinental has been formally returned to the country of Peru, federal officials said today. The manuscript had been stolen from the Recoleta Library in Arequipa, Peru, they said. A man with a record ... More >>

Pisco Portón: The New Pisco in Town

Mai Pham Johnny Schuler.​When I think of pisco, I think of pisco sours, and when I think of pisco sours, I don't think about drinking them in Houston. Hopefully, that's all about to change because Houston, we've got a new pisco in town: Pisco Portón. Despite the fact that it's manufactured ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Fava Beans

luvjnx​What are they? Immortalized by Dr. Hannibal Lector in the Oscar-winning film Silence of the Lambs, these fat, light green legumes are one of the oldest cultivated plants in civilization, and they're currently in season. Coming in a pod that's around six inches long, they require a lit ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Intipalka 2009 Ica Valley Tannat

​It wasn't so much the origin of this wine that interested me- it's the last of three samples from Peru reviewed for Wine of the Week. But the varietal, Tannat, is something that I've never tried before on its own. Tannat is a red grape that was originally grown in the Madiran appellation in ... More >>

Five Fortuitous New Year's Foods

A30_TsitikaEat grapes for smooth sailing in 2011. ​Not like you need any excuse to stuff yourself during the holidays, but take heed of what you eat around December 31st if you're interested in a little extra good fortune. Depending on who you ask, certain foods -- if consumed on New Year's -- ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Intipalka Sauvignon Blanc 2009

​This is the only time I've ever tried a wine from Peru, a country not revered for its winemaking (at least here in America). It's refreshing to taste a little-known wine that is well representative of the Sauvignon Blanc varietal.

Latin Bites Café

A Taste of Peru at Spec's and Charivari

pierre pouliquinAlpaca sez, "Try Peruvian wine!"​Perhaps it's because we've never been there, but images of alpacas, Pisco and Machu Picchu account for much of our knowledge of Peru. We're hoping that changes this month with a grand showing of Peruvian products and samplings at Spec's Smith St ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Mayacopa Beans

​What is it? So we've already covered heirloom tomatoes, right? Well, apparently there are such things as heirloom beans, and the Mayacopa variety is one of them. For one little legume, there are certainly many spellings and names - Mayacoba, Maya Copa, yellow beans, Mayocoba, Mayo Coba, C ... More >>

Recipe: Ceviche Mixto

​Nowadays, there are hundreds of variations of ceviche, even in Peru itself, where ceviche bars are incredibly popular. Despite all the new fusion foods available, this version, my Abuelita's, is still a favorite. Abuelita, who is from Callo, Peru, learned how to make ceviche from her mother, ... More >>

Bobby Heugel's Weekly Cocktail: The Pisco Sour

​Peruvians and Chileans drink pisco sours like Texans drink margaritas. For decades, Peru and Chile have viciously fought over the origins of pisco, a grape-based spirit similar to grappa, and the equally famous cocktail the pisco sour. Arguing so fiercely over spirits and cocktails may sound ... More >>

Recipe: Chimichurri

​This recipe for chimichurri, the traditional Central and South American condiment and marinade, is simple and really easy to make, so there is no excuse to use the stuff from the jar. In Peru, as well as other countries, chimichurri is served with churrasco steak, which is one of Abuelita's ... More >>

Miss Coco Peru Takes on Texas Tour

Award-winning actor/director/drag queen Clinton Leupp tackles the Lone Star state

Spotlight on Ceviche

​When our abuelita came to visit for the first time from Callo, Peru, one of the first things she did was teach our mother how to make ceviche. Ceviche is the quintessential Peruvian food, reportedly invented by the fishermen of Callo or Lima on long fishing trips. Abuelita's recipe was her mo ... More >>

Smaller Than Life: The Lure and Lore of Amazonian Shrunken Heads

Admit it, you want to look

Johann Schuster Makes Ceviche

Though a cuddly two-month-old alpaca drew some interest, the hit of Houston's first Peruvian festival, held last weekend at Heights Theatre, was a ceviche demonstration by chef Johann Schuster. The owner of Charivari Restaurant in Midtown, Schuster whipped up three batches of the raw-fish dish, ... More >>

Upcoming Events

This weekend, get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts. The Slow Food Picnic Dinner at Discovery Green is just one way to do that. Monica Pope and Andrea Lazar of t'afia are putting on the at 6 p.m. It will feature locally grown and caught food prepared by local chefs like Ra ... More >>

Houston Peruvian Festival

Alpacas don't bite, do they?

Capsule Art Reviews: "BIG LECTRIC FAN TO KEEP ME COOL WHILE I SLEEP", "Katy Heinlein: Project Space, " "Sasha Pierce: New Paintings" and "John Sparagana: The Crisis Professionals", "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento"

Capsule Art Reviews: "BIG LECTRIC FAN TO KEEP ME COOL WHILE I SLEEP", "Carlos Cruz-Diez: Crosswalk", "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento", "Second Seating"

Capsule Art Reviews: BIG LECTRIC FAN TO KEEP ME COOL WHILE I SLEEP," "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento," "Second Seating"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Katy Heinlein: Project Space," "Sasha Pierce: New Paintings" and "John Sparagana: The Crisis Professionals", "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento", "No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Katy Heinlein: Project Space," "Sasha Pierce: New Paintings" and "John Sparagana: The Crisis Professionals", "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008", "Carlos Cruz-Diez: Crosswalk", "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento", "No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008," "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento," "Detritus," "No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston"

36th Anniversary: House of Coffee Beans

Photos by Robb Walsh​Peru Chanchamayo is a rare limited-production coffee that's on special this month during the 36th Anniversary of House of Coffee Beans, 2348 Bissonnet. The coffee comes from the sparsely populated Central Jungle of Peru and is certified organic, Fair Trade, and migratory b ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: "Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008", "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento", "Detritus", "No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008," "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento," "Detritus," "$timulus," "Toil and Trouble"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Carlos Cruz-Diez: Crosswalk," "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento," "Perspectives 166: Torsten Slama," "Toil and Trouble"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008," "Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento," "Perspectives 166: Torsten Slama," "Toil and Trouble"

Sonidos y Mas: NovaLima

Novalima Coba Coba (Cumbancha) www.novalima.net If you hear similarities between Novalima's modern Afro-Peruvian music and the rhythms brought from Cuba by Celia Cruz and Tito Puente in the '50s, you're on the right track: Peruvians have borrowed a lot from the Africans taken to South America as ... More >>

High School Photo Contest: Primary Winners

Maria Guzman’s “Moving In”

A local artist boxes up her feelings about new places

Gian Marco

Peruvian singer makes Houston stop

“Dimensions of Constructive Art in Brazil: The Adolpho Leirner Collection”

Artists from the land of order and progress trick the eye at MFAH

Belle Époque

For a brief, glorious period, two brothers captured life in Arequipa, Peru

Here's Your Insight, Pal

James Redfield's Prophecy is one divine mess

No Nobu

Latino-Asian fusion cuisine isn’t as easy as some famous chefs make it look

Ceviche Heaven

This new Peruvian restaurant is serving the best seafood cocktail in town

Hudson Falcons

Tuesday, December 4

Mixed Thrill

Kactus Cafe doesn't know what it wants to be -- other than good

Pure Peru

At Super Rico, the surroundings are sparse, the seafood sensational

Street Walking

A stroll down Colquitt takes you to the heart of Houston art