I tried these newcomers on 436 last Friday at lunch. I ate at the first and got dinner to go at the second.
Aji - They said they have another location on OBT. That has been open for two and a half years. This branch opened four months ago. It is in a space in a strip mall across from Metro Diner near Howell Branch Rd. It was also a Peruvian place. A good one if I recall. This is a more "modern" take. The place is mostly bright white with plastic components. Some antiquated masks and statues and art keep it from being a room out of Sleeper. That's a Woody Allen film. He's the adoptive father of the metoo heartthrob Ronan Farrow. He used make comedies. Before he was making time with his children. The modern take extends to the menu. It has seventeen ceviches. Needless to say that that requires innovation since we're talking raw fish and a searing agent. I was expecting to try one as part of my meal, but, they copped to using swai. Are you kidding? Vietnamese catfish? I wouldn't eat it if you fried it. At my supermarket, I checked and it retails at $2.50 a pound. I doubt they use swai in Peru. I audibled to fried red snapper (pargo). Ironic that they fry the nice fish and serve raw the shit fish. Lucky for me they lack sense. The pargo was excellent. About a foot long. Fresh. Really well fried. Whole with the slashes in the body. No taste of old oil or mixed (different meats) oil. Tender, moist flesh. Crisp skin. They sell this preparation in alot of Caribbean and Latin countries. It is usually improperly prepared. This is one of the few preparations that was done properly. It came with two sides. I chose tostones and white rice. They tostones were larger and thin. They needed a sprinkling of sea salt. The rice was a bit crunchy. Not raw crunchy. Old crunchy. It had a hint of garlic in it. A bit bland. The meal cost $19. They start you off with a shot of tigre de leche (the liquid from the ceviche) and some corn nuts. The leche wasn't pure citrus or vinegar. Like a gazpacho. Good. They offer up a wide array. Five more "del mar" dishes. Eleven items they call "la previa" which means "the previous" which means I don't get it. I think they are apps. They are things like beef hearts and tequenos and a hodge podge of items. "Algo mas" is mostly tiraditos. "Por la casa" has these things (3) dishes that are scoops of cold mashed yellow colored potatoes topped with stuff. Never saw that before. They have four sushi rolls. All over $16. "Para calentarce" has four soups. "Para compartir" has four sampler platters. "Tacu tacu" has three types of a white bean and rice cake that I haven't seen before. Eight rice dishes in "Arroces". even a risotto and one with quinoa. Three "classicos". Seven "saltados y pastas" like lomo (tenderloin) saltado and fettuccine.They also have twelve pisco cocktails. Desserts (incuding mousse). Beer. Wine. Coffee. Pricing is all over the place and doesn't seem to make sense. The lomo is only $16. A bean cake is $18. Cheapest thing is $12. Highest is $19. Hey, I won! Or lost. Actually they have some ceviches and samplers that are in the $30 and $40s. 52 seats. Mostly tables of four or two. Three booths. Two bar areas that add eight seats a piece. Tv showing soccer. Service was good. Food came out fast. Place was pretty full at 2pm. Mostly all Latin looking customers. Will probably be first "favorite" of the new year. Means chili pepper. Odd choice. Not much of that on the menu. Logo also makes it look more fast food like than it is.
Beyti Mediterranean Grill - In a place around that overpass to Red Bug Lake Rd. Was some Cuban place called Ronaldo's or something. This guy had a place near I-4 and 436 on Douglas called Turkish Bar and Grill. Now he's here. I forget if it is recent or for like a year. I grabbed a "beyti" to go because it seemed like the thing to do and I'm not sure if I've had it before. The owner showed me a video of the traditional prep. They take the saddle of a lamb and make a roulade and grill it. Only nine or so portions per lamb. Is over $50 a serving in Turkey. He does a riff. Chopped lamb off the kabob in a lavas roll with a hot pepper and yogurt sauce on top. Like an enchilada. It was tasty. Moist lamb. Came with a small salad (purple cabbage and some greens and oil and vinegar) and savory rice and some onions. Also two charred jalapenos that I thought were okra or shisitos. Hot as hell. One other pepper as well that I didn't touch. The meal cost $12. They also have the usual suspects like gyros and tabouli and more exceptional things like: pide, ezme, kunefe, etc. He's from the west (Adana). The menu is holistic. They kind of refurbed the interior. The room on the left had some Turkish elements added. The room on the right was a junk room. Two old white ladies were finishing up when I entered at 3pm. Two Middle Eastern men came in after. Seats about fifty. Article from Sentinel on the wall. I assume it was a good review. Not bad. Needs to hit in more cylinders. Had that "dead man walking" vibe to it.
*This ran too long to add my SLC notes. I'll try and add anew post with them soon.
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