Perfect Peruvian

This past week, while eating the fabulous food at Cafe Limon in Syracuse, Utah, I thought to myself, "I can't believe I haven't blogged about this place." 

Cafe Limon is a Peruvian restaurant and it is a top notch eatery, all around.

First, Amparo (she and her husband Ron own the restaurant) is an award-winner! She submitted a recipe for the Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown and SHE WON! You can eat her award-winner at their restaurant: Peruvian roasted chicken, served with yucca fries, huancaina sauce, and aji sauce. The first time we ate at Cafe Limon, this is what I got, and I was hooked! Yucca fries? Yes, please!

Guy Fieri's s autograph!

My husband served an LDS mission in Peru, which is initially why we tried Cafe Limon. He got one of our all-time favorites: Chicken in Aji Sauce (Aji de Gallina). He says it tastes just like he remembered having in Peru, and it was one of his favorites. I always want him to get this, so that I can several big bites of it. Aji de Gallina is shredded chicken, chili sauce, rice, and potoatoes... and half of a hard-boiled egg on top (one of my favorite parts!). Does that sound boring to you? Of course it does. But this dish is so unique and chock full of flavor, you can't pass it up. The aji sauce is so creamy, flavorful, and I'm sure you haven't had anything like it. I hadn't! This dish is comfort food to the max. 

Aji de Gallina GOODNESS

A few visits ago, a table next to us HIGHLY recommended the Jumping Beef (Lomo Saltado)-- they were pretty passionate, so I was convinced. Now I'm hooked! I think our new Peruvian go-to's will be the Jumping Beef and Aji de Gallina. Jumping Beef is beef stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, aji chile, on top of french fries and served w/ rice. French fries? You got that right. It's GOOD! Obviously there is something awesome about the aji chile, because it seems to make every dish a winner! Instead of just plain rice, we get this dish with "tacu tacu" which is rice cooked with beans and bacon. What?! Seriously folks, a party in your mouth. What a fabulous dish! Once again, packed full of flavor, and just plain good. 

Jumping Beef makes your mouth happy.

Now this last visit, was extra special. All the other times we have visited Cafe Limon we have been SO FULL that we couldn't even think about dessert. This time we took Amparo up on her offer of rice pudding, and I'm never gonna look back! She uses the traditional recipe, but has a few twists that make her recipe a family secret. This was THE BEST rice pudding I have ever had. One little secret she did share with us-- she cooks the rice in cinnamon, giving her rice pudding a brown color. She warmed it up for us, put a little cinnamon on top, and made me stop mid-sentence to say, "THIS IS SO GOOD!"

So, hopefully you understand that the food is GOOD. And you get A LOT of it. The portion sizes are very generous, and you could definitely share. But then again, if you're like me... you might need to just go all out. :)

Another irreplaceable aspect of Cafe Limon is the service. Cafe Limon is run by Amparo, Ron, and their family. When you enter, Amparo is there to greet you with a smile. She is so personable and warm-- she really adds to the entire experience at Cafe Limon. She chats with every customer and strives to make sure that they have a good experience. She is happy to make recommendations, and she is so passionate about her food! You can't help but have a great time. 

Cafe Limon gets FIVE STARS!

Cafe Limon is located in the heart of Davis County... so please, come give it a try. If you need a tour guide, I will gladly accept such a challenge. :) 

In the meantime, check out Cafe Limon's website, at http://cafelimonrestaurant.com/ and LIKE them on Facebook to find out the weekly specials and get special offers!

Til next time... adios! 

-M

Jump Into Fall...

Hello Friends!

It has been a long summer, devoid of posts, which is to say that we three have been mighty busy! But have no fear-- we had some fabulous food adventures this past week that we will write about soon. Look forward to posts about the Copper Onion in Salt Lake City, and a follow-up love fest for Cucina Toscana, also located downtown in SLC.

As a fair coordinator, I know all about fabulous food of another sort... deep-fried and finger-licken good. August was home to the Davis County Fair, and the Utah State Fair is currently going on through next weekend. I read about some of the food concoctions that they will have there... raccoon, alligator... deep-fried MAGGOT melt, anyone? No. Just plain no. Do we have to stoop to the exotically disgusting?! But let's be honest, these gimmicks, especially at fairs WORK. People may go just to try and find someone else eating the oh, so fiber-full maggot melt. Well, not I. My boss googled a picture of it, and that was enough for me!

My fair go-to's include, funnel cake, Polynesian chicken & macaroni salad, BBQ, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Maybe I'm a simple girl, but I know what's good.

One of the biggest reasons that people attend fairs is for the food. Is this their excuse to eat whatever they want? Well, I say take it. Although, fairs are pretty prevalent all summer long (especially in Utah), so some may want to pick and choose the fairs they let it all hang out for.

At the Davis County Fair, I pretty much tried everything. A few stand-outs were The Greek Station and Wild Wild West BBQ. Both were new to the Davis County Fair, and I hope they come back! I branched out and had a traditional gyro with beef and lamb... the guy was right... SO GOOD! And at Wild Wild West... well, I ate their twice. And that, my friends, is the official stamp of approval. I had his homemade kielbasa sausage and a full platter... ribs, chicken, homemade salsa with tortilla chips. They even make their own BBQ sauce, which is another reason why their food was so good. It had a unique twist to the flavor, and I liked it!

This next week I will be going to the Utah State Fair, and of course I plan on hunting out something fabulous. I do like to branch out... but I'm pretty sure you won't catch me eating raccoon... I hear it's greasy. :)

Tell us about your favorite fair foods and the craziest thing you've tried! I hear deep-fried Pop Tarts are getting popular!

Love,
M

P.S. OFFICAL ADVICE-- Do NOT get funnel cake anywhere other than a fair or city festival. Funnel cake at Cold Stone? I gave it back and got something else. No bueno. Funnel Cake at IHOP? I'm pretty sure the answer is in the question. No. Don't do it. Gird up your loins for the winter, and wait it out 'til summer comes. Your tastebuds will thank you.