"Where-To-Wednesday" Adventures: Where-To-Wednesday Adventure #6: Limon

Laura chose our 6^th Where-to-Wednesday adventure…a Peruvian adventure that is! That’s right, down to the Mission we went to explore Limon, the Peruvian restaurant that has everyone all abuzz. Now, to clarify right off the bat, this is the Limon on Valencia…not Van Ness. The “non-rotisserie”…shall we say? Or perhaps the “almost-like-Van-Ness-Limon-but-missing-my-favorite-whole-chicken-dish”? …oh details. As this particular Wednesday would have it, the working world was flourishing and not everyone was able to make it, so it was up to myself, Elizabeth, Ellie, Terra, Becky, Bree and Melissa to rock this joint...Check out our yays and nays below on the 0/10 scale. Bon appetite!

Ambiance: 6.5 Before I start this, I will caveat by mentioning that we were seated upstairs in this loft-like restaurant conveniently stationed 15 feet above the chefs cooking with open flame. Yay. It wasn’t long before the open flame which cascaded a light glow across the room..even upstairs…lost its enchantment. Maybe it was because we became accustomed to it…maybe it was because it was followed by it’s main sidekick: smoke. I’m going with the latter. If you enjoy sitting in a smoke filled room, where you can actually begin to feel your body and hair pick up the heavy scent of smoked food, this is your haven. I, for one, am not a fan of hot boxing my kitchen. To top it off, the lights above us were constantly flickering. Perhaps that was a tip they picked up from the local library to signal it was time to leave. Or, maybe it was just a coincidence…you decide.

Wine: 7.5 Limited options at best, although the Robledo Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County was a hit amongst our group..and thank God, because we were thirsty little fishes. The Sauv Blanc does tend to be our go-to each week, along with Chardonnay. Why, do you wonder, did we not order the Calera Chardonnay from the menu? We would have, you see, but they were out of it. How, oh how, can one be out of one of the most popular white wines on a Wednesday? This keep happening to us (yes, I’m looking at you Farmer Brown), so I’m going to say it: people, if it’s Wednesday, keep your wine stocked full…we’re a’comin!

Food: 7 Have you ever seen someone across the room and you’re sure you know them somehow, but you can’t remember how or who they are? This is how I feel we’ll remember Limon – this place…we went to one time, and the food was…there was food, we think, at least we’re pretty sure we ate there, but we can’t really remember because it was, well, forgettable? Sigh…I had high hopes Limon…I did. I will say that we tended to order just the small plates (cold and hot) so if you come here for dinner, you may have a different experience:

- Ceviche de Pescadado: very refreshing, perfect mix of sweet and tangy – a good starter. Not the best ceviche we’ve had, but good.

- Calamares Rellenos: These stuffed calamari are sautéed with artichokes, English peas and spinach in a delicious saffron sauce. They are like little pockets of goodness. Not amazing..but good.

- Arrox con Mariscos: this was a Peruvian-style paella laden with saffron rice, roasted red peppers mixed with a spicy pimento sauce. It’s a’ spicy! If you like spicy, this one is for you.

- Veggie Empanadas: warm, crispy pastry dough filled with butternut squash, zuchinnis, corn and carrots served with rocoto sauce…it had a curry flavor to the dish, and was overall pretty good.

- Jalea: crispy fried seafood - definitely needs the tartar sauce dip alongside it to add a kick to it

- Quinotto de Vegetales: a light dish filled with yummy veggies that warms you up. The crispy sweet potato chips add a solid crunch to the otherwise soft dish

- Sweet Potato Fries: they were… sweet potato fries. Nothing record breaking here folks.

- Truffle Mac and Cheese: delicious – really good! But dare I say it…mac and cheese at a Peruvian restaurant? Don’t get me wrong, I love me some mac and cheese just about any minute of the day..I’m just saying.

- Anticuchos de Pollo: I wish I could tell you that we specifically ordered ours “plain, taste on the side, please” but we didn’t…and yet…that’s what we got. Blah.

- Dessert: Moving right along to what is one of the most thrilling moments of the meal…ordering dessert! Why is it that no matter how full you are, your “dessert side” is always still hungry?

- Bandido (warm chocolate cake): I wish I could give you the review on this chocolate cake, not just because chocolate cake is my favorite (although that’s a pretty solid reason) but because we like to review ALL the desserts. Don’t judge, we share ;) Unfortunately, they were out of the chocolate cake. I must know, who is this chardonnay and chocolate bandit running wild in Limon on Wednesdays??? Damn you, bandit, damn you.

- Profiteroles: these were definitely a highlight of the night. The cream puffs were surrounded by a sea of gooey caramel and chopped pecans. Heaven!

- Panna Cotta de Mango: creamy and delicious the mango and vanilla panna cotta was mixed with a berry compote giving it a kick. A perfect palate cleanse.

- Note: I will say this – I’ve personally eaten at the Limon Rotisserie on Van Ness and the food experience was much better. And their whole chicken is a MUST order…absolutely delicious. You’ll be gnawing on the bone when the waiter comes to take your plate away.

Price: 8.5 – Pretty average price, for…a pretty average meal. Zing! You knew I’d throw that in. We spent about $50/person to split all the above plates plus several bottles of wine.

Noise Level: 6.5 – Very noisy. Bring your hearing aids and crank them.

Service: 6 – Perhaps the staff was busy eating all of the chocolate cake and drinking all of the chardonnay, but in any event, they were not busy helping us. We had to literally get up and go find the waiter multiple times to take our orders and eat their average food. Granted, we were on the second and smaller level but, if you’re not going to go up there, then don’t have a second level people!

All About The Area: I’ll be honest, we didn’t get to tool around the area too much while here. The Mission is a creative area and I personally love the mix of the grit and charm of the area, and the ability to experience different styles of food and interpretation within each of the restaurants. It’s not the Marina though people so…don’t rock your stilettos and expect to charm your way through anything. Bring your smarts, people.

Overall Grade: 7