Sunday, March 22, 2020

Lonzo's is Culver City's Tiny Peruvian Gem

Since we all now have so much time in our hands from not going out, I figured it's time to catch up on all my blog posts. I decided to highlight places and meals you can go to once the pandemic is over, but also I wanted to highlight places that are still doing takeout/ delivery, so you can help support small businesses while the Safer At Home order is underway.

First up is Lonzo's, a small Peruvian eatery in Culver City. Lonzo's started as a little bakery 14 years ago by Jose and Miriam Ramirez, but their nephew Walther Adrianzen also started serving his Peruvian cooking that even won over the late and great Jonathan Gold. The food quality and presentation are rather unexpected given the small size of the eatery, but no wonder it is packed.
Lonzo’s
I was invited for a tasting, so we had smaller portions than a regular order. We started with grilled prawn causa with ground yellow aji pepper and lime juice.
Lonzo's
Wasn't expecting this fancy plating! The butterflied prawn was lightly grilled and served on top of yellow potato causa.

Adrianzen has his own signature dishes here now, not just traditional Peruvian dishes, including the Parmesan scallops (Peruvian diver scallops, aji amarillo butter, yuzu, ponzu, parmesan cheese)
DSC05633
The parmesan scallops are reminiscent of a scallop dynamite with all the cheese and butter baked on top of the scallops.


For the main course I tried the Tallarin verde and lamb (fettucine, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese)
Lonzo's
Yes, it's fettucine but tallarin verde is actually a Peruvian pasta dish that translates to "green noodles". The green sauce is similar to pesto with spinach and basil and what do you know, it's great with lamb chops!

Of course, since it's my first time here I had to try the classic Lomo saltado (filet mignon, onion, cherry tomato, aji amarillo, fries, red wine, soy sauce)
Lonzo’s
Their rendition of the classic is satisfying with tender filet mignon.

We also had a flight of desserts with the Flan, torta helada, and suspiro a la limena. I'm always partial to flan, of course, and that didn't change here.
Lonzo’s
I went to Lonzo's on a Saturday night (pre-pandemic) and there were a few people waiting outside for a table. The eatery is small and they get busy, but the food is worth trying! While dining-in is prohibited, though, you can order take-out over the phone from Lonzo's. They're also available for delivery via GrubHub, Postmates and UberEats.
Lonzo’s

Lonzo's
10804 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
https://www.lonzosrestaurant.com/
Lonzo's Bread and Peruvian Eatery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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