El Chalán, Washington, D.C.

Had a quick dinner at El Chalán last night with my Guatemalan friend Gustavo. Why he wanted to eat at a Peruvian restaurant, I don't know, since Guatemala is in northern Central America, just below Mexico, Peru is way down in South America, and the culinary traditions are very different. But, I've been to El Chalán before and enjoyed the food, so I was okay with it. I was particularly glad to have him along last night, since our waiter spoke no English at all.

Anyway, he had the pollo al vino, a stewed chicken dish with carrot slices, peas, onions, and a light brownish sauce with white rice. I had one of the house specialities, the lomo saltado, a wonderfully tasty dish with tender, braised strips of beefsteak with potatoes (cut like short, thick fries), onion, tomatoes, peppers, peas, cilantro, all tossed together in a zesty brown sauce, and served with a large side of white rice (why does a dish with potatoes need rice?). That's all we had—like I said, it was a quick dinner. Gustavo had to run to Maryland, so it was more of a snack to tide him over til he got back to his family.