Mares Peruvian showcases fare rife with fusion
Leche de tigre is the citrusy jet fuel that makes your ceviche supersonic. It comes in many variations, but the combination of fruit juice, onions, garlic, chilies, herbs and more is imbued into the seafood it transforms — and vice versa — imparting this “tiger’s milk” with the gorgeous essence of the sea.
It makes a fitting gift of welcome in a place called Mares Peruvian Cuisine, where the vibe is laid back and colorful, its walls evocative of Miraflores. Leche de tigre is oft touted as a hangover cure (a tart, refreshing pisco sour could be similarly billed as pelo de perro) but it has other tales attached, as well.
“In the difficult ’90s, it began to be sold in neighborhood markets as a cheap version of traditional ceviche,” says Arturo Gamio. “The low cost allowed many people to enjoy the flavor and aroma of ceviche without affecting their pocket too much.”
At Mares, it’s also a nice intro to the red leche, a bell pepper-infused variety used in their ceviche colorado.
Gamia, a Lima native, opened the place in November 2019 but by then was no stranger to the restaurant business. He had operated two back in Peru before relocating here in 2007.
“Latin Americans are 75% of our customers,” says Gamio, whose welcoming staff offers up a Miami-immersive experience in that servers will assume you’re Spanish-fluent at the outset. This makes it a great place to practice your conversational Spanish, though on both occasions, our servers were entirely bilingual — not to mention superb Sherpas for a menu that’s a lengthy, high-incline climb into Peruvian fare.
Gamio learned to cook in the shadow of his father, who was highly adept in the kitchen.
“He loved to eat exquisite meals,” he says. “Watching him cook with such passion is why I became really interested in cooking.”
Mom, too, contributed to his interest and as a young man, Gamio worked at “important restaurants in Peru until I was able to open my own.”
Upon emigrating to the States, becoming an ambassador for Peruvian cuisine was an end goal rooted in pride.
There’s a lot to be proud of at Mares, which has great energy and a level of sophistication that’s beautifully balanced by comfort. It’s not any restaurant that can pull off buzzy, fun date night and nice, early venue for a weeknight dinner with the kids. I’d recommend Mares for either. The former might be exceptional on Thursdays, for a group outing with friends, as they throw live music into the mix.
I plan on making a return trip for this, as well as for the maretazo, a towering Instagram stunner of a dish, in which colorado ceviche, topped with fried seafood and yuca, is served in a giant martini glass ($36.99). I couldn’t bring myself to bug our neighbors for a photo (not enough pisco) so instead turned attention to the color riot of our own mixto ($18.99), a house mixture of seafood in lime, salt, garlic and the zingy aji limo chili, along with onion, cilantro and the lovely contrast of
sweet potato.
Also in the mix is choclo, large-kernel Peruvian corn that’s wonderful soft and cooked or — as it comes alongside that leche de tigre, and scattered in many of the dishes — fried into highly addictive supersized corn nuts.
The crunch is complementary on the choritos a la chacla appetizer as well ($12.99), where mussels get the ceviche treatment before being artfully loaded back into their shells. A great dish for folks who want the flavor of mussels without seeing them, plump and whole, on the plate. Whoever those people are.
Aji, with its beautiful bright-orange color, has a heat level I’d describe as “warm hug,” precisely the sort of hug the pulpo anticuchero ($20.99) delivers even before you enjoy the flavors and textures in this beautifully grilled dish. Accompanied again with the carby Peruvian dream team of potatoes and corn alongside a bright, minty sauce, it’s going to be tough to pass on this one for deeper exploration when I return.
I managed it, though (for journalism, all things are possible) on the next visit delving into the lomo saltado ($19.99).
“It is the best of the Peruvian-Japanese fusion,” says Gamio, and one he’d absolutely recommend as a starting point for guests unfamiliar with Peruvian cuisine.
Soy sauce- and garlic-marinated tenderloin, flambeed with red wine (ours done a nice medium-rare) shares billing with fries and rice here, though other proteins and even a vegan version are available.
Mares pays respect to this community adeptly, in fact, adapting saltado and several other dishes for the plant-based diner to enjoy. (Those fries, by the way, are Greek diner-evocative. I approve.)
Arroz chaufa is another fusion-based dish for those new to sample, done with various proteins and ranging from roughly $18-20, it’s a nice way to see the Chinese influence in South America, Gamio says.
Desserts here were worth sampling, crafted in-house by Gamio’s wife, Patricia, who has logged more than 30 years as a pastry chef.
The tart-creamy bite of her passion fruit mousse ($7.49) was a light, bright meal-ender, while the suspiro a la limeña (also $7.49) goes the other way, with its rich, concentrated-sweet, caramel flavor. It’s charming, too, served in a diminutive dish resembling my own vintage Le Creuset Dutch oven.
“You won’t find them anyplace else,” Gamio says.
I can’t confirm, but I can say that its vast menu, and powerful positive vibe, are twin teases likely to lure me back to Hunter’s Creek for a deeper dive.
IF YOU GO
Mares Peruvian Cuisine: 13586 Village Park Drive in Orlando; 407-730-9539; maresperuvianrestaurant.com
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Choritos a la chalaca: mussels with chopped onions and tomatoes, Peruvian corn and cilantro with lime.