A few weeks ago; I was looking thru some of my old photos and came across our Peru folders which brought back some great memories of not only places we've visited, but also of memorable meals we've had during our visits. It goes without saying that I really love Peruvian cuisine. From a wonderful Cebiche or Tiradito, to Anticuchos, and of course, Lomo Saltado….to the point that I've even done a comparison post in the past. I of course instantly needed some lomo saltado. I had visited Latin Chef after the change of ownership and move to Liberty Station. I hadn't been to this part of town since before the pandemic started, so I called and placed a takeout order and headed down to Liberty Station. This being early January, San Diego was still in the "purple tier" with only takeout service. I was a bit taken aback with all the folks walking around Liberty Station. Perhaps I should have chosen a non-weekend day for my fix.
Anyway; I took the side entrance and waltzed right to the Latin Chef Counter.
My order wasn't ready, so I walked to the far corner and waited. Unlike my previous visits, the new owner, Tony Kaneshiro wasn't working….just two young men. A few minutes later my Lomo Saltado ($14.50) was ready. I had thought of checking out the rest of the stands a bit; especially Chris' Ono Grinds, but the place was just too crowded for me, so I headed home.
Perhaps I should have ordered from Eli's, because this was quite disappointing. The meat was really tough, dry, with a metallic tinge. I appreciated the tomato in the dish because it really helped to cut the salty and greasiness of the dish. The papas fritas were fine; but also on the dry side. The rice was hard and dry. I was thankful for the Aji Verde….which while very straight forward, also helped to get past the salty-greasiness.
Kind of sad overall.
Maybe it was because Tony wasn't on hand and not to beat a dead horse, but I couldn't help but lament how far Latin Chef has fallen. It was, once upon a time our favorite Peruvian Restaurant in San Diego. We used to visit 2-3 times a week! LC was the place that inspired us to travel to Peru; as much as Machu Picchu amazed us; it was the cuisine that always seemed to be progressing that we loved.
My hope is to find a Peruvian restaurant in San Diego that will take my tastebuds back to Peru……until we can once again travel and visit Peru.
The Latin Chef (Liberty Station)
820 Historic Decatur Rd.
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 269-3360
Current Hours:
Sun – Wed 11am – 7pm
Thurs – Sat 11am – 8pm