Lima Peruvian Cuisine — New Specials, Same Delicious Food! 

Please tell owner Oscar Escudero that you want his new Ceviché Lima added to his regular menu, which already features favorites like the Lima Wrap sandwich (below, right) and the Tallarin Saltado de Mariscos (bottom). (All photos by Charmaine George) 

If you’ve somehow still never sampled Peruvian food — despite having an outstanding Peruvian restaurant right here on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. — I implore you to go visit Lima Rotisserie Chicken & Peruvian Cuisine in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center. 

Lima, which is owned by Oscar Escudero, who was raised in Lima, Peru, continues to add amazing new dishes, thanks to Oscar’s passion and his happy supporting cast. The food at Lima is a fusion of Peruvian and Chinese cuisines, since Peru is on the west coast of South America and located directly across the Pacific Ocean from China, which means that in the same place you can find several varieties of authentic Latin ceviché, you also can find wok-sautéed lo mein-style noodle and fried rice dishes. 

If that sounds too good to be true to you, trust me, it’s not. And, if that combination doesn’t make your mouth water, trust me, it should. I named Lima my Favorite Latin Restaurant in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for 2023 because no other place in either of our areas offers a wider variety of uniquely spiced and tasty dishes. And, feel free to research why Peruvian food has been named as the best Latin American cuisine and among the favorite cuisines in the entire world by several trusted sources. 

If you like pot roast, you should definitely try Lima’s Asado de Res con Ensalada Rusa.

Speaking of unique, not only does Lima offer vinegar-and-lime-marinated ceviché options like shrimp, mussels and calamari, as well as my favorite Ceviché de Pescado (raw white meat fish), Oscar recently added — as a special only, at least for now — his own twist on the classic dish that he calls Ceviché Lima, which adds a savory golden pepper sauce to the fish and two types of corn kernels, as well as a generous helping of flash-fried calamari. The sauce is so delicious that not only does it give the ceviché itself a delightfully different flavor, with just a hint of spice, it also may be the best dipping sauce for fried calamari I’ve ever tasted. I told Oscar that I would tell my readers to ask — no, make that demand — that he add Ceviché Lima to the regular menu, so please feel free to do just that! 

Speaking of new specials that definitely should be added to Lima’s regular menu, Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I also got to sample Oscar’s Asado de Res con Ensalada Rusa, which is slow-cooked-to-incredibly-tender beef tenderloin in a brown gravy of its own juices, with a side of Russian-inspired potato-and-beet salad. Jannah, who saw the purple color of this entrée’s side dish and immediately thought she wouldn’t like it, said the beef tenderloin was better than my mom’s brisket (pot roast) recipe, which might have started an argument between us if I didn’t kind of agree with her! And, although my wife didn’t love the beet-and-potato salad, Charmaine and I agreed it was pretty delicious, too. Feel free to also beg Oscar to add this one to the menu. 

Other dishes that aren’t new to the menu that we sampled for the first time on our most recent visit include the Lima Wrap sandwich, which is a tasty chicken salad wrap that adds small tomato wedges and cilantro, which gives the chicken salad an unusual zing. The fries were a perfect complement, even though I would order them extra crispy next time. But, since we had some of the Ceviché Lima sauce left over, we all dipped a lot of the fries in both that sauce and the gravy from the Asado dish until all of the fries were gone. Yum! 

And, although the Tallarin Saltado de Pollo (flamed diced chicken breast with sliced onions, tomatoes, scallions, julienned peppers and cilantro blended with pasta and Peruvian-style soy sauce) is still Jannah’s favorite dish at Lima, she and Charmaine both also raved about their first sampling of the Tallarin Saltado de Mariscos, which is the same dish, but with shrimp, calamari, mussels and clams, instead of chicken. And, although I couldn’t sample it because of my hated shellfish allergy (I could eat the calamari and clams, but not in the same dish as the shrimp and mussels), Charmaine said that all of the seafood was cooked to perfection and the flavors all blended amazingly well together. There also is a Tallarin de Carne, which replaces the chicken or seafood with tenderloin tips that I also love. 

Tallarin Saltado de Mariscos.

Similar wok-sautéed style dishes also are available without the pasta — replaced by sides of both white rice and French fries — in Lima’s Lomo Saltado, as well as in Oscar’s Arroz Chaufa (fried rice) with the same protein options as the Tallarin and Lomo Saltado. These also are excellent, but there’s just something about the way the pasta blends with the Peruvian soy sauce that makes it my preferred choice. 

And yes, Lima does feature its perfectly spiced rotisserie chicken, available as chicken-only or with side dishes that include some of the best black beans and rice in town. Other sides include pico de gallo, a zesty house salad, yuca fries and tostones (twice-fried green plantain slices). 

Other appetizers include Papa (boiled potatoes) or Yuca Huancaina (covered with cold yellow pepper cheese sauce) as well as tostones topped with chicken salad, tenderloin tips or shrimp, and choros a las Chalaca (mussels on the half shell topped with pico de gallo). There also are several soups on the menu, including Aguadito (cilantro chicken soup) and two different types of mixed seafood soups. And, there is a variety of other sandwiches, as well as a Lima Bowl (jasmine rice topped with black beans, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo and Lima chicken salad with cilantro house sauce). 

The Cake de Maracuya is light, refreshing and delicious.

Save room for dessert, too, as Lima has a number of new options we hadn’t sampled before, including the refreshing and light passion fruit Cake de Maracuya and Tres Leches de Lucian, which has hints of coffee and caramel. Kids will enjoy Lima’s chicken tenders with fries and Salchipapas, which are fries topped with diced all-beef hot dogs and a choice of sauces. Domestic and imported beer (including Peruvian Cusqueña and Sierra Andina) and sangria also are available for adults. 

Lima Peruvian Cuisine (19062 BBD Blvd.) opens every day at 11:30 a.m. and stays open until 8 p.m. Mon.-Thur., 9 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. & 7 p.m. on Sun. For more info, call (813) 304-0205, visit LimaTampa.com, or see the ad on pg. 43 for 10% off any take-out or dine-in order. Delivery also is available through DoorDash and Uber Eats. 

Lima Brings The ‘World’s Best Cuisine’ To New Tampa!

Even though I lived or worked in New York City — where you can get pretty much any type of food you like at almost any hour of the day or night — for more than a decade, I had never been told that of all the different types of Latin and South American cuisines out there, Peruvian food was among the best in the world — and actually was named #1 by Bloomberg.com in 2017.

It wasn’t until long after I first moved to Florida and met (and had dinner with) people from Peru or tried a Peruvian restaurant that I started to get the message. And, once I did sample the uniquely delicious cuisine of the Land of the Incas at an excellent Peruvian place in the Carrollwood area a few years ago, however, I realized that I had been missing out on something delicious all these years. 

What I didn’t know, however, was that New Tampa would soon have its own Peruvian restaurant — named Lima, for the capital of the seventh most populous metropolitan area in the Americas.

Lima Rotisserie Chicken & Peruvian Cuisine owner Oscar Escudero and his family have brought a truly unique gem to the Publix-anchored New Tampa center plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in the location previously occupied by El Pescador Mexican Seafood, although they, of course, finally got the place open just a couple of weeks before Covid-19 shut down the local economy in March.

Peruvian rotisserie chicken.

Start With The Chicken?

Even so, Oscar and his family and staff have been able to recently reopen Lima with a loyal following of customers who can’t get enough of Lima’s signature dishes like the Peruvian rotisserie chicken, which can’t be compared with anything you’ll find at Publix or Costco for tenderness, taste or the crispy, amazing skin. Jannah and I had to avoid the skin one time during the pandemic because we were still in the weight-loss phase of our diet — and honestly, we regretted it. It’s a must-try and it definitely is at its crispy,  lip-smacking best when you dine-in.

Speaking of that, the inside of Lima is small, casual and appealing, and there are some other dishes that just can’t be as good for takeout or delivery as they are when you eat at the restaurant.

Conchitas Parmesana, or baked scallops on the half shell.

The one that springs instantly to mind are the uniquely beautiful and savory Conchitas Parmesana, or baked scallops on the half shell. It’s an order of four large sea scallops in butter, lemon juice and a thick topping of parmesan cheese.

I told Oscar that the only thing missing from this dish is a great, crispy bread or toast points because there’s enough cheese and butter left over after eating each scallop to make another whole appetizer.

Ceviche de Pescado

Another dish that traditionally is served as a starter (in Lima’s case, it’s a large, shareable dish) that I already can’t live without is the Ceviche de Pescado, or diced fresh fish of the day ceviche (snapper in the top photo on the next page), which is raw chunks of fish in a traditional marinade of seasoned lime, aji rocoto peppers, julienne red onions and lots of cilantro. It’s served with a side of traditional Incan corn (with those large, thick kernels that soak up the sauce and taste so yummy) and a couple of slices of sweet potatoes. 

The fish ceviche also is available as a trio, with the same amount of marinated fish divided into three smaller portions, each with its own delicious sauce — one with an aji Amarillo (pepper) cream, one with a rocoto cream and one with cilantro cream — all different and each so good in its own way. 

For those of you who don’t share my shellfish allergy, the ceviche also is available “de Mariscos,” or with mixed seafood (fish, shrimp, mussels and calamari).

Another favorite is the Lomo Saltado Lima, which is a hearty dish of beef tenderloin tips wok-sautéed with spices, sliced onions, fresh tomato wedges, cilantro and a touch of soy sauce and vinegar served over a bed of crispy French fries and with a side of white rice.

Peruvian Chinese?

What do the Peruvians know about wok-searing? Apparently, a lot! Peru is as far west as you can go in South America, so according to Oscar, when the country built its railroad to go from the desert coast of Lima on the Pacific Ocean to and through the Andes mountains that divide the north from the south of the country, many Chinese engineers and builders came across the Pacific and settled in Peru. 

They brought wok-fired cooking with them and Lima (the city) became a hotspot for dishes that look and taste a lot like your favorite Chinese lo mein and fried rice

Arroz Chaufa

The lo mein is called Tallarin Saltado de pollo (although you can have it with steak or seafood) and features pulled “a la brasa” (rotisserie) chicken, with sliced onions, tomatoes and cilantro blended with delicious lo mein noodles, soy sauce and vinegar. The Arroz Chaufa (fried rice) has scallions, egg and a distinctively nutty taste and is topped with crispy noodles.

Speaking of side dishes, the black beans and rice, salad and fried yuca all get high marks, especially the unique (there’s that word again) spicing of the black beans. 

And, while the rotisserie chicken (available in 1/4-, 1/2- and whole chicken portions, each with sides) is probably still the biggest draw at Lima, there also are other delicious starters, sandwiches and two kids platters for only $7 each. 

When you dine in, you also owe it to yourself to try the ice cold Cusqueña golden lager beer of Peru and/or the Inca Cola, even though Coca-Cola came in and bought out the original Peruvian company. I also can’t even tell you how good the Alfajores are, but they’re cookie sandwiches topped with chocolate and powdered sugar and filled with dulce de leche creme. Decadent.

Lima (19062 BBD) is offering 15% off any take-out or dine-in order with the coupon on page 35 of our latest New Tampa edition & offers delivery through Grubhub, UberEats & Doordash. For info, call (813) 304-0205.   

Hanaq Prana Yoga To Visit Peru

hanaq-prana-yoga-groupA group of women from New Tampa are headed to Peru Oct. 16 to give students in a disadvantaged, mountainous area of the country laptop computers to enhance their educations.

The women are students of Hanaq Prana Yoga Studio, located at 10323 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite E., and the group is led by studio founder and director, Lorena Saavedra Smith, who is a native of Peru.

The group will spend a week at the Willa T’ika wellness retreat near Cusco, Peru, and will have a “packed itinerary” of doing yoga, experiencing the local attractions and serving the community.

“I’ve been planning this retreat since February,” says Lorena. “It’s a time of self discovery, time to reconnect, and for many of these women, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit such a fascinating country.” She says the 10 available spots for the trip were filled quickly and she has a waiting list of three or four women who will be first to attend next year’s retreat.

“We’re going to explore the ruins, enjoy the beautiful scenery, visit the (15th Century Incan citadel) Machu Picchu, taking in all this amazing energy from the mountains,” Lorena says. “Then, the service part is the last day of the retreat, so after we’ve cleansed the body, and taken in the energy, we can serve these kids.”

Tony Selvaggio, owner of eSmart Recycling, has provided 10 laptop computers to be donated for the trip.

“Tony has an amazing business of keeping old electronics out of landfills,” Lorena says. “Thanks to this donation, students in the small village of Cusco will have the opportunity to succeed academically with the access to technology that this donation of laptops will provide.”

For more information, visit HanaqPranaYoga.com.