Cuban Food and Latin Food Restaurants: Machu Picchu, Minneapolis

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"Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban" and "Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban"

Glenn: Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city that occupies a peak of the Peruvian Andes some 8,000 feet above sea level.

Jorge: Thanks for the geography lesson Mr. Science. The nicest thing about the Machu Picchu in Minneapolis is its complete lack of altitude.

Glenn: You don't even need climbing gear to enjoy the Peruvian delights at this quaint, family-owned restaurant.

Raúl: Unless you need to use the rest room! Machu Picchu has the steepest set of stairs I've ever seen in a restaurant!

Glenn: We do enjoy the food and the flavors at Machu Picchu. Everything is fresh and the food is made to order. The seafood in particular is excellent.

Jorge: Several readers told us that Machu Picchu serves great Cuban-style tamales.

Glenn: It's only Cuban in the sense that it's not Mexican. However, their Peruvian tamal is tasty enough -- a mildly seasoned blend of ground corn, pork and spices.

Jorge: It comes served in a banana leaf with a simple mojito sauce of onions and lemon juice. The flavor is good, although the portion is small for the price.

Glenn: Machu Picchu's tamal makes a great appetizer, but when you're used to getting the best Cuban tamales in Miami for $1.00 apiece...

You don't even need climbing gear to enjoy the Peruvian delights at this quaint, family-owned restaurant.

Raúl: ... $1.50 in most restaurants ...

Glenn: ... it's hard for us to justify the price -- $4.50. They do include a black, Greek-style olive in the tamal.

Raúl: Watch out for the pit. Cubans aren't used to finding anything hard in their tamales and I almost lost a tooth!

Jorge: The specialty of the house is the Salteado, a Peruvian stir fry that includes beef, chicken, shrimp -- or a combination -- sautéed with vegetables, onions, and tomatoes and then quickly tossed with hot crispy French fries.

Glenn: The Minnesota Peruvians like their food spicy hot. If you are used to the milder flavors of Cuban food, be sure to tell the waitress you want your food mild.

Lomo salteado -- filet mignon stir fry.

Raúl: Machu Picchu's Salteados are served with plain white rice. They also have a pasta version -- Tallarin Salteado a la Criolla that leaves out the French fries.

Jorge: The arroz con mariscos is billed as a Peruvian paella. Like most restaurant paellas, it is an "assembled" dish, with the rice pre-made and the seafood cooked to order. Machu Picchu makes their arroz con mariscos with plenty of heat -- a dish ordered "medium" had quite a kick to it.

Glenn: The Peruvian paella had very good flavor. The seafood tasted very fresh and was not overcooked. Even the squid was light and tender, not rubbery.

Arroz con mariscos -- a Peruvian paella.

Jorge: Just about every Peruvian restaurant we've eaten in features corvina -- a very flavorful type of sea bass that is universally loved by both Peruvians and Chileans. We were surprised when we didn't see it on the menu here. Corvina has a lot more character than plain halibut.

Glenn: The restaurants in Miami get corvina fresh, so it seems strange they couldn't get a fresh supply in Minneapolis, where fresh fish is flown in daily from both coasts.

Raúl: The parihuela may be the best dish on the menu. It's a rich seafood soup with large chunks of squid, clams, shrimp, mussels, halibut and a couple of crab legs all served in a spicy broth.