La Limeña

One of my favorite restaurants is a Peruvian gem on the Rockville Pike called La Limeña.  I was there this past Saturday evening.  This is a small restaurant that does an insane amount of business and has a very limited number of tables.  Every time I go with my family there has been a wait.  Never more than 10-15 minutes.  When you walk in the door right away you can smell the fresh rotisserie chickens.  Then you see them.  In an eye level case designed to make your mouth water while you wait.  When we were seated I noticed nobody stands around not doing anything like you see so many places.  Everyone is doing something every minute.  They have to. It is so busy.  We ordered the chicharrones appetizer and it comes with fried yucca.  It came quick and was hot and tasty.  Every time we go to this restaurant we order these and I will keep ordering them every time.  The pork always has the perfect tenderness and an amazing flavor.  Juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside.  We ordered 3 dinners and some sides.  I tried some of everything.  The cubano sandwich, the rotisserie chicken, and the bistec encebollado.  The sides were, more yucca of course, black beans, rice, and some plain old French fries because I wanted some.  I know the cuban sandwich is not Peruvian whatsoever but I love them.  I used to eat them in Florida every chance I got.  It was pretty good but when I eat a cuban sandwich I like a good amount of pickles and mustard on it.  That’s how it is supposed to be.  On mine there were 2 pickles and no mustard at all.  I asked for more pickles and it took them 15 minutes to bring them “because they couldn’t find them”.  That was the first of a couple of disappointments for the evening.  The rotisserie chicken was very tender and juicy.  The flavor was very good.  You can tell it is not the average rotisserie chicken.  Next time I go, I will order that.  The bistec encebollado was good.  It is probably great if you like that cut of meat.  I do not.  The white rice they serve is out of this world.  Yes, it is white rice but whatever they do to it makes it seem so much better.  It is always perfectly cooked, has a great flavor, and there is definitely something special about it.  On our way I out I asked the manager on duty what about the rice made it so good? How did they make it? Unfortunately the answer was that it was a secret and even other people have asked but they don’t tell.  He said I will have to just keep going there to eat it.  Disappointment #2.  I felt like saying “ C’mon mister, it is rice not a military weapon”.  Instead I just said “Ok, thank you.  I did not take many pictures because like I said, it is small and packed.  Picture taking could be bothersome to the people around us.