When you order the chicha morada at Los Incas (4279 Keaton Crossing Boulevard, O'Fallon, Missouri; 636-244-0326), you get more than a glass filled with pellet ice and gorgeous, magenta-hued liquid that tastes of tropical fruits, cinnamon and licorice. You get a conversation with Lugia, co-owner Luis Moreno's sister, who will passionately describe experiencing the non-alcoholic beverage in her hometown of Lima, Peru. She will start by explaining the drink and its history: First, purple Peruvian corn and pineapple peels are steeped like tea, imparting a slightly nutty, subtly sweet taste and purple-red color. Spices such as cloves and cinnamon add warm notes that are brightened by fresh lime juice, which is squeezed atop the ice the drink is served over. As Lugia is preparing it, she'll tell you about how it originated in the Andes and is found all over Peru — in restaurants, cafes, street carts and homes. She'll say that it tastes like sangria without the wine, is utterly delicious, is the perfect refreshment for listening to music and dancing, and that it's just one of the many reasons why Peru is the most special place on Earth.
Luis Moreno and his business partner, Dr. Rafael De La Cruz, share Lugia's enthusiasm for their home country, which is why they decided to open Los Incas in the first place. Originally, the pair got to know each other while playing in a multi-genre band — a hobby that allowed them to blow off steam from their demanding day jobs as an entrepreneur and a practicing physician, respectively. They bonded over a shared longing for the traditional Peruvian dishes they'd left behind in moving to the United States, and though they appreciated the few local restaurants offering riffs on the cuisine, they never found something that scratched the itch. Even traveling to larger cities failed to satisfy their desire for more soulful Peruvian dishes — the kind you'd find in their mothers' home kitchens rather than in restaurants. If someone would open such a spot, they mused, it would be supported by both the Peruvian community and those interested in learning about different cuisines and cultures.
Last December, Moreno and De La Cruz realized that they were the ones they'd been waiting for. The men began looking for locations and found the perfect turnkey spot in O'Fallon that, fittingly, used to house the former Peruvian empanada shop South America Bakery & Cafe. After doing a little work on the space and finding experienced Peruvian chefs Julia Hilario and Rossi Alva to help execute the vision, they welcomed their firsts guests in May.
The moment you walk into the restaurant, you are transported to Lima, not only because of its aesthetic — the strip-mall storefront's interior is painted red and decorated with mural-sized black-and-white photos of Peru — but because, if you're lucky enough for her to be working, Lugia greets you as if you are walking into a dinner party at her home. Like her brother and De La Cruz, she is aware that area diners might not be familiar with her home country's traditional fare. She guides you through the menu, taking the time to explain each dish in detail, sometimes interspersing her descriptions with stories of home. It paints a vivid picture that becomes even brighter once the food begins to arrive.
Her personal favorite is the seco de carne, a slow-cooked beef served with white rice and thyme-scented beans, which she loves so much she almost tears up describing eating it in her mother's kitchen. Once you tuck into the shockingly tender meat, you understand the emotion. As pull-apart in texture as pot roast, the meat forms its own gravy as it cooks with peas and carrots; the jus is enriched with cilantro, which gives a refreshing, almost peppery counter to the deeply savory beef.
Chicharron de pescado, another Lugia recommendation, is a platter of fried white fish that is surprisingly light thanks to its simple flour-and-egg-wash coating. The key to the dish, however, is the fish itself — tender and flavorful thanks to a marinade of oregano, mustard, garlic and ginger. Even unadorned, the dish has enough flavor, but the accompanying sauces are too delicious to resist, especially a wonderfully verdant cilantro tapenade and a garnish of marinated red onions and tomatoes that adds a piquant punch.
Los Incas' most popular dish — and one of Peru's best-known — is the lomo saltado, a mouthwatering plate of steak strips electrified with a lime-forward marinade and stir-fried with red onion petals, hunks of tomato and fresh cilantro. Though in form adjacent to Tex-Mex fajitas without the tortillas, Los Incas' lomo saltado distinguishes itself with the meat's tenderness as well as the wonderfully refreshing cilantro that it is sauteed with, rather than simply placed atop as a garnish; the herb takes on a deeper, more peppery taste and infuses the meat's cooking liquid with its flavor. Drizzled over rice, it's an outstanding, savory nectar.
Lapping up every bit of that jus, then refreshing the palate with some ice-cold chicha morada, you understand why Lugia, even as she loves her adopted city, is so wistful for her home country. She says she wishes she could bring people there to experience it themselves: Then they would understand why it's such a special place.
Thanks to her brother and his friend, though, we don't have to hop on a plane. We have the culinary beauty of Peru, right here in O'Fallon.
Open Mon.-Sun. Noon-8 p.m.
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