Highwood is something of a culinary Epcot with its diverse offerings of global cuisines, including Italian, French, Indian, Mexican and Caribbean.
Inka Peru, which opened last December in the space formerly occupied by the relocated Cluckers, further expands Highwood’s dining horizons.
It is owned by Bladimiro Ortiz. The restaurant, his first, was “a life project,” he said. “Peruvian food is famous around the world. If I was to open a restaurant in Highwood, I wanted to offer something different. This is the only Peruvian restaurant on the North Shore. A lot of people find Pervuian food different, unusual, but in a good way; very delicious. The traditional dishes we have to offer you don’t get anywhere else (locally).”
About the owners: Ortiz is a native of Columbia. His wife is a native of Peru. Both studied the hotel industry. They met aboard a cruise ship where he worked in the dining room and she as a sommelier. Their work took them around the world, Ortiz said, with stops in Europe, Africa, the Russian Black Sea, Iceland and Alaska. “And now Highwood,” he said with a laugh.
Philosophy: “To share with people a taste of Peru and Peruvian culture,” said Justin Ortiz, Bladimiro’s son, who works with his father at the restaurant.
On the menu: “The charcoal chicken is our main article,” Bladimiro Ortiz said. “It’s our specialty. We also have our cultural dishes that native Peruvians know and appreciate.” While Peruvian cuisine has been accented by the influences of immigrants who came to Peru from such countries as Africa, Japan and China, it has its own character, said chef Leonardo Cruzado, himself a Peruvian native.
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Among the appetizers is chicharron de calamari, which is fried calamari, yucca and Peruvian corn with criolla sauce. Three incarnations of ceviches, a traditional seafood dish, is another specialty along with aji de gallina, a spicy shredded chicken in a creamy walnut sauce with Parmesan cheese.
Décor: Bladimiro Ortiz completely remodeled the dining room and installed a new bar and kitchen. The dining room seats about 38, the bar around six. On the walls are framed photos of Peruvian scenes.
Pricing: Appetizers start at $8 with papa a la Huancaina (boiled potatoes with a creamy yellow sauce). Ceviche Inka Peru is $20. A half order of the charcoal chicken is $18. Churrasco a la Parrilla, a top sirloin with chimichurri sauce, is $25. Parihuela de Mariscos, a seafood soup from the Peruvian coast is $24. Rice dishes range from $15 (fried rice) to $22 (arroz con mariscos, or seafood rice). Sides are $4 and under. Desserts range from $4 (arroz con leche, or rice pudding with cinnamon) to $7 (picarones, pumpkin donuts with syrup).
Logistics: Inka Peru is at 758 Sheridan Road, Highwood. Hours are 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. Call 847-926-3079.
Donald Liebenson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.