March 2008

Rating : 8 out of 10

Tariff: Lunch for 3

• 3 entrees
• 1 dessert
• 1 Inca cola
• 1 coffee
• tip
• $32

Tucked away in the Tresh Triangle shopping center on South Novato Blvd, Perugina has lots of international competition: nearby eateries serve Thai, Mexican, pizza, Chinese take out, rotisserie chicken, German roasts and sandwiches, even bagels. But Perugina offers something not found anywhere else in Novato and that is a combination of Italian and Peruvian cuisine. The restaurant itself isn't fancy--it looks like a small pizza joint with a counter over which you can see the cook, the waitress, and the ovens. Some high school kids were in eating individual pizzas for lunch while we visited. You wouldn't come here for the atmosphere, but you might come here for the unusual menu.

Food

Perugina has a full Italian menu featuring pizzas, sandwiches, pastas & risottos, as well as entrees. What we were interested to try on our first visit was the page of Peruvian specialties they feature. We asked for recommendations and tastes of one sauce, which our waitress was very happy to provide. We sampled the empanadas, lomo saltado, and aji de gallina, and a dessert plus an Inca Kola--a very sweet yellow soda reminiscent of Mountain Dew and ginger ale. First the empanadas: Two large, perfectly shaped meat filled pastries--the filling was flavorful but a bit dry and the pastry more firm than flaky. The lomo saltado, described as strip of top sirloin sauteed with onions, tomatoes, fries, and steamed rice was exactly that--the meat, onions, and tomatoes were heaped over steak fries and rice. The winner, for me at least, was the aji de gallina, chicken stew in a creamy sauce with toasted walnuts over steamed rice and potatoes. The thick yellow sauce was filled with shredded chicken and it had a taste of mustard (we asked the waitress but couldn't be sure of all the ingredients as she told us some are "secret"). It was rich and tasty and was perfect in combination with the mild white rice. Last we shared a dish of platano frito with cream. This was several pieces of fried plantain (like a banana) topped with whipped cream--a very sweet and rich dessert. Next on my list to try are chupe de camarones (chowder with shrimp), pollo asado (grilled chicken), platano frito with salt (I want to see how they compare to Sol Foods Puerto Rican version), and flan. I can't wait!

Perugina
1553 S. Novato Blvd.,
Novato, CA 94947
415) 892-1838