Every taste bud savors Limon's Peruvian fare

John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 19, 2007 at midnight

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According to the famous tongue "map," humans taste sweet on the tip, salty on the front sides, sour right behind those, and bitter on the back part of the tongue. Now scientists confirm what most of us already knew: You can sense all tastes all over your tongue to various degrees, as reported in a recent issue of Nature.

Many researchers concur that there's a fifth taste called umami - essentially "savory" or "meaty," and others postulate a sixth receptor for fat in all its glorious buttery forms. I agree and swear that every single one of my many buds got thoroughly and repeatedly stimulated when I ate at Limon (say Lee-MOHN).

That's how it felt when I dug into the tiradito cebiche ($7), glowing in a martini glass surrounded by crunchy purple and yellow corn kernels. I used crispy plantain chips to scoop tender strips of Pacific bass "cooked" in intense lime juice with bits of red onion and cilantro. The briny liquid was so marvelous we happily sipped it out of the glass.

Limon delivers expertly rendered south-of- the-U.S. beverages. The distinctive pisco sour made with Peruvian brandy is topped with a puff of cinnamon-dusted whipped egg white. The mojito is a cool blizzard of mint and lime and the intense caipirinhas are powered by cachaca, the Brazilian sugarcane distillate. New wave cocktails include the chocobanana awash in banana-infused rum and almond milk.

The former A La Tomate space is done up in bright, warm colors and shades of brown with wooden floors. Tall reeds cast cool shadows on the ceiling. Limon's hatbox-sized space has a handful of tables, expanded on warm days by a nice patio. It doesn't look like a foodie magnet.

In fact, Limon is billed as an "Eclectic Peruvian Lounge," as if it doesn't want to be taken too seriously. The menu belies this conceit with its retinue of exotic ingredients like huacatay and bistro techniques. The eatery's novoandino approach creates contemporary fare using traditional ingredients reflecting Peru's worldly gastronomic influences.

The fare's complexity is not unexpected. Owner Alex Gurevich has studied cooking in Russia, France, Italy and the United States and traveled extensively in Peru. He received well-deserved kudos for his chefly take on brunch favorites at Lakewood's Cafe Bisque before branching out with the 60-seat Limon in July.

The starters are alternately soothing and exciting. Once we got over the fact that our limena causa ($7) was served cold, we got into the terrine-like dish middling two avocado-topped, mashed potato disks with chicken salad. Papa a la huancaina ($8) potato salad was pumped-up by aji amarillo peppers.

We loved the fall-apart steamed-then-fried pork in the fritada ($9) garnished with crunchy corn and salsa criolla. We fought over the great conchas a la Parmesana ($8.50): baked, cheese-topped sea and bay scallops atop yam slices with lime butter. There was nothing not to like about yucca chips ($5) dipped in good Hollandaise. Supposedly it was flavored with hucatay, a form of mint, but we couldn't taste it. The only bore was the chicken finger-like chicharron de pollo ($7) with fries.

At some cafes, everything tastes roughly the same and that's OK and expected. Each Limon entrée had a truly separate flavor profile, including some cravable accompaniments. The lomo en salsa ($22), a well-grilled New York strip, was smothered in an eye-opening chile-powered warm hominy salsa. Meanwhile, the Asian-accented lomo saltado ($14) offered tenderloin sauteed with onion, soy, garlic and peppers with rice and fried potatoes. The chuleton carlitos ($16) was worth ordering just for the sweet bacon, cabbage and potato hash and mushroom ragout around a pork chop.

We appreciated the incredible lightness and beauty of conchas del señor ($18). Sauteed quinoa-crusted scallops resting atop earthy spinach and parsnip puree are highlighted by intensely hued red beet and passionfruit reductions. This impressionist plating pleased us with its sweetly harmonized tastes.

Some dishes were humble but no less satisfying such as the lamb stew-like seco de cordero ($15), the aji de gallina ($12) with pulled chicken, and the soothing arroz con pato ($16) with perfect moist, crispy duck confit over cilantro rice with peas and a mild salsa.

Surprisingly, two of our favorite entrees were meatless and messy looking. The locro serrano ($12) was a super-comfy stew of squash, grains and cheese with fried eggs, while quinotto de hongos blended artichokes and asparagus in a creamy quinoa "risotto" with mushrooms and shaved manchego cheese. It was better than many of the real risottos I've sampled.

The adventure continues through the sweets. The popular Peruvian fruit lucuma makes for mysterious ice cream ($6) that tastes like almonds or peaches or maybe maple, or not. It's sided with alfajores, a caramel-filled shortbread.

The pineapple tres leches cake ($6) was a letdown - it wasn't milky enough - but we'd order the rich, hot chocolate banana bread pudding ($7) anytime.

The final tickler was a creme brulee ($8) trio including mild vanilla and chocolate versions lidded with candy crusts. The third pot of roasted red chile crème brulee was either a) amusing, b) provocative or c) unlikable, depending on the diner.

Very competent, well-mannered servers checked-in with us often, making well-informed suggestions. They knew all the Peruvian ingredients and the deals on the small, compelling list of South American and Spanish wines.

You should know that the limited seating and the buzz about the place mean there's always someone waiting for your table. It can feel a little hurried. Some diners won't like the noisy bar ambience or some of the smaller, not-inexpensive portions.

If you expect big flavors, not big piles of food, you'll be happy with Limon, which joins Red Tango, Aji, Buenos Aires Grill and others in infusing South American beat into the Denver dining scene. Our various taste buds are very happy about it, too.

Limon

• Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday; 4:30- 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday

• Food: New Peruvian

• How much: $4-$9 starters; $12-$22 entrees

• Reservations: Yes

• Noise: Moderate to extremely noisy

• Information: www.limondenver.com

lehndorffj@rockymountainnews.com or 303-954-5103.

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