Raymi

Raymi is simply a must for delicious Peruvian Cuisine and yummy Pisco cocktails. Raymi, located at 43 West 24th Street, New York NY 10010 is a modern Peruvian kitchen which expertly blends Peruvian, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish cuisine for a delightful and totally unique dining experience. We arrived to the busy restaurant around 7:15 and were immediately greeted by General Manager Piero Rodriguez. He showed us to our table and we talked about how exciting it would be to try some of the restaurants key dishes. I especially loved the ambiance and lighting of the establishment.

We started off with "Chifles" or plaintain schips served with a yummy smoke hauncaina sauce. Peiro brought us the "Inca trail" tasting flights. These were a unique sampling of their signature "Pisco" Sour (The National Drink of Peru) with lime bitters, egg whites and syrup (refreshing), The "Raymi" with mango, passion fruit, lime and pisco sour foam (fruity and delish!), The "Blackberry Thyme Machacado" with blackberry, thyme, pisco and lime (my personal favorite) and the "Pineapple Machacado" with pisco, fresh pineapple, sage and lime (sweet and delicious).

Next up we brought a delicious Ceviche and Tiradito tasting sampler. A ceviche by definition is a raw seafood dish marinated in citris and spices. We tried the "Salmon" which was salmon, peanuts, sesame seeds with a wonton on top and very delicious with a Chinese influence. My personal fave was the "Mixto" which consisted of aji rocoto, shrimp, squid, octopus and sweet potato. The "Tuna" with Japanese influence featured white soy yuzu, avocado and cucumber, and finally the "Corvina" was a mixture of lime, red onion, sweet potato, cilantro and habanero - spicy yet yummy.

Next up we were treated to the "Tamale Verde" which was simply wonderful. It consists of a crispy yet moist pork shoulder, cilantro, salsa criolla and rocoto mayo. The "Causa" was unique and beautifully plated with aji amarillo, tuna, octopus, salmon, avocado, spicy mayo on top of a delicious cold potato puree.

The next course arrived with "Lomo Saltado"; absolutely the most fantastic hangar steak with soy, tomato, red onion and crispy fries. It was served alongside jasmine rice. The "A Lo Macho" was a terrific combination of halibut, charred octopus (the best!), shrimp, squid, and mussels in a creamy aji panca sauce.

As if we had anymore room, dessert did not disappoint. The "Peruvian Crispy Donut" was a sweet donut immersed in chancaca honey (I could eat this dish everyday) and we also tried the "Mascarpone Cheesecake", with coriander, pisco oranges and coconut sorbet. It was very refreshing and the perfect ending to the meal.

My entire Raymi experience was absolutely perfect in every way. The staff was pleasant and attentive, the food was delicious and the ambiance was perfect. I look forward to a return trip.

For more information please visit their website at www.rayminyc.com. You can also visit them on facebook at www.facebook.com/Rayminyc. Restaurant phone number is 212-929-1200 for reservations.