Kat's 9 Lives

Whenever I make a trip up to Los Angeles, I always try to maximize the trip.  This time we were up there to check out Supperclub LA in Hollywood, so I decided to stop off on a side trip.  I have been meaning to try out Mario's Peruvian Restaurant.  It's in a small shopping strip that can be easily missed and many people comment about the parking situation.  I went during a down time so there wasn't too much hassle parking, but since I read the warning I decided to park on the street and not even bother to pull into their parking lot.
The main thing I really wanted was some Alfajores, but sadly the server said that they were renovating soon so they did not have any.  Que Lastima! I was deeply saddened by this news but since I was already here, I thought I'd still make the most of it.  Even though it was not that busy, the service was friendly but a little absent.  You have to try and flag them down behind the counter.
Like most Peruvian restaurants, they start off by bringing bread and butter along with the green sauce.  Of course, I had to get my delicious Inka Kola to complement the meal.
A typical and tasty Peruvian dish is the Lomo Saltado that's made with beef, onions, tomatoes, and french fries accompanied with lightly seasoned rice.  I love the mixture of flavors and texture.  This dish tends to be more salty but that is what the tomatoes, onions, and rice mellow out and complement the savory flavor.  Don't forget to squirt some green sauce onto each bite to add the spicy kick that takes the flavor to another level.
Being Asian, I love a good fried rice.  I also read that Mario's Peruvian Restaurant offers some great seafood dishes and I decided to try the Arroz Chaufa de Mariscos, Peruvian style seafood fried rice.  It's a mix of calamari, shrimp, and octopus.  The flavor was a bit on the light side and I kind of wished I had some tasty soy sauce to add more flavor to the dish.  Another way to cheat is using the green sauce and I really poured it on.  The dish was a little bit greasy but to be fair, the seafood was very fresh and delicate.  Nothing was over cooked and there was a plethora of seafood in the rice.
All in all it was a solid Peruvian restaurant.  Still, I was a little disappointed that there was no Alfajores.  At the end of the meal, I had to go up and get the take out containers along with the check so the service was a little absent.  I'd probably stop by again if they have my favorite little sweet treats =).

Mario's Peruvian Restaurant 
5786 Melrose Ave 
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 466-4181