Peer through the giant windows at Williamsburg's Llama Inn and you're likely to behold a table of diners eagerly tucking into what looks like a gigantic heap of french fries next to a stack of pancakes. You'd be witness the restaurant's Beef Tenderloin Stir Fry, one of two feast-type dishes available at the Peruvian spot, which has been packing in customers nightly since opening last November. If you're not topping fries with lobster, beef tenderloin is the next best thing.
Chef Eriz Ramirez tells us the dish is his version of Lomo Saltado, a well-known export from Peru (the other being ceviche, as he points out). "It begins with a prep similar to our version at Llama, starting a tender cut of steak in a wok with a soy sauce base, and combining the stir fry with onions and tomatoes," he explains. "In Peru the dish is traditionally served with rice." For his version, they're using fries instead, topped with cilantro and scallions.
Beneath all those potatoes: large chunks of beef, which are cooked in a wok over "super high heat." As the source of filet mignon, the tenderloin has a great beef flavor and is super tender—you don't even need a fancy steak knife—unlike some of the tougher cuts sometimes used in a stir fry preparation.
On the side, scallion pancakes, which Ramirez says are "one of the more labor intensive items on the menu." They're prepared similarly to a French crepe, so the resulting pancake is extremely thin and tender, "though they have a slight crisp and deeper brown color than classic crepes you're used to" Ramirez says. The idea is to gather up a little bit of all of the ingredients—which also includes slices of avocado, house-pickled chilies and a crema made with fiery rocoto peppers and Peruvian black mint—wrap it in a tortilla and eat it like a taco.
It's one of the tastiest dishes I've put in my mouth this year, in addition to being fun (and messy) to eat. Don't let the $48 sticker shock startle you; it's easily shareable among a few people—it was too much food for two, especially if you're ordering other stuff. It heats up well, too, if you're taking the remains, even the fries, a notoriously difficult leftovers component. Perhaps it's because they start off so crunchy and perfect to begin with. How does Ramirez accomplish that? "It's not a secret if I tell you, but they are delicious right?"
