A popular spot for refined Peruvian cuisine in El Cerrito has expanded to Berkeley’s Gilman District.
El Mono opened its second location this May at 1300 Fourth St., in the former space of the Gilman Grill and featuring a large outdoor patio. The restaurant is still waiting on its rotisserie-chicken cooker and alcohol license but otherwise is open and serving its menu of creative, comforting Peruvian dishes.
Fans of Peru’s food must ask: Are the sauces used to tie so many things together – typically creamy concoctions made with rocoto pepper or aji amarillo chili – any good? Thankfully, El Mono has some of the best in the area, whether you want spiciness to kick up roasted poultry or unctuousness to meld boiled potatoes together. (Pick some up for your home fridge, they’re only a buck a pop.)
The pollo a la brasa at El Mono’s original location is the perfect combo of smoky and tangy. It’s marinated in lime juice and a variety of herbs before hitting the flames; place it so the juices trickle down onto yuca fries for a real treat ($24 for half). Until that chicken cooker arrives, patrons in Berkeley might try some of the seafood-forward plates.
The pescado a lo macho is as fun to gawk at as it is to eat: A whole head-on seabass fried until crisp and served atop a chili-spiked seafood stew with shellfish and jasmine rice ($30-$45). Its twin, the “Super Mariscos,” is even more startling, being a deep-fried whole fish sitting on a mountain of Peruvian paella that audibly sizzles when served ($40-$52).
There are a variety of dishes that incorporate shrimp, from a bright ceviche with sweet potatoes and toasted corn ($24) to chupe de camarones (shrimp chowder with aji panca chili and a poached egg, $27). There’s Peruvian fried rice with steak, too, and a fleet of sides like refried beans, quinoa and fried plantains. For dessert there’s ice cream made with the Amazonian fruit lucuma and crema volteada, a Peruvian flan mixed with pisco and drizzled with chili-wine sauce.
El Mono’s owners used to run a sort of wine bar and – once that license arrives – the menu offers helpful suggestions for pairings. For now try a “Miti Miti,” a half-and-half pour of homemade purple-corn and maracuya beverages that separate like a beautiful sunset.
Details: Open noon-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday at 1300 Fourth St., Berkeley; elmonofresh.com
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