Artesano
My partner adores Peruvian food, primarily for the ceviche. We’ve been to a handful of Peruvian in the city, but this is one of the first that I saw marketing itself to be more on the higher end. The head chef of this restaurant, Rodrigo Fernandini, came from Chiclayo (Peru) and opened this back in late 2023. We were able to make a reservation for 2 at 5:30 PM on a Friday very easily without trouble. We were seated along the side of the room right next to the kitchen.
Ambiance & Service
The interior definitely has strong latin vibes, similar to what I felt when I went to Brazil. There are notable fake plants hanging from the ceiling, and the tables have a very clean maple color. They played electronic music over the speakers, and it wasn’t uncomfortably loud.
The service was very prompt, and even in a full room, it was reasonable to have a decent conversation without shouting.
Food
The Chicha Morada ($11) came with purple corn, cinnamon, orange, pineapple, and lemongrass. This was pretty good. It was sweet with noticeable citrus acidity to it.
The Maracuya Sour ($21) came with pisco, lime, gum syrup, passion fruit, and egg whites. I thought this was decent. It basically tasted like passion fruit mixed with a neutral liquor.
The Orange Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc “Michel-Michel” came from Chateau Lestignac, France 2022. This has a mixture of grapes, and it had citrus, earthy, and apricot notes to it. It was easy to drink, dry, and light. It paired great with the ceviche.
The Fish Ceviche ($28) came with catch of the day, classic tiger’s milk, choclo (type of corn), chulpi (toasted corn), sweet potato, and rocoto (a type of pepper) gel. The fish was quite fresh, and the tiger’s milk was acidic, strong, and tasty.
The Chiclayo Duck ($42) came with duck magret (breast), norteno rice, aji amarillo, chalaca (salsa), carrots, and peas. The duck was quite delicious with crispy skin. The rice itself was marinated with aji, so it turned out to rice with sauce mixed into it. In all, I thought the price of this was a little pricey, but it did taste good.
The Lomo Saltado ($48) came with stir fry tenderloin, soy sauce, oyster sauce, onion, tomato, cilantro, and potatoes. The tenderloin was quite delicious, and it came out medium rare even though we had ordered it medium. The sauce was quite flavorful, and tasted like a slightly more polished version of lomo saltado. I don’t necessarily think the price really justified the value because the flavors of this is very quintessential lomo saltado. You’re really paying for the tenderloin with this dish.
The Peruvian Gems ($18) came with chocolate textures, cacao nibs, lucuma ice cream, and passion fruit gel. The chocolate was not too sweet, and it paired nicely with the passion fruit gel. I thought the overall flavors were not complicated, and they all just tasted great together.
Final Verdict
Artesano was an above average Peruvian restaurant. The price of the food was a little on the high side, but the food did taste good. If you’re in the Tribeca area and want to try out Peruvian food with higher quality ingredients, then check this out.
Yelp Jabs
I especially loved the Artesano Ceviche. I think it was the best ceviche I’ve ever had.
Whenever an Elitist proclaims something is the best they ever had, it always tends to be one-dimensional. I did not find this ceviche that much more special than other ceviches in the city.
We ate here for brunch on a Sunday, and it was practically empty which was a bit alarming. We ordered a few dishes which to my surprise the only 2 dishes that were outstanding were the ceviche and the dessert.
It feels like Peruvian cuisine isn’t catchy in the city, and it definitely isn’t trendy. Latin American food still needs to find a way to make itself attractive as a global cuisine. The one thing that I noticed about some of these cuisines is they are trying to focus on presentation and some flavors. The issue though is that the flavors are more subtle than not for American palettes. I think it will continue to take some before these restaurants are super popular in Manhattan.
Revisions
- Oct 11, 2024 - Initial revision.