LIVELY FLAVORS OF PERU NOW IN NORTHRIDGE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

You can eat steak at the new Peru's Taste in Northridge, but most of its patrons don't, choosing from its many seafood opportunities, heaping plates or bowls of good-tasting shellfish and/or fresh fish at moderate pricing.

Start with one of the kitchen's distinctive ceviches, preferably the ceviche de pescado ($9.50), a nicely presented, shareable plate of lime-juice-marinated tilapia pieces accompanied by corn, potato, sweet potato and onions.

Or if you don't mind a plainer dish, try the tiradito ($9), a healthy portion of white fish pieces floating in a yellow-orange-toned, piquant, spicy, chile-infused lime juice.

One other starter fish option, the traditional escabeche de pescado ($6.95), brings forth a larger-than-expected platter of non-oily, deep-fried tilapia garnished with lively, vinegared onions, nestled in a peppery chile sauce and flanked by both yuca and sweet potato.

An alternative beginning would be another traditional dish, papa a la huancaina ($5.50) of boiled potatoes coated in a slightly spicy cream sauce, or the Peruvian tamal ($4.50), softer than the Mexican tamale version, with either chicken or pork stuffed into corn dough and steamed in a banana leaf wrapping.

Soups at Peru's Taste arrive in deep bowls, large enough to be entrees or shared (ask for additional smaller bowls).

The parihuela ($11.95) here resembles a cioppino, coming up full of fish chunks, mussels, shrimp, squid and octopus and crowned with either a crab leg or langoustine. The well-executed tomato broth is mildly spicy unless you want it hotter. And it's less creamy than some Peruvian restaurant renditions.

Mussel soup (sopa de choros, $6.55), just as large, reveals a delicious, briny broth holding several green mussels in their shells, potato and loads of noodles.

There are also a couple of beef noodle soup options and a shrimp chowder available.

The kitchen often flavors its creations with wine or beer.

Arroz con mariscos ($10.95) has the usual shrimp, squid, mussels and octopus grouping, but niftily boosted with a touch of beer, while the rice receives a pinch or two of saffron.

Similarly, cau-cau de mariscos ($10.50) has the same variety of seafood in a bowl, this time paired with diced potatoes, all floating in a delicious, spicy, yellow-hued, white- wine-infused broth.

The Chinese influence in Peruvian food shows up here in the chaufa (fried rice) dishes.

Chaufa de pollo ($8.95), the chicken fried rice, looks a lot like what you'd receive in a Chinese cafe, complete with the egg and onion ingredients. Tiny pieces of sweet red pepper are also detected in the chaufa.

Endings here are minimal. It's either pumpkin-colored lucuma (a Peruvian fruit) ice cream ($2.95) or the alfajor cookie filled with vanilla-flavored dulce de leche ($1.95).

Steak here is sauteed filet mignon sliced into strips and served as the lomo saltado house specialty ($14.95) with onion, tomato and fries plus steamed rice.

It's a better choice usually than the Peruvian milanesa ($9.50), flattened and breaded beef, which sometimes turns up hard and dry or the regular lomo saltado ($9.50), made with a lesser cut.

But you can skip the beefy offerings altogether here without feeling an iota of deprivation.

As for a beverage, there's always the chicha morada soft drink made with sweet purple corn and cinnamon ($1.50) or the yellow Inca Kola ($1.50).

All in all, Peru's Taste provides, for the most part, generously portioned, skillfully cooked, flavorful fare at prices everyone can afford.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

[e-mail]

PERU'S TASTE (SABOR PERUANO)

Food: Three and one half stars - Service: Three stars - Value: Four stars

Where: 8246 Louise Ave., Northridge.

Phone: [phone]; www.perustaste.com

Meals/hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Closed Wednesday.

Food type: Peruvian.

Cost: Starters from $4.50 to $12, entrees from $8.75 to $15, desserts $2 and $3 each.

Credit cards: All major.

Patio dining: No.

Parking/valet: Free parking in lot. No valet.

Full bar: No.

Wine/Corkage: No alcohol license.

Music/entertainment: No.

Takeout/delivery: Yes on takeout, no on delivery.

Reservations: Helpful.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2) Lourdes Mimata, left, co-owner with husband Tito, displays the arroz con mariscos, also shown above, at Peru's Taste, their Northridge restaurant.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News