SAN ANDRES SERVES HEAPING HELPINGS OF LATIN FLAVOR.Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic San Andres started out with a sign indicating it would be Caribbean. But the replacement for Zach's Italian Kitchen, which moved down the street in Studio City to the former site of Mary's Lamb and the Deauville, turned out to be Peruvian and Columbian. Its latest sign describes it as having "Latin taste." Those tastes turn out to be hearty, heaping plates of food, often possessing generous portions of rice, potato, chicharron and plantain plantain (plăn`tĭn), any plant of the genus Plantago, chiefly annual or perennial weeds of wide distribution. Many species are lawn pests and the pollen is often a hay fever irritant. P. . There are Peruvian appetizers such as ceviche ce·vi·che or se·vi·che n. Raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice with olive oil and spices and served as an appetizer. [American Spanish, from Spanish cebiche, fish stew, from de pescado ($8), a sharing-size offering of marinated red snapper with lime, corn, potatoes, onion and lettuce, or the traditional papa a la huancaina Papa a la Huancaina (lit. Huancayo style potatoes) is a Peruvian salad of boiled yellow potatoes in a spicy, creamy sauce called Huancaina sauce. It's normally served over lettuce leaves and garnished with black olives, white corn kernels and hard boiled egg quarters. ($3.75) of sliced, cold, boiled potatoes with a light cheese mayonnaiselike dressing. Bowls of soup are rich with a variety of ingredients. They range from a satisfying tomato and seafood soup called parihuela ($9.50) filled with shrimp, squid, mussels, octopus, fish and a crab leg, to a "minute" soup ($4.50) made with either beef or chicken stock, onions, tomatoes and spaghetti noodles. Spaghetti (tallarines), in fact, provides a whole segment of the menu, coupled with different shellfish. You'll find respectable empanadas ($4 for four), mixed meat (paisa pai·sa n. pl. pai·se or paisa See Table at currency. [Hindi pais , $8.50), breaded pork loin loin (loin) the part of the back between the thorax and pelvis. loin n. The part of the body on either side of the spinal column between the ribs and the pelvis. ($8), lomo saltado (beef strips with onions and tomato, $6.50), chicken in criolla sauce (like a cacciatore cac·cia·to·re adj. Prepared with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, herbs, and sometimes wine: chicken cacciatore. [Italian, hunter, from cacciare, to hunt , $7) and numerous adventures from dishes with blood sausage (morcilla) to lengua (beef tongue). The kitchen makes a delicate steamed snapper with tomatoes, onions and white wine ($7.50) called pescado sudado. However, many of the meats tend to be, at best, slightly chewy chew·y adj. chew·i·er, chew·i·est Needing much chewing: chewy candy. chew  i·ness n. . But you can't go wrong at these prices: Nothing is over $12. And that usually includes rice, a hard corn cake, steamed or fried yuca (cassava cassava (kəsä`və) or manioc (măn`ēŏk), name for many species of the genus Manihot of the family Euphorbiaceae (spurge family). ) and plaintains. And a fine flan for dessert is only $2. THE FACTS The restaurant: San Andres. Where: 11056 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Recommended items: Empanadas, ceviche, papa a la huancaina (cold potato salad), pescado sudado (steamed fish), parihuela (tomato seafood soup), chuleta de cerdo empanizada (pork loin), lomo saltado (beef strips with onions and tomatoes), flan. How much: Appetizers from $2 to $8, entrees from $6.50 to $12, desserts from $1.50 to $2.50. No alcohol (license pending). Major credit cards. Reservations: Helpful. Call (818) 761-5447. Our rating: Three Stars for food; Three Stars for service. |
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