DX Peruvian–the restaurant at the corner of Bristol and Sunflower next to Bella Cuba and technically in Santa Ana although it's directly across from South Coast Plaza–has closed and now become the fourth branch of Inka Mama's. The switch-over happened this week.
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The lomo saltado is near perfect. The fries are still slightly crispy, a sign that they were just deep-fried before they were added to the stir fry; the onions are softened just so, it's spiciness exorcised leaving nothing but sweetness; and the meat isn't dry or ropy, indicating that it was indeed seared on the wok. But most importantly, this saltado doesn't leave behind a soupy mess on the plate. It is an actual stir-fry. After all, it's a chifa-dish, Peruvian-Chinese food born from a blazing wok.
3930 S. Bristol St #107
Santa Ana, CA 92704, 1-714-557-6262
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.