Mango

We went back to Mango the other night. It’s now been open 2 ½ years, serving Peruvian cuisine to what seems to be a steady flow of regulars. We’re pleased this pleasant spot has become popular. Peruvian cooks are considered to be among South America’s best, but the cuisine is not common in the U.S. St. Louis is lucky.

The meal starts with a dish of fried plantain chips and a few corn nuts, accompanied by a tomato-onion salsa that grabs your attention because it’s moistened with orange juice, and what seems to be almost a cilantro pesto, creamy and tangy. There’s a good variety of first courses, soups, salads, ceviches, and far beyond that. It’d be an easy spot to nibble your way through a meal.

We’ve been lured by empanadas ever since our trip to South America, but this visit, we passed them and a good version of ceviche for a tamalito verde and some pascualina. The tamalito is a banana-leaf wrapped tamale, a fat guy whose cornmeal is stained a faint green from the cilantro. The fragrant mixture shows a hint of sweetness, balanced nicely with a tangy criolla sauce, julienne of red onion and sweet red pepper in a vinegar base; the whole thing is a pleasure. Pascualina is a vegetarian pie, pastry holding spinach, onions and cheese in an egg base, all lightly seasoned with nutmeg, sort of a New World spanakopita, pleasant but unremarkable.

Mango has a way with seafood. We tried a special of cod cooked with tomatoes and peppers, a saute that left the large piece of fish done to just the right point, just a little heat from the peppers, and a good amount of garlic. There are a lot of potatoes in Peruvian cuisine–they were being used there 2000 years ago. So it’s no surprise they’re used often here, with a few chunks of new potatoes alongside the fish. A cylinder of rice was alongside, with cooked corn kernels here and there.

Five vegetarian entrees are listed, and beef is the only red meat. But chicken is more interesting than it often is in restaurants. Aji de gallina is braised white meat in a creamy walnut sauce seasoned with the aji amarillo, or yellow pepper, that’s found in many South American kitchens. It’s on the verge of becoming a hot item in trendy restaurant kitchens, so we expect to be hearing a lot about it. The result is a dish that’s a combination of comfort food by its consistency and appearance–the nutmeats give the sauce a color that’s almost taupe–and modern in its spicing, with a slowly-appearing heat that crests in the mild-to-moderate range. It’s an addictive dish. The potatoes under the sauce benefit from it, too, and sure enough, there’s the rice as well.

Desserts intrigue with a rice pudding made with coconut and a sponge cake roll with caramel, among other choices. But the meal was so hearty that this time we finished up with a dish of mango sorbet, topped with strips of tasty fresh mango..

As to beverages, the wine list leans heavily on Chilean and Argentinian choices. Prices are moderate, but given the wide range of wine from both sides of the Andes, a few more reds by the glass would be a good idea. But we’re partial to the pisco sour, a cocktail made with the Peruvian brandy called pisco. In this era of the resurgence of the cocktail, the pisco sour is worth exploring, even if it doesn’t come in a martini glass. Same goes for the sangria, which has lots of fruit and is not overpoweringly sweet. The addition of a touch of brandy or vodka adds to the body and makes it easy to sip throughout the meal.

Service is nicely attentive, with servers who know the menu very well. And a nod to Mango for noting prices on specials, something too often ignored.

Mango

Dierbergs Mackenzie Pointe Plaza

7307 Watson Rd., Shrewsbury

314-752-8300

Lunch & dinner Tues.-Sun.

Credit cards: All major

Wheelchair access: Poor

Smoking: Yes

Entrees: $9-$22