MARY FURR -- Dining Out

Like the legendary Phoenix, Inka Grill rises from the ashes of old

Huntington Beach, adding an exotic South American flavor to the growing

number of new restaurants Downtown.

Occupying the ground floor of the Almeria building on Main Street and

Olive Avenue, the grill is owned by charming and energetic Ana

Montoya-Ives, one of 12 children, who says sitting down together for a

meal was always a family occasion.

That same spirit of conviviality fills Inka Grill. Hung on the vibrant

sienna walls are colorful market scenes and niches that display the

native pottery Montoya-Ives brought back from a recent visit to Peru.

French doors open to surrounding patio seating with tables and

tapestry-covered banquettes filling the large indoor dining area. A good

introduction is ordering empanadas ($7.95) from the appetizer menu --

three handmade turnovers with savory fillings; one chicken, one beef with

hard-boiled egg and one with spinach, broccoli and feta cheese.

Drip a bit of the fiery sauce from the small pitcher served with them

for your first taste of the complexity of Peruvian cuisine. Montoya-Ives

does the cooking based on recipes from her grandmother, Juanita, and her

mother, Fortunata. There are no cans or frozen food in her kitchen.

A huge serving of lamb, seco de cordero norteno ($14.95), a recipe from Montoya-Ives’ hometown, Chimbote, has large chucks of tender meat in

a sauce of cilantro, garlic and Chica de Jora, an Inka wine. It can be

very spicy, but she will moderate it for you. The savory dark sauce is

wonderful for sopping the thick-sliced French bread (De Simone Bakery).

It is served with small white beans, rice and sarza criolla, a pile of

thinly sliced lime-marinated sweet onions. A forkful of the tasty lamb

with a purple onion slice is one that is robust and full of texture with

hints of garlic and wine.

Pescado encebollado ($11.95) is a big platter of sauteed tomato

quarters, onions and cilantro over lightly battered pan-fried cod fillet.

The mild flaky fish is soaked in the vegetables piled on top, with snow

white rice ready to mix in -- the dish gleams with freshness. It’s a

healthful and delicious homelike dish. Similar, but with a distinctive

spiciness in flavor, is col saltado con carne -- lean, seasoned strips of

beef with tomatoes, purple onions and pieces of still-crisp cabbage --

unusual with the crunchiness of the cabbage adding texture and body.

Even desserts are exotic here. One to try is almendrado ($4.95), a

slice of almond praline ice cream that is crunchy and icy. A warm square

of spongy rice pudding ($4.95) with a Kahlua cream sauce is another.

Architect Marcus Kemmered has created the perfect setting for

Montoya-Ives’ Peruvian cuisine. It’s a new taste for Huntington Beach

housed in the first really sophisticated restaurant to open on Main

Street.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments

or suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.

FYI

Inka Grill

WHERE: 301 E. Main St., Huntington Beach.

PHONE: (714) 374-3399

HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 to 1

a.m. Friday and Saturday.