NYC: Peruvian Chef Ricardo Zarate Is Cooking At City Grit This Weekend

We've been on a serious Los Angeles kick today. This morning we dropped an interview with the great downtown bar and restaurant pioneer Cedd Moses from The Varnish and Seven Grand, among other places. Next, we dropped a we-like-you-more-than-a-friend letter to the downtown restaurant scene, shouting out places like The Parish, Bäco Mercat, Handsome Coffee Roasters and Mo-Chica. So basically what we're saying is that if you find yourself in L.A.— for work or the shitty month of February — you should drive downtown, park in one of the many $3 lots and have yourself some dinner. But maybe L.A. is not in your plans. If you live in the NYC area, that's OK because L.A. has just come to you.

On Friday and Saturday evening chef Ricardo Zarate of restaurants Picca and Mo-Chica is hosting dinner at Soho culinary salon City Grit. Here are some words from the organizers:

Zarate's menu is teeming with tempting bits and exotic ingredients true to his Amazonian roots: we'll have lemon aji Amarillo peppers with scallop tiradito (Peruvian sashimi) and fresh uni; skewered, grilled prawns and marinated beef heart with a yuzu kosho marinade of jalapenos and lime; and the number one Amazonian fish: paiche, which was nearly extinct ten years ago and is now sustainably farm raised and making a comeback — served with the aji panca pepper, barley risotto and a huancaina sauce of pine nuts, feta and crackers.

Trust us when we say you should check one of these dinners out. Advance tickets are available for $85. We suggest buying ahead as these things sell out.