The Boston Globe, "Favorite restaurants (old and new) in Boston"

BY: DEVRA FIRST

DATE: MAY 6, 2022

For 20 years, visionary chef Jose Duarte shared his love of Peruvian cuisine at Taranta, an Italian-Andean hybrid in the North End. Chelsea restaurant Tambo 22 is a natural next step. Opened just as the pandemic began, it deserves recognition, showcasing a more purely Peruvian cuisine and all manner of regional ingredients — from yellow potatoes to an agave-based spirit used in some of the cocktails. The nutritious tarwi bean is the basis for a vegetarian take on ceviche, while “Better Than Buffalo” wings are made with aji amarillo and rocoto chiles. The meat blend on the “Tamburguesa” includes alpaca, and the Amazonian fish paiche is served wrapped in banana leaves. If you come on a Sunday, you can get the pan con chicharron, a sandwich/hangover cure of pork belly, fried sweet potatoes, and mint salsa. Pisco sours, Peruvian craft beer, and chicha morada are all here, perfect for sipping on the spacious patio.