What's Cookin'

WHAT'SCOOKIN'

WITH MATT LAINE

INKAS CHARCOAL GRILL & BAR

8401 N. KENTUCKY AVE., EVANSVILLE, IN

Inkas was suggested to me by a handful of people, and being an ethnicity of food I’ve never tried, I had to go! For those that don’t know, it is Peruvian food, which is rare to find in our humble city,

and to place it somewhere on the food map, I’d put it as a cross between Brazilian grill and New Orleans Creole spices.

When my family and I walked into the restaurant, we were greeted by a friendly host who promptly sat us, and we got the staff smiling and all around us immediately thanks to our daughter being such a ham. It was a very clean-cut restaurant that still had some design features from when it was Iwataya’s, such as long seats (the backs seem so far away), an area that seems straight out of a Japanese sitcom (has been converted to extra seating on a stage), and a little “tiki” bar near the back. Everything seemed extremely clean, until my daughter dropped her food everywhere, and the staff was extremely welcoming. We had at least four different staff members stop by our table to check on us and ask about our daughter, which might seem excessive to some people, but they were all warm and homey feeling greetings. Some staff even talked to us about their kids and how they hope we enjoy the food so they can see her, our daughter, back in there again. We felt at home and comfortable with how they have their dividers set up, which kept noise down and made us feel more secluded from the other guests. I also stepped back to the bathroom just to check it out and it was extremely clean and had that “Fruity Pebbles” type smell.

Now, on to the part everyone always asks about, the food! We ordered the 1/2 rotisserie chicken (Pollo A La Brasa) with rice and broccoli as our sides and it also comes with an aji amarillo huacatay sauce. I'd never heard of this sauce so I will start there. They called it a hot sauce, which meant I absolutely had to have it. They brought it out before the meal, which seemed a bit odd, but it gave

me the chance to try it before putting it on anything. It looks like a creamy ranch type sauce that has a very drizzly consistency. The major hints I was getting from it were herbs (mint and/or basil) and citrus. Alone it was nothing to write home about, but when added with the meat and rice… whole new story. The chicken was cooked to pure perfection; it was some of the most tender chicken I can remember eating. The spices rubbed on the skin gave it a southern Creole kick. Not too spicy and brings out some dancing taste buds. The rice was a sticky rice, which made it perfect for our daughter, and it tasted like someone washed it thoroughly and took extra time and steps to ensure it was just right (those that know rice from great rice know where I’m going with this). Rice is not an easy task, yet to some of us our minute rice is super easy, but great rice is an art form in my opinion. The broccoli was steamed well and very tender but could have used a slightly heavier hand on the seasonings. When you dipped the chicken into the hot sauce and added some rice, the flavor profiles melded together into a wonderful umami bite. The whole family ate everything, and I mean all of us. Even our daughter devoured everything we set in front of her, and I think she would’ve kept going if there was more. It was a delicious meal that we will surely have to have again soon.

We felt at home and comfortable with how they have their dividers set up, which kept noise down and made us feel more secluded from the other guests.