Paternoster's Bistro

My husband and I moved to Springfield from Austin last year, and one of the things we've really missed about Austin is the variety and diversity of restaurants. Neither of us had tried Peruvian food before moving to Austin, but after a couple of Peruvian food trucks opened there, we were both hooked. When Nick found there was a Peruvian bistro in Springfield, we knew we had to try it, so we made it our Valentine's Day date spot.

Before I get into this, a word on Peruvian food... Peruvian food is influenced by the cuisine of Peru's indigenous peoples, but also heavily by the large populations of immigrants from Spain, China, Italy, West Africa, and Japan. Immigrants from these countries attempted to recreate their traditional dishes with Peruvian ingredients, and over the years these culinary traditions have blended and become a distinct national cuisine. Corn, potatoes, and chilies (especially the aji amarillo) are staples, along with quinoa and ingredients brought to Peru by immigrants: rice, wheat, beef, pork, and chicken.

Basically, Peruvian food is like nothing we'd ever had before in the most delicious way possible. Paternoster's got it right. The Bistro is set up behind Cravin' Pizza; you walk into Cravin' Pizza, take a hard left, and follow the blue neon glow of the "BISTRO" sign. The atmosphere is totally different... exposed wood beam ceilings, murals of the Peruvian country side, low lighting, table cloths, and a long bar, making it more formal than the front room but not fussy or stuffy.

We started out with their ceviche "simply" - meaning only whitefish, no mussels, clams, etc. It was absolutely delicious, very fresh and fragrant, slightly spicy, and very refreshing. I had a pisco sour along with it (pisco, a brandy, lime juice, sugar, and an egg white shaken til very frothy) and it was very, very good - a great pairing with the ceviche. I'd definitely recommend ordering an appetizer. The menu and staff make it clear that everything's cooked absolutely fresh when ordered and so entrees take a half hour to come out. We didn't try any of the empanadas but the table next to ours did, and they smelled and looked heavenly - definitely something for us to try on our next visit.

For our entrees, I had the Camerones a la Plancha en salsa de Vino Blanco - shrimps grilled on a metal plate with a white wine salsa. It was served with a slice of sweet potato, a fluffy potato pancake, a large fresh salad, a half of a mango, and grilled asparagus wrapped in a hearty slice of crisp bacon. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and the white wine sauce was like nothing I'd ever had before. It was citrusy and light, very nice with the shrimp, but there were also hints of curry spice - absolutely delicious! All the accompaniments were great. The salad was very fresh and lightly dressed, with greens, cucumbers, and avocado, and the potato pancake and sweet potato were great for mopping up the last traces of sauce. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of the bacon with the grilled asparagus, a dish that can be boring and bland, but the asparagus was grilled just right and seasoned excellently.

The name of my husband's dish escapes me and it doesn't seem to be on the menu posted online: it was a filet of fish lightly fried on top of rice, black beans, and with a citrus/garlic/butter glazed ear of corn, as well as the same salad and asparagus I had. The fish was delicious - it was listed on the menu as comfort food, and definitely was - and was seasoned with a blackening spice. I know this sounds weird, but his rice was seriously the best rice I've ever had! It wasn't at all sticky, had just a lovely texture, and was very fragrant.

I think the best part of our dinner was when the owner, Jim, came out to visit with us and see how our meal was. He was excited that we were fans of Peruvian food and delighted to hear how much we had enjoyed ourselves. We talked about he and his wife's travels to Peru and around the world, his time in the Navy, and he shared a taste of his favorite Spanish roja wine with us. Jim told us about his chef, a woman he had met in Peru whom he sponsored so that she and her daughter could come live in America and work with him. Just a lovely, lovely man. We're so looking forward to talking more with him on our next visit!

All in all, I don't think I can recommend Paternoster's highly enough. I can't wait til our next visit... I think I'll try the empanadas, and I'd like to see Jim's take on Lomo Saltado, a traditional Peruvian stir fry dish. We need more places like this in Springfield!