Jora restaurant

JORA HITS THE JACKPOT


LICqueenstv food writer Eso Romero

Open for almost two months, Jora is Peruvian cuisine done well. On the corner of 48th Avenue and 11th Street, the restaurant is stylishly decorated with modern touches and a splash of Inca influence. If you’re just looking for after work drinks, there’s a bar in the back of the restaurant with a separate entrance, specializing in Peruvian pisco. 


We arrived a little before six o’clock on a Sunday for a date night (sans kids), shortly after it opened. The menu was simple and straightforward: appetizers and entrees on the front, drinks on the back. They served complimentary fresh plantain chips with green aji sauce, which had subtle spice and great flavor. I would have happily taken home a jar of that sauce! It was much later that I realized that hiding underneath the plantain chips were enormous Corn Nut-like kernels, possibly lightly toasted hominy. The aftertaste was a bit dry, even with a quick dunk in the aji sauce.


A few tables were filled, and the number of servers outnumbered the customers in the beginning. As we munched on the plantain chips and sipped our Malbec, we felt a tad uncomfortable with the servers standing around, hovering. Loved the attention but it would’ve been better if they were not lingering so close to our table.


For our appetizer, we ordered the rocoto relleno, a hot relleno pepper stuffed with ground beef, hard-boiled egg bits and chopped raisins, topped with melted salty cheese and seated upon peanut black mint sauce. Wow! This dish packed a punch. If you can handle some heat, this dish is for you. Beyond the heat are complex layers of flavors, both sweet and savory. My husband named this dish as the best appetizer he’s had in NYC so far. (Mind you, we’ve only been here for 2 months.)


My husband ordered the bistec a la chorrillana for his entree. The bistec was grilled medium rare as requested, which more often than not ends up medium. Nicely caramelized onions and sauteed tomatoes rested upon the steak, contributing to a perfect bite. Tacu tacu style rice accompanied the skirt steak. A fried egg lay on top of the rice, cooked over-easy to allow the yolk to sink into the rice upon the first stab of the fork. The rice itself was a bit overdone and mushy.


My dish, the seco de cordero, was excellent. The braised lamb shank was tender, but all the more tasty with the amazing cilantro aji panca sauce. I only wish there were more sauce to dip each bite of lamb. The rice and beans were perfectly seasoned. To balance the heaviness of the dish, there was also a vinegared red onion and tomato garnish that refreshed my tastebuds between bites. Truly, that sauce was the star of the dish, bringing together all the flavors with much gusto.


Would I return? Absolutely. It’s a special occasion kind of place, but the atmosphere is family-friendly, service was good and the food was incredibly flavorful.