the regular: Destino

Destino
1815 Market St.
at Octavia St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-552-4451
http://destinosf.com
Apps/small plates $4.50-$16
Entrées $12-18
Desserts $6.50-$10

Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm
Mon-Thu 5pm-10pm
Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm
Happy Hour Mon-Fri 5pm-7pm

The vibe of this cozy enclave is like walking into your bohemian-sexy friend Pilar’s living room: persimmon-orange walls, fabric banquettes, funky religious shadowboxes, a dramatic chandelier and behemoth gilt-framed mirrors big enough for Pablo Escobar to do some serious business on. The restaurant has a refreshing lack of artifice, and is equally suited for romantic dates or a birthday group. Get your relaxed ~DESTINO~ groove on and order up a Pisco Sour, stat—you’ll be jonesing for another soon enough.

Okay, unless you’re fired up for ceviche (the sea bass version is recommended), the first item you have to introduce yourself to off the Nuevo Latino menu is the arepas—cornmeal patty/biscuits with oozing Fontina cheese and a corn, roasted bell pepper and tomato salsa on top. My dining partner pronounced them slutty. Redeem your errant ways and cool off with the hearts of palm salad, served with pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds, ay papi), papaya, mint, and sultanas.

The long list of small plates includes savory charmers like the sautéed tiger prawns nestled next to little half moons of fried tortilla, all hot-tubbing in a spicy sofrito (watch it, you’re getting a little slutty again) and house-made empanadas that were pleasingly delicate; these are actually baked instead of fried. Get friendly with the pork version; the chicken was like the less-racy sister, even though she accessorizes with some spicy aji huacatay (a type of chile) sauce. The classic Peruvian dish of lomo saltado (steak with fries, tomatoes and onion) has that nice tang that comes from its sauce of balsamic vinegar and soy. Mmmmm, meat.

Desserts like the “suspiro” may be winking at you, but do not rebuff the advances of the alfajores. You’ll be presented with a box of a dozen ridiculous little butter cookies that are smeared with a hearty dollop of dulce de leche inside. There’s a reason they sell them at Gump’s. Trust, you’ll be mindlessly scarfing the rest of them in bed later. Sidebar: the chef/owner, James Schenk (whose mother is Peruvian) leads culinary tours in Argentina and Peru. ¡Que rico!