Restaurante Illary (Hotel Monasterio)

Description:

• Cusco has a surfeit of fun, informal, and inexpensive Andean restaurants, but only a couple truly qualify as fine dining. It's probably not surprising that the Hotel Monasterio contains Cusco's most uncommonly refined restaurant. It's also the most expensive in town (tellingly, prices are in dollars), but it is well worth the splurge even if you can't afford the pricey rooms. A glassed-in corridor overlooks the handsome colonial patio of the former monastery, while the main dining room is a series of intimate rooms sumptuously decorated with Cusqueña School artwork, stone arches, and wood-beamed ceilings. Peruvian specialties include alpaca tenderloin with corn, sweet-pepper chile, and mint sauce; and duck-and-rice stew with coriander. Nicely prepared international fish and meat dishes dominate the menu, including poached kingfish rolls with shrimp mousse, and rack of lamb with black-pepper crust and tomato marmalade. Service is consistently impeccable, and desserts and the wine list are beyond tempting. If you can swing it for one special evening, dinner either here or at MAP Café is highly recommended.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010