Tim: Inca Social
Andrew’s only request for my pick this week was for it to be off the beaten path. We ended up going with Inca Social, the exact opposite. Their Instagram is loaded with content, and the restaurant is prominently featured in a congested Arlington wannabe area in Dunn Loring right next to a metro station. It was also the first time we had to book a reservation days in advance. However, we could not just ignore their claim of being the #1 Peruvian restaurant in all of Virginia.
Our reservations were for 630 on a Friday night. We both arrived around the same time, but struggled to find parking, ultimately giving up and parking in the metro garage. After the couple mile walk from my car, I finally arrived at Inca Social, which boasted an underwhelming facade, resting awkwardly on the corner of two very busy streets. Based on the need for a reservation and their instagram posts boasting of a lively and busy environment, I expected to be strutting into good vibes. Instead, I walked into a restaurant that was mostly empty, of both customers and soul. The employees outnumbered the customers significantly, yet I still stood very awkwardly at the hostess podium for many minutes without any of the hundreds of staff so much as acknowledging my existence. When someone finally came over to talk to me, I was not even going to bother mentioning the reservation as the place was empty, but their first question was if I had a reservation. I said yes, and was shown to a table nearby, despite my reservation being for outside seating. The server then showed me outside and told me I could pick whatever table, as if there were multiple enticing options (there were not). I chose our table right as Andrew arrived from his multi-mile trek from his car.
We were informed that it was happy hour until 7 and were given a physical happy hour menu. I was intrigued by the cocktail section, with a drink called Chicha Rum being only 6 bucks. The physical menu said to check the online menu for happy hour beer prices, but when we did, there were no happy hour prices to be found. We eventually learned that the happy hour deal is just $1 off each beer. At this point began an interminable wait to order, with a rotation of thousands of servers consistently coming outside but not over to our table. As I was contemplating my scathing 0 star review, my frown peeking out from under my mask, and what little remained of Andrew's respect for me draining quick, the manager must have noticed that FCB DC was dining at their establishment, and service pulled a complete 180. All of sudden, we had multiple different friendly servers checking in on us regularly.
We decided to both grab some happy hour priced Chicha Rums, after googling "chicha" and being intrigued by this fermented beverage from Latin America. Luckily we were still within the happy hour window at this point, but barely. We also ordered some happy hour appetizers of chicken wings. Andrew got original Peruvian, and I opted for the Spicy Rocoto. For our entrees, Andrew was immediately smitten with the idea of the Arroz Con Marisco, a seafood medley, and I ordered the Aji De Gallina, a peruvian chicken stew. We ordered these meals, perfectly pronouncing the names with authentic accents that without a doubt impressed our server.
The Chicha Rums arrived, and boy were they both a treat for the eyes and the lips. We could tell they were going to be good by how they looked, but we could not be fully prepared for the blast of refreshing tastiness that was to follow. Both of us were smacking our lips with satisfaction amidst gratuitous grunts of glee peppered between each sip. Luckily a server happened to check in, and we were able to order two more for the happy hour price, with about a minute to spare. The server gave us a wink and announced that he would make it happen for us no matter what, which we both appreciated. I can not overstate how good this cocktail is. A perfect treat for any time of year. It had a little spice to it that made it feel Christmassy, but refreshing enough for a summer day as well.
The wings arrived accompanied by two sauces on the side. One, a hot sauce, and the other, some other type of sauce. The original Peruvian wings were well cooked but not particularly flavorful. The Spicy Rocoto, while drizzled with an appealing looking sauce, were not much more flavorful or spicy. Both were highly improved by the hot sauce, which also did not really have much flavor. It made up for it with the spicy kick though. The other sauce tasted like dipping the piece of chicken into an empty jar. Overall, the wing experience had me longing for some Choong Man Chicken.
A server arrived with our entrees, announcing them by name. Andrew responded affirmatively to the wrong dish, as he was too proud to acknowledge not knowing the name. Although once again, I wish the dishes had remained switched. Andrew's meal looked like a colorful bowl of delight, whereas mine looked like the inside of my toilet bowl after a night of Choong Man Chicken.
Throughout the meal, I could discern that Andrew was quite enjoying his food, as he would alternate patting his exposed belly and leaning back in his chair while picking his teeth with a toothpick. He would also say things like, "I like this." and "This is pretty good". I, on the other hand, was underwhelmed all around with the food. We both ended up dousing our entrees with the hot sauce to give it a kick. The food was not bad by any means, it was just nothing to make me have to pull my sweater closed to hide my visible excitement.
We ordered Pisco Sours for an after meal drink per one of the server's recommendations. Another really good cocktail, but not as impactful as the Chicha Rums.
The atmosphere was not superb, sitting out on a busy street with Metro buses constantly grumbling around, but there was some adequate people watching. One man in particular, shuffling along in sandals and holding a box of Franzia, was a highlight. Also of note was a date that was happening at a table behind us that made us both glad we have long been married to God and don't have to deal with that life anymore. All in all, we still had a pleasant time, with stirring conversations about whether or not skinny guys have as much body hair as we do and just constantly shave their whole bodies, or if its a genetic trait in larger dudes to make their big guts less obvious. This led to me googling "skinny boy tummy hair" unaware of the server standing over my shoulder as I perused the image results.
When all is said and done, Inca Social is a perfectly average restaurant. What started as a bad experience, quickly turned around and ended up being quite enjoyable. My recommendation is to go to Inca Social at the beginning of happy hour and tell them to keep the Chicha Rums coming. Now that is a guaranteed good time. Don't forget your hiking boots.
Service: 3/5 (0/5 for the first half, 5/5 for second half)
Food: 2/5
Drinks: 5/5
Atmosphere: 1/5
Parking: 1/5
Bathrooms: N/A (did not use, but I did use Andrew's and I give his a 4/5)
Overall: 2.5/5
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