RESTAURANT REVIEW:

When Hiram Bingham “discovered” Machu Picchu in 1911, he wasn’t looking for the famed Inca city.

Bingham was on a quest for Vilcabamba, which was the last stronghold of the Incan empire. Scholars believe Bingham thought he had found it when he arrived at Machu Picchu.

There were still people occupying the area and history books have told us they were there to escape unwelcome visitors, such as the government.

Bingham was given credit for his discovery. Recently I made a similar dubious find, though I would certainly not take credit for locating Casa Inka.

The Peruvian restaurant has been in a little strip mall on Warner Avenue for several years, clearly visible from the street, not tucked away high in the Andes Mountains.

While the location was not a secret, I fear the food might be, and that would be the true crime.

My girlfriend and I studied the menu like it was a topography map, finding items that neither of us had encountered before.

While we looked at the selections, a wall-size picture of Machu Picchu loomed behind us in the cantina-style dining room.

Our odyssey of taste began with the garlic bread and green chili dip that is deceptively spicy. The first couple of dabs with the bite-size bread were tame enough, but then the fiery sauce catches up to you quicker than a bail bondsman with a default notice.

That would be a problem if I had not had a bottle of Cristal within arm’s reach. The Peruvian beer was one of two the restaurant offered, and the light, almost ale-like beverage soothed my searing tongue.

Rosa had a mango margarita to quench any peppery thirst she encountered. The libation was sweet, but not overly so.

We wanted to sample as many authentic dishes as possible, and we started with Papa ala Huancaina, but tempered it with the more widely accepted empanadas.

The Huancaina has different variations and Casa Inka widely chose to skip the bed of lettuce and just present the potatoes and cheese on its own.

Boiled potatoes were sliced thickly and placed on a plate. The four slices then received a mix of cheese sauce and aji amarillo. The yellow pepper and white cheese was great with the potato. It was topped with a slice of hard hard-boiled egg, which curiously was on only two of the four potatoes.

Another popular garnish for the dish was black olive, and there was only one for me and my girlfriend to fight over. Rosa, of course, was the victor.

The chicken empanadas we picked were stuffed with meat, raisins and cilantro, and though a soy sauce/lime juice sauce was available for dipping, the dish stood better without it.

Rosa had Lomo Saltado for her entrée, and I was lucky to get a bite of it. The strips of marinated steak, onions, French fries and tomato chunks were incredible.

The stir frying made it light and tender, and though it was served with rice, Rosa wisely didn’t mix the two, allowing the leftover juice to be dabbed up by the rice after the dish was eaten.

My weakness for paella was glaring when I chose it over the jalea, a breaded variety of seafood with a sauce including peppers, onions and garlic.

They do offer jalea as an appetizer, so that would be an option for a future visit.

The paella though was outstanding. The saffron-infused rice was filled with calamari, shrimp and mussels. Chiles added a subtle kick to it, but wasn’t nearly as spicy as the ari amarillo.

Though the paella was my first choice, I saw many other items I could have chosen, including several different types of ceviche and a version of saltado that included pasta.

Bingham never returned to Machu Picchu after his discovery, instead settling for a career as a senator and lecturer.

I will not make the same mistake at Casa Inka. I want to rediscover the restaurant as often as possible. There are still many mountains of taste that await me.

CASA INKA

ADDRESS: 8610 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley

PHONE: (714) 847-7555

CUISINE: Peruvian

SPECIALTY DISH: Lomo Saltado

ALCOHOL SERVED: Beer and wine

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $9.95 to $22.50

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes three-item children’s menu

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: Discover, Visa and MasterCard

RATING: *** 1/2 out of 4

JOHN REGER reviews restaurants for the Independent.