Papa's - Ollantaytambo

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Peruvian tap water was declared unsafe, and every drop we drank came from a bottle emptied into our Camelbaks. Potatoes, potatoes everywhere, and I swear I can't even look at another potato for at least a month.

I just about lost it when the appetizer came out. A sweet potato still has the word potato in it, and disguising it as a Spring Roll doesn't mean I'm not so freaking sick of potatoes.., except all of the sudden I'm not. This purse of sweet potato was so irresistible that I ate two.

I finally found the only dish in all of Peru that didn’t have potato, ironic at a place called Papa’s. The Tacu Tacu had shining, shimmering, splendid cuts of protein, a grilled chicken breast that was best dunked in creamy, spicy aji amarillo. The rice and refried beans seemed to sub for fries, and I definitely wasn't missing the papa.

The Lomo Al Pobre did have papas, but that’s not what made it an effort pobre. The egg over rice and a tough cut of steak is hardly memorable, and the "sausage" tasted like an overcooked hotdog left soaking in something that dissolved the casing. I might have also enjoyed it a little more if I weren't so upset that they'd forgotten the avocado.

Everything has potato, everything is made with potato, and everything comes with a side of potato in Peru. The carbs keep us charged, and the starch keeps us stuffed, but I'm about to tell the next person who hands me a potato just where they can put it.