Anthony P.
Yelp
On my way from bringing specimens to our COVID testing lab, my wife called and asked if I had any ideas for dinner. I told her there was this Peruvian chicken place on my way home. After reading some reviews, we decided to give it a try.
Located in the west end of the Food4Less parking lot on Garvey and Valley in El Monte, this place has tight parking, but plenty of it if you're willing to walk, and easy off street access. If anything said hole-in-the-wall, this was it.
It's a non-descript, small restaurant with about 10 tables and a mostly to-go crowd. The locally owned small business gets its fair share of locals who rattle off their orders in Spanish like I'm sure they've done many times before.
We like Peruvian food for its unique blend of Spanish and Asain flavors. Lomo Saltado is one of our favorites. While this version lacked onions and the "green sauce" we love on the side, the flavors were good and the chimichurri sauce was spot on.
The whole roasted chicken had a unique flavor, almost like there's a hint of anise in it. The dark meat pieces were moist, but like most spit roasted chickens, the wings and breast were a bit dry. Full of flavor but dry.
We also got extra fries, rice and beans and flour tortillas on the side with a myriad of flavorful sauces with one only being HOT.
For 2 Lomo Saltado dinners, 1 roasted chicken, large fries, and rice and beans, the total was just over $71.00. A bit steep for a weeknight dinner, but full of flavor and worth it for the occasional extravagance and convenience.
My brother-in-law and his husband love Peruvian food. In fact, they were the ones who got us hooked. We can't wait to host dinner and surprise them with this version of Lomo Saltado...
Now, when is my next drive to the lab...