Deliciously Authentic

There aren’t too many restaurants where, as soon as I’m leaving, I’m already plotting my return trip. Sabor Peru, just two months old, is one of those places. While not everything we ate was tongue-spanking amazing, the things that were good makes this place a stand-above-the-rest favorite. And I expect even better as time goes on.

One of the things that defines a great Peruvian restaurant to me is their ceviche. There are more than 2,000 cevicherias in Lima, Peru, pretty much making the dish a national icon. So not only should a good Peruvian restaurant offer one, they’d better do it well. For me, it’s pretty much the test dish to see if a place’s ingredients are up to standard. It’s a seafood dish that has to taste not just fresh but refreshing, and has to really wake up your tastebuds.

The ceviche we ordered was shrimp, but they have several to choose from, including one that mixes fish, mussels, clams, shrimp, octopus and calamari. For roughly $15, they don’t skimp on the amount of shrimp. Most places will give you about 12 medium to large-sized shrimp, but here the plate was filled with small shrimp. That meant you could definitely share the plate and get more than a smidgen of a taste. I love spicy food but my husband doesn’t, so we asked for the spice to be somewhere in the middle, which it was. The lime, cilantro, celery, and other spices really accented the flavor of the shrimp. Of all the ceviche I have eaten in the tri-state area, this place gets top prize, no doubt. Plus, there was an ingredient - maybe cream, but I can’t be sure - that gave the lime juice-based sauce a cloudy color and not only personalized the dish, but added a sweetness that I enjoyed.

Our entrees were also delicious. Although I was tempted to try their various soups, I went with the especial saltado, which is a stir fry of beef tenderloin, chicken, and seafood. Again, it’s not like there was a bunch of chicken and very little seafood or beef. There were significant amounts of calamari, shrimp and octopus. My husband got the Peruvian-style stir-fried rice (chaufas) with seafood, chicken and beef. When the plates arrived, we realized we probably could’ve shared one plate — the servings were easily enough for two people. The green hot sauce on the table was really spicy - a wonderful addition to my plate, not that it needed help with the flavor. I just like an extra kick to my food.

The restaurant is new, so you can expect a really friendly and eager wait staff, which includes the very accommodating owner, Dave. There are 14 tables and I could see it feeling tight if the place was packed, but the energy is upbeat, so I think it would just add to the festive decor. While we were there, a table of six was celebrating a 21st birthday party and the owner bought them a bottle of wine (it’s BYOB, so they can’t sell it, but it was still a really nice thing they didn’t have to do). And even though there was another party of four, a table of three and another table of two, the waiters never seemed harried. They even offered to explain menu items if there was anything we were unfamiliar with.

If you have never had Peruvian food, this is definitely a good place for a first time. The owner told me his father owned a place in Passaic but had closed up shop. Lucky for us he came out of retirement for Sabor Peru. Go any day during the week except Monday when they’re closed. The owner recommends making reservations on weekends as they can get busy, but we went around 7:30 Sunday and had no problem getting a table.

Sabor Peru
8 Highland Cross (off Park Ave)
Rutherford
(201) 935-PERU (7378)
www.saborperunj.com

— by Donna M.
Both a Jersey native and recent transplant from NYC, Donna M. is obsessed with both good food and grammar.

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