Peruvian restaurant, Sazón de Peru, opens in Palm Coast

Palm Coast Observer
Business

When husband and wife William Delgado and Fanny Quinto were getting their new Peruvian restaurant, Sazón de Peru, ready to open, many Spanish-speaking people would stop in. Many people who couldn’t speak Spanish did too.

Artwork on the walls of Sazon de Peru. Photo by Brent Woronoff

“A lot of people asked us about the dishes (in Spanish), Quinto said. “A lot of American people too. They say, ‘We love Peruvian food.’ They came here to ask when are we going to open.”

Sazón de Peru replaced the former Millenium Bistro at 9 Palm Harbor Village Way (Suite G). The new restaurant opened on Friday, March 8.

It’s the culmination of a lifelong dream for Delgado.

“This is the dream of my husband, not me exactly,” Quinto said. “But I try to help him because he’s always dreamed of opening a Peruvian restaurant, and there isn’t a Peruvian restaurant in Palm Coast. We are the first one, so we’re here for everybody who's coming to taste the dishes of Peru.”

The couple moved to Palm Coast from New Jersey three years ago, Quinto said. Neither has previous restaurant experience, she said. Delgado was a truck driver and Quinto is an esthetician, specializing in skin care.

“His family, they all love to cook,” Quinto said. “That’s why (opening a restaurant) is his dream.”

Delgado and Christiano da Silva are the chefs. They are planning to be open seven days a week — 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8:30 to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

They have an extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Their specialties include leche de tigre — a cocktail of finely chopped fish marinated in lime juice, garlic, cilantro and red onions garnished with Peruvian corn and roasted corn; arroz de mariscos — rice with calamari, shrimp, octopus and mussels; and jalea — fried seafood platter with lime-marinated salad.

They also serve chaufas (Peruvian fried rice dishes), lomo saltado (stir-fried beef tenderloin) and other beef, chicken and seafood dishes. And they have empanadas and a variety of baked goods they prepare daily and display in a glass case on the front counter.