Back to Peru

Eastside Road, October 5, 2012—

I MUST SAY, I really like this place: a small, very friendly, unassuming, authentically ethnic workingman's restaurant in a strip mall in not the best side of town, with a fascinating wine list and a very gratifying menu.

We were on our way to the theater with a couple of friends, and wouldn't have time for anything complicated, so we skipped first courses and cut to the chase. I had the lomo saltado: strips of beef tenderloin sautéed in a wok with cilantro, onion, tomato, and a hint of soy, served as you see with a generous handful of thick-cut French fries and a scoop of perfectly cooked white rice on the side. Some day I have to go to Peru, I guess; if this dish is authentic — and there's every reason to think it is — the cuisine's worth investigating in situ. Meanwhile, we'll be back here. Lord knows the price is right.

Torrontes, Santa Julia (Mendoza, Argentina), 2011: chalky, resiny, unctuous, delicious; Malbec, Terra Rosa: deep, full, soft

• Sazón Peruvian Cuisine, 1129 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, California; (707) 523-4346