A Taste of Peru at Coco Roco

After taking a trip to Peru earlier this year, I found myself frequently craving the simple, hearty pleasures of Peruvian cookery.

In Peru, it wasn’t the elaborate ceviches and Pisco Sours that wowed us, but instead the simpler dishes. Everywhere we went—hole in the wall restaurants in the bohemian district of Lima, small cafes in Ollantaytambo and hot spots in the über touristy Cuzco—simple dishes of rice, vegetables, egg and meat were standout.

Back home, I’ve been satiating my cravings at , the longstanding Peruvian eatery on Fifth Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets.

Though I’d venture to say Coco Roco is most famous for its rotisserie chickens, it also has a full menu of interesting Peruvian staples like Chicharrón, Tacu Tacu and Lomo Saltado. It also boasts a number of yummy vegetarian entrees.

Most recently, I satisfied my appetite for Peruvian eats with an order of Saltado de Vegetales and Tacu Tacu. Though the menu describes Tacu Tacu as a “rice and beans risotto,” I’d say it’s more accurately described as a Peruvian take on fried rice. For this dish, rice and beans get fried together, then mixed with stir-fried veggies and salty-sweet fried plantains with a perfect, crispy exterior and gooey insides.

For such a simple dish, it packs a ton of flavor. The star here is certainly the plantains (if you don’t order the tacu tacu, be sure to order them as a side), but even the rice was extremely flavorful on its own.

It wasn’t quite as satisfying as renditions I’d tasted in Peru—fresh and local produce is bountiful, and pretty much everything you can imagine is in season at all times, elevating the tastiness of many dishes significantly.

The tacu tacu at Coco Roco, though, was nonetheless an incredibly satisfying stand-in. And though I imagine it will be a while before I make it back to the Andes, another trip down to Fifth Avenue for a bite at Coco Roco seems almost certain.