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Zarate's Latin Mexican Grill

706 S. Broadway
Edmond, OK
(405) 330-6400

The cuisine at Zarate's covers just about every country from Latin America, including South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Some countries are represented by one or two dishes, but the greatest variety is found for Mexican and Peruvian food. Flags of various countries are placed on the menu next to each dish to indicate its country of origin, and I thought it was quite interesting to have so many types of food available in one place.

The Peruvian dishes are from the owner's homeland, so this seemed like a good bet for trying something "authentic" (or at least that the chefs had a lot of experience preparing). I suspect that dishes from many other countries were probably equally authentic, since food and recipes tend to migrate to nearby countries in Latin America just as they do from state to state in the U.S., and from Mexico to this country. The Mexican items on the menu, by contrast, seemed to be the type of Tex-Mex dishes served in many Oklahoma and Texas restaurants, but which do not typically represent traditional style Mexican food. I have not tried the Mexican menu at Zarate's and I cannot rate it as far as flavor or quality, but to me the Peruvian or South American cuisine seemed like a clear choice for my first visit.

The main choice for Peruvian dishes seemed to be between ceviche (made with fish or seafood) and the meat, seafood, or vegetable platters. Ceviche is generally considered the "national dish" of Peru, but takes about 20-25 minutes to prepare, according to the menu.

Pollo saltado

I tried Pollo Saltado, a flavorful roasted chicken that was not spicy, but was topped with vegetables and garnishes. I thought this was a very good introduction to South American food, provided one is hungry for meat (two vegetarian versions are also available: one with spinach and one with spinach and linguini). The saltado dish is also available with seafood or beef. The chicken was good, though, and I thought was one of the better versions of chicken I have had in the OKC area.

The Peruvian dishes come with side dishes that are typical of the country. Mine included fried plantains and yuca. Sliced tomatoes and onions make a salad if you want one (dressing is provided).

Zarate's has a lunch menu that comes at substantially reduced prices, but the tradeoff is that not all dishes are available (including the pollo saltado). I cannot speak for the other dinners, but I thought the pollo saltado was very good, and probably provided a better bargain than at most restaurants that charge the same prices.