Although Gerry and Adriana Sarmiento's first venture into the restaurant industry was Italian restaurant Mezzanotte, Gerry always had the desire to honor his roots by cooking Peruvian food.
"I was born in Peru, but I hedged my bet on doing Italian food because nobody here knows Peruvian food—they know Mexican, Italian and Chinese," he said.
Nearly three years ago the couple opened Piqueo, which specializes in food from the South American country. Piqueo is in the same shopping center as Mezzanotte, which the couple opened in 2005 after Gerry retired from corporate America.
"I started getting my hands into inventory controls and marketing and operations, and I finally started cooking and realized that's what I was born to do," he said.
Peruvian cuisine has been influenced by a number of cultures, beginning with the Spanish who came to the country in the 1500s, followed by the Africans and the Chinese.
"They brought their traditions and cooking methods, and they also adapted to Peruvian ingredients," Sarmiento said. "The mixture is amazingly unique. One of our flagship dishes in Peru is lomo saltado, which is tenderloin with red onion and tomatoes all stir-fried in a wok, which is a Chinese technique. We also use vinegar, soy sauce and Peruvian hot peppers, so it's a very different type of food from the rest of Latin America."
Peruvian food is comparable to Mexican food as far as diversity, since there are many regions in both countries and a lot of diversity when it comes to the cuisines, Sarmiento said.
"We have many dishes in every region of Latin America," he said. "You go to Argentina and it's a lot of good beef and pasta because of the Italian influence. You go to Venezuela and get a lot of beans, rice and shredded beef, but in Peru you've got all the different cultures coming together."
The menu at Piqueo features tapas, tacos and tostados as well as main entrees. The steak gaucho is a grilled 10 ounce certified Angus tenderloin topped with Argentinean chimichurri sauce ($29) while the chicken milanesa consists of scaloppini slices of chicken dipped into a cilantro batter and coated with Japanese breadcrumbs ($16). Sides range from the tacu tacu—a traditional African meal—to Peruvian corn to fried yucca and white rice.
Piqueo offers 160 labels of wine from across the world in addition to tequilas and rums. The restaurant's custom cocktail is the pico sour, which is made with a Peruvian brandy.
"My Peruvian customer base is very small, about 10 percent," Sarmiento said. "Most of our customers come from the surrounding neighborhoods. They've received it well because it's totally different compared to other foods they have tried."
Various specials
Sampling menu: A special sampling menu is available for $14 on Tuesday nights. The menu typically features three appetizers and three main dishes, providing guests an opportunity to try out smaller portions of dishes offered at the restaurant.
Tapas madness: Every Wednesday night, Piqueo offers guests a selection of tapas for $5. Tapas—small shareable plates—at Piqueo range from beef arepas to chicken chicharron to empanadas.
Owner recommendations
Ceviche—Flounder and finely sliced red onions are cooked in lime juice and served with Peruvian corn and glazed sweet potato ($9)
Lomo saltado—Stir-fried filet mignon strips, onions and tomatoes are infused with flavors of soy sauce and red wine vinegar and served with sides of fried potatoes and white rice ($26)
Paella valenciana—Clams, calamari, mussels, chicken and Spanish chorizo are cooked and flavored with saffron in this from-scratch dish that originated from Spain ($28)
Fish "macho"—Corvina filets are pan seared and topped with an assortment of seafood cooked in a lightly spicy blend of aji mirasol and panca chiles, served with a side of white rice and fried yucca ($23)
Piqueo Restaurante
13215 Grant Road
Cypress 281-404-4190
www.piqueo.com
Hours: Mon.–Thu. 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 5–9 p.m.; Fri. 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 5–10 p.m.; Sat. 5–10 p.m., closed Sunday