I truly love it when readers of the Lost Ogle—yeah, you!—inform me about a restaurant, diner, or eatery that needs to be reviewed.
Recently, reader Chris told me about a Salvadoran place in Norman with “outstanding food, service, and prices.” Good enough for me!
After accidentally pulling up to their old boarded-up spot, I finally tracked down the relocated Sabor Guanaco Salvadoreño Restaurant at 2030 W. Lindsey St., and it was worth the monthlong chase.
My wife and I got to Sabor Guanaco a little after noon, our hunger pangs really panging. It was actually pretty busy, mostly with guys getting hot lunches in between manual labor jobs, as detailed on their company-branded shirts. We found a booth near the front, as signs in Español directed us to the counter and a framed portrait of, I believe, El Salvador’s current president.
(I don’t know about him, but he can’t be worse than the asshole we got in charge now, right?)
As the waitperson got our orders, we had a few Salvadoran drinks to get us started. My wife had an ice-cold can of juiced Mango con Pulpa ($3.00) that was wonderful. I had, from the free-standing bubbler, Cebada ($3.00), a vivid pink milky drink of barley that’s been fused with strawberry, cinnamon and vanilla.
As the refreshing beverages really hit the cool spot, we started with one of my absolute favorite dishes as our appetizer, the Loroco y Queso Pupusa (two at $2.50 each). A total Salvadoran dish by God’s design, pupusas are thick corn pancakes filled with cheese and, for my purposes here, the exotic edible flower, the loroco.
Bounding with the savory, buttery, aromatic flavor of loroco, I was filled with pure ecstasy tasting the well-executed floral dish. Even better, my wife doubly loved them, this being her inaugural taste of both pupusa and loroco, her mouth exploding with this newfound taste.
Already spiritually fulfilled by the tasty pupusas, our entrees arrived at the table.
My wife ordered the Tacos Hondureños ($10.00), a Honduran, obviously, take on the tacos we’ve come to know and love. More closely resembling Mexican taquitos, four corn tortillas are filled with grilled chicken, onions, and tomato sauce, rolled and deep-fried, and then covered with pickled cabbage and other vegetables and Honduran crema.
You know, I think I prefer these Tacos Hondureños to the basic Mexican ones, mostly because the deep-fried tacos are blanketed with the tangy pickled slaw, and that amazing sour cream that really makes the tacos “pop,” creating a new flavor and textural experience with every bite.
But, for my choice, I thought I was going with a “traditional” meal, but, as I soon learned, it was anything but!
I had the Pollo Loco ($13.50)—the crazy chicken!—a cream sauce-covered chicken leg and thigh, simmered black beans and rice, sliced avocados and tomato slices, and, to top it off, a dessert of five fried plantain slices slathered with crema.
This was a grand meal, with all sides equally represented. The chicken, covered in the amazing cream sauce, melted in my mouth. The black beans and rice were seriously tops, and, to top it off, the fried plantain slices made the whole meal—and, to be honest, they were actually the first thing I polished off.
Before I left Sabor Guanaco, I got another round of the cebada to quell my full belly. I felt like I had just had one of the best meals of my lifetime. But, to keep my spirits up, I realized I still had the rest of their menu to explore, because I just know that there is more gold to be mined here.
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
