Life > August 28, 2008

By Caroline Edgeton | Asst. life editor

When one arrives at El Triunfo restaurant, one may not think it is much to look at. Fairly plain and hidden in a somewhat empty location behind the McDonald’s on North Point Boulevard, this place seems to dodge the public’s attention.

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Although its appearance lacks aesthetic appeal, looks can most certainly be deceiving.

El Triunfo offers authentic, fresh Salvadorean cuisine that is definitely different from the average, everyday meal.

When I first heard the name of this place, I automatically assumed it was your general Mexican restaurant that serves chips and salsa as the appetizer, chicken quesadillas with rice and refried beans as the meal, and fried ice cream as dessert.

When I pulled up, the sign read “Restaurante Salvadoreño,” and I knew I was in for something a little different.

When I stepped inside the place, it was pretty empty.

It seemed like one of those places that does not receive a lot of customers; therefore, I really was not sure what to expect.

Before I had arrived, though, I had called the restaurant due to complications trying to find it.

The person who picked up the phone was also the person who waited on my brother and myself and made a point to ask us, “How did you hear about this place?”

He was very happy to receive new customers.

When I got the menu, I noticed a flood of Spanish and English that took me a second to understand.

I was eventually able to realize that on one side the food is written in Spanish and the other is in English.

After understanding the structure of the menu, I began to notice how different their cuisine was from what I was used to eating.

Going into this not knowing virtually anything about El Salvador, the food was a bit of a surprise.

Serving unusual items like creamed corn, fried yucca root, plantains (fried or put in a pastry), lots of pork and seafood options and strictly corn (no flour) tortillas, it took me a moment to choose what I wanted.

One of the first items on the menu is called a pupusa, a corn tortilla stuffed with either ground pork and cheese, fried ground pork and beans, loroco (an edible flower popular in Guatemala and El Salvador) and cheese or simply just cheese.

The waiter informed me that the pupusa is the most authentic Salvadorean item they serve.

It sounded delicious but I was not feeling too crazy at the time, so I ordered one with just cheese.

In addition to the pupusa, I ordered a grilled chicken dish with rice, beans and two corn tortillas.

My brother also ordered a cheese pupusa, but he decided to be boring and ordered a chicken sandwich with fries (the restaurant also has some American options).

After we ordered our food, we noticed that two other people in the restaurant whom were there before us had not received their meals yet.

I looked back at the menu and noticed it said, “100 percent fresh. Dishes are prepared when ordered. Be patient. Good food takes time to prepare.”

Unfortunately, I was quite hungry and felt a bit impatient at the time; therefore, I was not a huge fan of the wait.

There are appetizer options that may arrive earlier than the meal, but I am not sure how soon they would actually come before your meal to be perfectly honest.

When I did receive my food, it was certainly a hefty but manageable amount.

The waiter brought us everything we ordered in one trip with a bottle of hot green pepper sauce that he warned us was quite spicy.

Me being a fan of spicy food felt that I was brave enough to put more than a little drop of this green substance on my plate; however, I was quickly mistaken.

This liquid fire was probably one of the spiciest sauces I have ever had, but I was able to get used to it after a couple of bites (and a couple glasses of water). Aside from the mistake I made by adding extra spice, my food was absolutely delicious.

The chicken was fresh, tender and full of flavor. It was complimented perfectly with delicious black beans, yellow rice and warm, fresh corn tortillas.

My cheese pupusa was also quite good but bland.

I wished I had ordered one with something else in it just to get a more authentic flavor.

El Triunfo is a good choice for adventurous eaters and is a great alternative for standard Friday night eateries with convenient hours for students.

Overall, I enjoyed this place very much. Unfortunately the atmosphere lacks and the service is slow. The pricing, however, is fair for those living on the standard college budget and seeking a dinner out.

Our entire meal was $21 and was well worth it.

You know that what you are eating is totally fresh and carefully prepared.

Additionally, if you want something different from your standard Taco Bell, this is the place.

Everything I ordered was very good and worth the wait.

If you are interested in trying something a bit different or interested in cuisine from El Salvador, I certainly recommend making a stop to this little hidden secret of Winston-Salem.