Siro’s Place: Get a taste of Argentina in Salem
Promise me that you will go try Siro’s. The food is amazing and Siro and his family are so kind and gracious. It is different than anything that I have ever eaten and it was delicious. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I think that I am ignorant and sometimes expect that all food from South America will be some variation of burritos, tacos, rice and beans, etc. Every time I try the cuisine of a different country in South America, though, I fall in love.
So I went to Siro’s expecting typical chips and salsa and I was blown away by the unique, delicious food that they serve there. The sandwiches are massive and served on delicious, fresh French bread. The empanadas are perfect little billowy pillows of bread filled with savory meats and cheese. While we were waiting for our food, they brought out an appetizer of chorizo (sausage), it came with this amazing dipping sauce: chimichurri. I wanted a gallon of it. It is similar to a pesto but it is made with Italian parsley. Wow. First off, I don’t normally like chorizo because I think it will be spicy. This was tender with a great crust to it and tasted perfect dipped in that chimichurri.
My absolute favorite sandwich was the Lomito Argentine. It has, ready for this: steak, ham, cheese, and two fried eggs. It sounds intense and I’m not normally brave enough to order a fried egg on my sandwich, but this sandwich was unreal. The steak combined with the melted cheese and the egg with that soft French bread with the crisp crust. I am telling you, it is amazing. All this for $8.50 with a huge helping of fresh homemade French fries. So delicious. And they are massive. I honestly think you could feed four people with a sandwich.
Milanesa Napolitana was my second favorite. Milanesa is an Italian dish where a thin slice of meat is breaded and fried. And it is delicious. So you have your milanesa meat (you can choose chicken or beef) with lettuce, mayo, marinara sauce and a thick slice of melty mozzarella. It is like a chicken Parmesan on French bread. I loved the flavor of the fresh marinara and tomatoes mixed with the cheese and the meat. Then that delicious bread. Wow.
The Pork Lomito is a pork chop sandwich with red peppers, lettuce and tomato and that crazy, amazing chimichurri sauce. The Manwich has milanesa and that amazing chorizo sausage along with lettuce and tomato. You can also get a choripan combo, which is a chorizo sandwich or milanesa with the traditional milanesa meat and lettuce, tomato and mayo. All of these involve that crazy, delicious sauce.
The sandwiches blew me away. I loved the variety. I loved the flavors. I loved the sauces. I loved the meat. But they also have those soft, pillowy (not sure if that is a word) empanadas. For $5.50, you can get an empanada combo with your choice of 2 empanadas, fries, and a drink. You can choose from spinach (with eggs and mozzarella), ground beef, ham and cheese (chopped ham and mozzarella cheese) or chicken. They were lovely. The bread is light and fluffy and the fillings are delectable. I really liked the chicken because it had a sweet taste to it. The ham and cheese had delicious melted mozzarella cheese - so stringy and delicious. I also love it because you can choose two different kinds so you can get a variety.
When it was time to go, all of us had a half sandwich left except for Kyle (amateur competitive eater). It really is so much food. You get a great deal for your money AND it is delicious and something fun and new to try. So head on over to Siro’s Place. Don’t just drive by and wonder what it is. Try one of their delicious sandwiches or an empanada. It won’t cost a lot. You can easily share and you’ll get to taste something new and find your own favorite. Siro’s is located at 575 N. State Road 198 in Salem right by Zu Wire Fitness. They are open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.