Spinoff location retains eatery’s inexpensive Peruvian flavors
I’m going to take a notso-wild guess that the prospect of dining in a chain restaurant sounds less than exhilarating. But what if I add the words “locally grown?”
Relatedly, did you know that a second branch of Si Senor! — the inexpensive local sandwich specialist with a Latin twist — recently opened near Grandview Heights?
Unlike run-of-the-mill corporate eateries that attract customers seeking convenience more than pleasure — and that replicate mostly because they’re territorial — Columbus-spawned Si Senor! is expanding because its Downtown operation is an interesting and popular restaurant where people actually enjoy eating.
Save for minor differences — it’s smaller, has a little patio and offers dinner and Saturday hours — the new Si Senor! is a faithful copy of the original. That means another bustling, tidy, upbeat space with tastefully adorned gray-and-green walls, simple tables, friendly counter service and a Latinpop soundtrack.
It also means a menu that features 17 Midwesternfriendly sandwiches with South American accents. Most arrive on toasted ciabatta rolls, are enriched with mayo and taste great.
Take, for instance, the chicharron Peruano ($7.50) — whose title alludes to a dish beloved in Peru, this restaurant’s self-described primary influence. Huge, tender, juicy lumps of fried pork shoulder plus loads of tangy “sweet-potato mayo” and richness-cutting pickled red onions combine for a lusty pig out.
The delicious pork and pork sandwich ($7.75) deserves a better name — perhaps something in “pig Latin.” Its zesty
$6.25 to $7.75 pleasant, upbeat, casual eatery in the space
Mexican chorizo sits atop lean, house-roasted loin meat with garnishes of provolone cheese, avocado, cilantro mayo, lettuce and tomato.
Bold chorizo likewise livens the excellent meatloaf sandwich ($7.25). Generous slabs of an inspired, hearty and zippy
pork-and-beef amalgam offer appealingly crusty edges and a tender interior. Completing the package are blistered cheddar cheese, poblano peppers and — in a rare break from mayo here — tangy-andsweet house-made tomato jam.
I liked the Jumping Beef ($7.50) — a riff on the Peruvian classic called lomo saltado — at least as much. Wonderful brisketlike meat merges with deeply caramelized onions and melted white cheddar