Looking at the lunch crowd, you’d think that the Grandview location of Si Señor was in the heart of Downtown. The packed house looks like the same urban mix of suits and jeans, suggesting that the spot is a lunchtime destination rather than a neighborhood hang-out. The parking lot suggests the same: cars overflow from the designated spaces, and are haphazardly deserted at the curb.
The Grandview stop is an expansion of the original joint on Spring Street (now on Lynn Street), which made a name for its brand with its take on Peruvian styled sandwiches. Guests place orders at the register, get a number, and the order is ready when the number is bellowed out from behind the counter.
The Pork and Pork Sandwich ($7.75) was recommended, and a good recommendation at that. The double-pork element comes from a team made of thin, lean slices of roast pork (and not the processed deli stuff, real house-roasted pork) topped with chorizo. The mix also delivers soft provolone, avocado, cilantro mayo, tomato and lettuce. Of note early on is the fact that the lettuce comes in the form of tender leaves of greens. It’s a nice touch that makes a difference in the sandwiches as a whole.
Meatloaf itself might not seem particularly Peruvian, but is hard to ignore the call of any Meatloaf Sandwich ($7.25). The house meatloaf is made from a blend of chorizo, ground beef, poblanos and onions. In spite of the adventurous mix, the outcome is slabs of loaf with a singular, meaty texture. It delivers an appealingly briny foundation teamed with white cheddar and gloriously sweet tomato jam. The combo might sound fancy, but it comes off as a down-home, hearty sandwich on chewy ciabatta.
Having tried the Peruvian Style Chicken Salad ($7), it’s pretty skippable. In the sandwich, the chicken salad comes across very much like Midwestern Chicken Salad: big chunks of chicken and lots of mayo. True, the mayo was sweetie-pinkish, and the menu mentions a ketchup blend. But close your eyes, and it tastes the same as some mom’s version of the sandwich. The menu also mentions walnuts in the mix. While zero nuts made it into the sandwich, they were not missed at all.
There are lots of sandwiches, but it would be a crying shame to miss out on the Empanadas ($3.50). They come in one flavor: beef. The execution is idyllic: A giant, perfectly formed pocket, filled with loose ground beef, seasoned with a sweet-savoriness (the menu mentions raisins and garlic). The pockets are finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. Perhaps it’s an unlikely accent, but it’s balanced with the sturdiness of the beef filling. There’s also a sauce. The house is very generous with it, and it’s divine, with a peculiar culinary effect of spicy-and-cooling all at once: perhaps there’s avocado in the house recipe — it’s one of the few mediums that can support both sensations simultaneously.
You can round things out with a variety of side salads that feature greens, pasta and fruit. The Avocado Salad ($4.25/$7.25) offers the aforementioned fruit teamed with greens, tomato and a red pepper vinaigrette. It works just fine on its own, but can be fortified with chicken, fish or beef for an upcharge.
You can find the new Si Señor at 1456 W. Fifth Ave. in Grandview and online at sisenorcolumbus.com.