Cilantro ***

For Mother's Day, I brought my mom to Cilantro (on Derby St. in Salem). Cilantro was dimly lit, with art on the walls and Aztec looking figurines scattered about. It took about 10 minutes after being seated to get our menus. Sadly, the cheapest entree was $18! I ordered the Puntas de Filete ($21), marinated beef tenderloin tips cooked in either a tomatillo pepper sauce, homemade salsa, or a fresh chipotle pepper sauce, and served with rice and beans.

I had to choose the chipotle sauce because I love the flavor of chipotle peppers. My mom ordered the Ensalada "Arriera" with Shrimp which was fresh mixed greens, mixed vegetables  topped with pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatoes, sour cream, and chihuahua cheese (Not the dog! $17), which apparently was awesome. The food got to us with a reasonable 15 minutes after ordering.

The Puntas de Filete were JUST ok. The sauce was awesome, but didn't feel like the portions were big enough - especially for $21. The beans served with it were just re-fried black beans, but don't get me wrong because I love re-fried beans. But for the price I paid, I expected a different side dish. The rice served with my meal tasted like minute rice.

But hold on, not all was lost. We decided to order dessert, we chose the flan ($3.50). Let me tell you, this was the BEST flan I had ever had in my life and I have had a lot of flan! It wasn't like most flans that I've had which were too watery and fell apart really easy. It had a little drizzle of chocolate sauce on it and was lightly peppered with almond pieces - it was so good! The bill came out to $44.09 before tip. Price of entrees were  $16-25.

-Contributed by: Peter Vourloumis

Cuisine: Mexican Mediterranean Fusion

Ambience: Romantic, Upscale, Casual Dress

The Good:

Handicap Accessible
Good service
Cleanliness was impeccable
Good for people watching
Clientele - Couples, Professionals

The Bad:

Portions were small
Expensive
Metered street parking

Date Rate: Let's get googly-eyed

Overall Value: 3

Cilantro
282 Derby St
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-9436