DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — The Village of Ephraim is known for its beautiful water, quaint buildings and unique eateries.
That list now includes nationally-recognized restaurant La Sirena, owned by couple Emilie Coulson Salgado and Carlos Salgado.
"We're pleased, very, very pleased," Salgado said. "We're elated."
On Tuesday, La Sirena was named to this year's New York Times' "The Restaurant List," which honors 50 restaurants across the nation. The Mexican establishment, which seats up to 24 people, is also the first Wisconsin business featured since Birch in Milwaukee back in 2023.
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"We moved here to kind of scale down a bit and devote more time to our family," Salgado said. "We didn't expect this notice or attention from far outside the community. So, it's a really nice surprise."
La Sirena carries extra meaning for the owners, who moved to Door County in 2023 after running Michelin-star restaurant Taco Maria in Costa Mesa, California.
Coulson Salgado is back home. She grew up down the road in Fish Creek.
"It's been wonderful," Coulson Salgado said about her return to the peninsula. "So much has changed, of course. But a lot of what I loved about growing up here is the same and I appreciate it more now as an adult with little kids."
This includes the peninsula's small business community.
"We feel so proud to be a part of that and to work alongside our friends and peers," Coulson Salgado said.
It is more than a restaurant. It is a return.
"We're happy to be home," Coulson Salgado said.
If you would like to eat at La Sirena, you may have to wait a few weeks, with all reservations until mid-October currently unavailable. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m., and accepts reservations four weeks in advance, starting at 9 a.m.
