Samantha's Restaurant
631 E. University Blvd. (near Piney Branch Road), Silver Spring. 301-445-7300
Open: Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight.
MC, V. Reservations suggested. No smoking.
Parking lot. Prices: appetizers $3.95 to $7.95,
entrees $6.95 to $13.95. Full dinner with wine or beer, tax and tip $25 to $35 per person.
Ever noticed how rare it is to see a Salvadoran menu that is strictly Salvadoran? Most restaurants around Washington team their Salvadoran dishes with other cuisines, usually Mexican. That's the case at Samantha's, where restaurateur Jorge Garcia reasons that the culinary range of his homeland is too limited for most diners. By including some of the more familiar dishes of Mexico -- enchiladas, chiles rellenos -- he figures he attracts a wider audience.
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Garcia is underestimating the tug of simple, careful cooking. After three meals at Samantha's, all I can say is, pass me another pupusa, preferably the one sandwiched with seafood, which is sometimes an appetizer special here. Send another plate of fried whole trout my way, too; the fish stays moist and flavorful beneath its crisp surface and comes with greens drizzled with a creamy dressing of parsley, shallots and a bit of mustard that you wish you could buy in the market.
As I contentedly made my way through a crusty, rare rib-eye steak smothered with peppers and onions, or a custardy tamale filled with chicken, potato and olives, part of me was tempted to keep this place a secret. But it would be selfish to hide such deliciousness. Samantha's two cooks, the Peruvian-born Luis Ruiz and Salvadoran native Lorenza Carcamo, both bring confidence to the kitchen. Ruiz counts time at Andalucia in Rockville and Lauriol Plaza in Washington; Carcamo previously worked at Los Chorros in Wheaton. Together, they have created a repertoire that is more interesting than that of any one of their former employers.
A regular at Latin American restaurants will notice plenty of familiar first courses here, though most are prepared several notches above standard. Shrimp are cooked to retain their sweetness and delicacy in butter that reverberates with both sherry and garlic -- you'll want some extra bread to mop up the sauce. The seviche, an ocean of cubed flounder, gets punched up with ginger and jalapeno peppers in addition to lime and red onion. It's plenty for two to split as an appetizer. A plate of bite-size fried green plantains, each starchy coin capped with melted Spanish cheese, looks like something that would be served on a Latino cocktail party tray; it lasts only seconds on my table. And the classic yuca con chicharron is practically a meal in itself: The savory heap of fried pork morsels and steamy, white-fleshed tuber is electrified by a shredded-cabbage salad spiked with jalapeno.
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The food comes out quickly. But it is best eaten leisurely, the better to appreciate the nuances of each dish. Hints of cumin and garlic pulse through the lusty black beans. A red wine marinade softens delectable slices of beef tongue. It pays to seek out the unexpected, like a roast half-duck with crisped skin, rich meat and a scattering of sliced olives, handsomely accompanied by steamed vegetables and some soft-cooked plantains -- all for $11.
Share this articleShareNot every dish can keep pace in such company. Pork chops, for instance, are thin and ordinary, the abundant shellfish stew and a roast half-chicken merely pleasant. As for the chile relleno and the beef taco, they are just fine. But coming to Samantha's for Mexican is like ordering fish in a steakhouse. Why bother?
Any meal is made more pleasant by the room's peach-colored walls, some bouncy music in the air -- and, if you're up for it, a margarita that tastes like a margarita should: tangy with lime and brazen with tequila. (You've been warned: After one of these potent cocktails, an ordinary Monday dinner starts feeling like Saturday night.) A TV, suspended to the side of the small bar, sometimes plays Spanish soap operas or soccer matches, depending on who is in charge of the dial. The restaurant is an equal-opportunity destination, attracting young families, couples on dates and the occasional solo diner in search of a taste of home.
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So who's Samantha? "She's my 5-year-old sister," a friendly waitress explains. Three of Garcia's four children wait on customers with an easygoing charm and impressive professionalism. Ask about the trio of house-made condiments that show up with the steak, and you practically get the recipes read to you. (The star of the bunch: the brassy roast tomato sauce.)
My belt is getting tight. Served with a generous hand, the appetizers and entrees tend to squeeze out any thought of dessert. On the off chance you haven't filled every crevice by the time your entree plate is cleared, you can do so with a raisin-sprinkled flan or with tres leches, a fine white cake swollen with milk and as soothing as it gets.
Now that I think about it, I may be able to find room after all.
To chat with Tom Sietsema online, click on Live Online at www.washingtonpost.com, Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
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This week's challenge: Jerry Yokoyama and some of his friends don't eat meat, dairy or eggs, and they're looking to branch out from their usual "ethnic, neighborhood" vegan restaurants to more elegant dining experiences. "Even if you identify a pricey restaurant that has some innovative vegan dishes," writes the Silver Spring reader, "that'll be a start." I put the question to three Washington chefs: Todd Gray of Equinox, Carole Greenwood of Greenwood and Peter Smith of Vidalia. Could each create a three-course vegan meal for $30 a person, excluding drinks, tax and tip? They rose to the challenge. Gray suggested a lentil and chickpea chowder with black truffles, barbecued tofu served on grilled pineapple compote with fresh coriander, and pear cannelloni with apple sorbet and rum-caramel sauce. Greenwood advanced butternut squash-filled dumplings, grilled mushrooms and water chestnuts in a ginger broth, and a trio of sorbets: pineapple, cantaloupe and pomegranate. And Smith proposed a roasted pear and quinoa salad followed by roasted onion with baby leeks and wild mushroom ragout, and quince soup for dessert. Any diner who calls ahead can take advantage of those or similar vegan menus, the chefs promise. The line forms here.
Got a dining question? Send your thoughts, wishes and, yes, even gripes to asktom@washpost.com or to Ask Tom, The Washington Post Magazine, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Please include daytime telephone number.
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