Now that our Penguin intern is comfortable with being walked on a leash, newsroom staffers have been pounding the pavement (or hitting the bricks) more and more. And they’ve spotted a few signs of — well, they’re just signs:
Coming soon: Pupusas
Moving into the former Pinto Thai space on Georgia Avenue near Mayor’s Promenade, this joint will be downtown’s sole shop for scoring your Salvadoran corn cake fix. Compare that slim number with the zillions of pupuserias in Wheaton and a couple of trucks in Long Branch.
There’s no word on when Pupuseria El Oasis will open. However, Pinto Thai left behind a turnkey operation. Grilling up the corn cakes shouldn’t take too much longer.
Under new management (already?)
This hand-scrawled sign was posted on the front door of a very dark Pomegranate Cafe at The Bennington, South Silver Spring. That kind of language usually means the place is done, but Penguin operative Southside Evan said he did spot workers inside the sushi joint a day before this photo was taken.
It’s unknown when (or if) the Pomegranate will reopen.
UPDATE: According to reliable source and Penguin operative Southside Evan, the Pomegranate Cafe is once again open for business. — JD (Mar 17, 2009)
Pay close attention. There will be a quiz.
This screaming sign covered up a storefront window along a small brick plaza near the Metro station’s south entrance. Our Penguin intern watched this space, and watched it some more, but he couldn’t figure out the puzzle.
So what gives? The space just off East-West Highway near Colesville Road will serve as a welcome center of sorts for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Cheryl Oliver, a NOAA spokesperson, told The Penguin a while back. Once this joint opens, NOAA will be able to turn the lights out at its science center further up the block.
Don’t expect big gigs at this joint, though. Oliver said it’ll serve as an information kiosk, not as an exhibit space. Meanwhile, the science center will open its meeting space and auditorium for private affairs only.
Photos by J. Deseo/SSP.
Updated Mar 17, 2009.
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Well, the workers can’t be very far away, according to the sign.
Mmmmm…pupusas. If you include the corner of Wayne Avenue, that three block area is becoming quite the United Nations of restaurants: Indian, Ethiopian, Chinese, American, Greek, Salvadoreno,Italian, Middle-Eastern, Mexican (I’ve probably even missed one or two).
It’s enough to make you look past the 10 hair/wig/nail salons!
Woodsider, you got that right. Silver Spring is really turning into quite the little dining paradise. People in D.C. who scoff at our allegedly bland suburban scene have no idea that our little neighborhood actually offers far more diversity than many do in D.C. If only we had some more bars!
I really hope that we get a local restaurant that sells fresh tortillas to go, and maybe good dried peppers too at non-Whole Foods prices. I’m tired of shlepping to University Blvd. and Piney Branch Road to get all of my enchilada supplies.
Can I just say that new Greek place is seriously good! I think it’s been open a week… I’ve been 3 times already. I’m going to have to go buy a few pair of those old guy expanding waistline pants to keep up this pace.
Easley thanks for the review! I popped my head in the Greek place last Sat night (about ten minutes before the rumble on West Side Ellsworth) and the plates looked really good. The staff was very friendly and excited about their new restaurant.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t the science museum and public use of the auditorium “public amenities” required for M-NCPPC’s approval of the building complex that NOAA occupies? Can they legally do this?
Of course, the M-NCPPC has an abysmal record of enforcing public amenity requirements one buildings are completed. The Lee Building at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road included a Silver Spring museum when it opened as a public amenity, but it never seemed to be open. I think the space is now used for something else.
Where is the new Greek place that is mentioned? It help to know the location so we can support local places….
The new Greek restaurant is on the east side of Georgia Avenue, just south of its intersection with Wayne Avenue.
The Penguin’s review of this place drops tomorrow.
From Southside Evan via Facebook:
Thanks, Evan. I’ll update the story.
Man, did THAT suck!
Yesterday, my NOAA compatriots and I visited the newly reopened Pomegranate, looking forward to another pleasant experience. There was no sign of the aforementioned construction except in the newly hand-scrawled abbreviated menus on the wall. And the sign that said “Cash Only today.” As none of us had sufficient cash, we had a lovely buffet lunch at Ghar-E-Kabab.
Today, we made another attempt. Apparently the “Cash Only today” sign applies everyday. Fortunately, my one friend had cash and I helped out the other.
They don’t serve nigiri sushi any longer apparently, much to my disappointment. The bulgogi rice bowl used to be filled with all kinds of vegetables, cooked with sesame seeds and sauces — now it’s just the beef on rice with a little iceberg-lettuce-based side salad.
The sushi bento is large but unrewarding, the sushi being poorly made California rolls. These people don’t have a good idea what people want. While we were ordering, a diner asked for some soy sauce. Of course, there are dispensers near the sushi bar, but they frantically searched to dig up a single soy sauce package, the kind with a teaspoon of sauce in it.
The best part is I ordered a sushi bento after my friend. The new guy rang it up as $8,466.6666. I had never seen a cash register do that. He had no idea how to fix it, turned the register off and pressed a lot of buttons until it went away. He rang it up again as $8,450.00. I appreciated they could just round off the change.
After he finally got that correct, I waited patiently for my lunch. As my friends were half-finished, I asked about my bento box. Apparently no one ever told the cooks to make me one, one of said cooks being the woman I watched tell the other cook, the alleged sushi chef, to make me one.
They presented the bento box well after my friends had finished, so I asked to have to prepared to go. I ate lunch at my desk.
Oh, and they forgot the wasabi.
Oofah! Looks like I need to send some Penguin operatives in there for a follow-up review!
Oh, and my friend got coffee and it sucked also.
The pupuseria is open and the news is better about that one. The Wombat family went for dinner tonight and tried pupusas with all six available fillings. We were very pleased. The menu has a variety of other dishes as well. They didn’t quite have their act together yet, but were charming about it.