Dining | Jun 3, 2009
By Jennifer Deseo
Photo: Pupusas con mucho queso. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.
As a native New Yorker, I’m an immense fan of street food, that breed of cuisine that’s too pedestrian for fine dining, yet too delectable to leave on the curb. Whether it’s a dirty-water dog or an oversalted pretzel, street food binds the cerebral, sometimes pretentious sensation that is taste with the carnal, always gratifying experience of consumption.
So it was with a good bit of squealing glee that I greeted the new Pupuseria El Oasis on Georgia Avenue. Sure, there are plenty of places in Wheaton that pay homage to the El Salvadoran stuffed flatbread. They even appear on the menus of some of downtown’s “Mexican” restaurants.
But Pupuseria El Oasis has a tough role to fill, as it straddles the culinary divide between old and new downtown Silver Spring. A few doors to its north are the nouvelle cuisine of Nicaro and a casual but tidy Olazzo. Just south of the pupuseria is Tijuana’s, a Tex-Mex dive that sticks true to its namesake.
Can street food like the pupusa bridge so wide a gap? That depends on what’s ordered, and whether one carries enough cash to aquire it. Get the full scoop.
Dining | Mar 25, 2009
By Jennifer Deseo
It’s that time of year when pink blossoms pop from cherry trees, and everyone starts jonesing for sushi. Why crave raw fish wrapped seaweed and not cherry pie or cherry cobbler? Probably because cherry trees along The District’s Tidal Basin were gifts from the Japanese government and blah blah blah. Whatever.
If cherry blossom season has you itching for unagi and dreaming of wasabi, you can score your fix at a couple of joints in downtown Silver Spring:
Asian Bistro
8537 Georgia Ave, (301) 589-0123
This bright restaurant, parked on premium real estate in the Downtown Silver Spring shopping center, does sushi as well as Chinese and Japanese entrees. Penguin taste testers went nuts for the Chinese dishes in July 2007, but a couple of readers were quick to sing praise for the sushi.
“I keep going back for the sushi,” Penguin reader Jimmy wrote. “Among the freshest I have ever had, which is strange for a restaurant that doesn’t exclusively serve Japanese food.”
“The sushi is quite good, and I know my sushi — much better than Sushi Jin” on Fenton Street, wrote Silver Spring Resident.
But Asian Bistro’s sushi bar had its detractors. Penguin reader Thayer Ave, Too was less than impressed with the freshness and construction. “Sushi shouldn’t smell fishy, and the rolls shouldn’t fall apart before you can get them to your mouth,” the comment read.
Then, in February 2008, the quality of Asian Bistro’s Chinese options went downhill, according to some Penguin readers. “I used to go there all the time, but I went about a month ago and it was not good,” Penguin reader Courtney reported.
“The sauce on my veggie chicken and broccoli was congealed and looked like it had been sitting out for a long time before I got it. My friend’s orange chicken looked old, too,” she added. “Maybe they were just having a bad day, but I haven’t been back since.”
It’s unclear whether the sushi selection has suffered the same fate. Asian Bistro is officially on notice for another review.
Pomegranate Cafe
1215 East-West Hwy, (301) 562-9400
Here’s another place that started out with a bang, quickly changed management, and is now waiting to emerge from the dust cloud. In December 2008, Penguin taste testers had decent things to say about the sushi lunch special, which kicked it with three pieces of nigiri and eight bite-sized California rolls.
The raw tuna and salmon nigiri tasted, well, like raw fish. But the California rolls’ imitation crab meat had a fresh, taut texture and worked well against the softer (but not squishy) avocado. The smoky seaweed balanced out the sweetness, and tiny orange pearls of fish roe added pop to every bite.
The spicy tuna roll also got mad props for its finely chopped but not mealy tuna, spicy (though not spicy ass) sauce, and cool mayo for balance.
Three months after opening, the South Silver Spring restaurant found itself under new management. Penguin taste testers have not been back since the change, but one reader gave the new Pomegranate Cafe a clear thumbs down. Bill the Guy wrote:
They don’t serve nigiri sushi any longer, much to my disappointment. The sushi bento is large but unrewarding, the sushi being poorly made California rolls.
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.
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.
The Pomegranate Cafe breaks the Penguin newsroom’s record for being placed on notice so soon after a positive review.
Sushi Jin
8555-A Fenton St, (301) 608-0990
Oofah, you know things can’t be good when a review starts like this:
Downtown’s Sushi Jin has a choice to make. It can dim the lights, crank up the techno and become Silver Spring’s next scene. Or it can stay on its current path to mediocrity. For now, expect unremarkable sushi, boring teriyaki, unappetizing prices and muzak so painfully bad, it would trigger spontaneous hara-kiri.
That was back in March 2007, and Penguin readers were quick to concur at the time. Things might have changed since, but Sushi Jin’s bland fish, overly sweet rice and steep prices haven’t given Penguin taste testers the impetus to try this joint again.
Spring Garden
8613 16th St, (301) 588-9337
Yet another restaurant that does decent (or at least edible) Chinese food with a sushi bar on the side. In an May 2007 open letter to county council member and trans-fat hater Duchy Trachtenberg, I asked rhetorically: “With such good food from the fryer, how can trans fats be so bad?”
The 16th Street joint really does a mean deep fry — whether that’s the General Tso’s chicken, prawns with walnuts, or crispy beef strips. But Penguin taste testers haven’t given the sushi bar a shot, nor have Penguin readers submitted comments on the matter. It’s an open case.
Blue Pearl Buffet and Grill
8661 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, (301) 565-4334
One must question the wisdom of culling every form of bad mall food — greasy Chinese, cheap Mexican, and dull sushi — then splaying it on a buffet table. It’s a bad idea. A really bad one. Just don’t.
Dining | Mar 18, 2009
By Jennifer Deseo
I’m a Brooklyn Penguin by birth, but back in the day, I used to kick it in a part of Queens, NY, called Astoria. Clumped beneath the elevated N line and sitting along an East River channel known as Hell’s Gate, Astoria is the epicenter of Greek-American life in New York City.
You want the best souvlaki in town? Go to Astoria. You want dolmades and garlic-stuffed olives by the pound? Go to Astoria. You want a plate of kokoretsi and manestra, with a chocolate mouse for dessert? Go to Astoria. Opa!
Of course, a schlep to Astoria from Silver Spring isn’t practical, but a short walk to The Big Greek Cafe on Georgia Avenue is no problem. And the food’s nearly just as good.
For carnivores, the gyro pita ($6.50, above) is a good pick. Beef and lamb are ground together and remoulded into a massive loaf. (Think Spam with half the salt and none of the gelatinous texture.) That loaf is roasted, then shaved into thin pieces of amalgamated protein, rolled in warm pita bread, and served with tomatoes, red onions and tzaziki (their spelling, not mine) sauce.
The meat has a nice texture, not chewy or tough like straight beef, not spongy like other restaurants’ gyros. And its flavor leans towards beef — a little sweet where roasting has caramelized it — and not as gamey as straight lamb. It’s also well seasoned, leaving out the heavy salt that processed meats generally pack.
The pita blanket stands up to the meat without becoming a soggy mess or a tenacious chew toy. And the tzaziki sauce — tangy yogurt with a cool hint of cucumber and bright dill — really rounds out the sandwich with a zing. It’s good eats.
If grazing is your thing, the big Greek salad ($8) is a good way to go. It’s standard Romaine lettuce with tomato and cucumber slices, crumbled feta cheese and kalamata olives. But the vinaigrette gives the whole thing a robust oregano kick. It’s a pleasant change from the mundane oil-and-vinegar jobs found at other local restaurants.
For a couple of bucks more, diners can score Yia Yia Lea’s grilled shrimp salad ($10, above). That’s the same veggies as above, topped with delectibly plump pieces of grilled shrimp. Nice.
Another Greek fave is spanakopita, offered as an appetizer ($6) or as part of a platter (below) with salad and a side order ($8). Traditionally, this version of spinach pie has a dense layer of feta-infused greens seasoned with dill, dill and more dill, and baked in flaky layers of buttery phyllo dough.
However, The Big Greek Cafe’s version is a little slim on the spinach, light on the dill, and encased in an oily, heavier version of phyllo. It’s also served as one triangular pouch, like an oversized appetizer at a cocktail party, instead of a slice from a larger pan. Take it if you really need the fix. Skip it if you don’t.
All of the restaurant’s platters offer a choice of side orders: roasted, lemony potatoes (yay!); heavy, limp french fries (meh); string beans, manestra (orzo pasta in tomato sauce) and a rice pilaf (not sampled).
The place itself has a cozy, casual feel, with contemporary Greek music blasting on the radio, an Orthodox Madonna and child on the back wall, and a guy named Nick behind the counter. Service is quick, but expect uninitiated customers to cause mild delays while studying the vast menu.
The Big Greek Cafe, 8417 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, (301) 495-2912.
Photos by J. Deseo and R. Pace for The Penguin.
Dining | Mar 4, 2009
By Linda Lombardi
I consider chocolate — particularly dark, almost bitter chocolate — a basic food group. And I’m happy to live in an enlightened period in human history, one in which it’s possible to buy serious dark-chocolate beverages with relative ease.
So the description of Mayorga Coffee Factory’s hot chocolate (”handcrafted with European dark chocolate”) raised my hopes. Unfortunately, I was left wondering what exactly they do to that chocolate. The result is less like a fancy chocolate bar grated into milk, and more like a classic American hot cocoa.
That’s not to say that it tastes like a mix, exactly. It’s a better quality drink, smoother and richer than one made from a powder. But it’s too milky, mild and sweet to be filed under the “European dark chocolate” heading.
Of course, hot-chocolate lovers who prefer this style of drink may be pleased. But it’s too bad the South Silver Spring coffee house doesn’t describe it more accurately — not just for my sake, but for fans of mild, sweet, comforting hot cocoa misled into thinking there’s nothing here but a dark, bitter disappointment.
Snag one of Mayorga’s big, comfy leather chairs and soak up the nicest place in town to hang out. Just read the menu with a skeptical eye, at least in the chocolate department.
Mayorga Coffee Factory, 8040 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, (301) 562-9090.
Linda Lombardi is an Associated Press columnist and freelance journalist who works from her Silver Spring home. Check out her street cred at lindalombardi.com.
Dining | Feb 25, 2009
By Jennifer Deseo
Finally, The Penguin ninja crew graduates from the nachos, waffle cones and chicken nuggets that are traditional downtown Turf cuisine. It sure took long enough.
But what can we do? (And by “we”, I mean me and part-time Penguin ninja Southside Evan.) Penguins can be stubborn and sometimes skeptical about restaurants that others may laud.
But for the first time, we’re glad we paid attention to all that unsolicited advice to try the Adega Wine Cellars (8519 Fenton St). The casual eatery offers fun food for grownups, and allows patrons to enjoy a pleasant meal in a cozy setting without shelling out too much cash.
For a mature meal without the pretense, the Ahi tuna salad (above) is a smart bet ($13 at lunch, though the menu lists it at “market price”). Three surprisingly thick slabs of seared tuna are served rare over a pile of mixed greens and diced tomatoes tossed with a light vinaigrette (above).
The tuna, served at room temperature, has a clean taste and soft texture, both of which play nicely against the sweet tomatoes and slightly tart vinaigrette. The snap of the mixed greens, and their slight bitterness, round off the dish — er, the black Styrofoam plate on which the food arrives.
The Ahi tuna salad comes with a steaming mound of white rice infused with small bits of fresh ginger that give it a slightly sweet zing. The fish and greens alone make a filling meal, but leave a little room for the rice. It’s a pleasant addition.
From Adega’s selection of wraps, The Jerk ($7.25, above) is fun without being frivolous. Chunks of grilled chicken, crisp romaine lettuce and sweet mango snuggle in a soft chipotle tortilla. The soft mango lends the room-temperature chicken a bright, tropical flavor and balances the wrap’s textures. Potato chips (no big whoop) are served on the side.
For an appetizer or side dish, hit the sweet potato fries ($3.50). They’re warm, crisp on the outside, sweet and starchy on the inside, and really freakin’ good.
Adega’s dining room is bright during the day, cozy and candlelit at night. Counter service is the way things play, so don’t expect waiters. And the restaurant serves wine by the glass (not reviewed) or sells it by the bottle.
Adega Wine Cellars & Cafe, 8519 Fenton St, Silver Spring, (301) 608-2200.
Photos by J. Deseo/SSP.
Originally published Mar 26, 2008.
Dining, Politics |
By Jennifer Deseo
ANNAPOLIS — A state bill that would allow vintners to ship wine directly to consumers caught some flack Monday from opponents worried over who was signing for that FedEx package, and who would be collecting sales tax on that deal.
“All of these liquors are easily accessible to underage drinkers. You don’t have to show an ID online,” Del Sonny Minnick (D-Dist 6) said during the House economic-matters committee meeting. “We want the state to be responsible to underage drinkers.”
If passed, the bill would allow local and out-of-state wine dealers to sell and ship bottles directly to Maryland consumers. Currently, consumers who want that special bottle of sumpin’ sumpin’ must buy it from a local retailer, or ask that retailer to order then receive said sumpin’ for the consumer to pick up.
It’s a broke-down system, bill sponsor Del Tom Hucker (D-Dist 20) wrote to the committee. The setup — where the wine producer, wholesaler and retailer must get their liquor licenses aligned before anyone pours a single drop of vino — is “a joke,” the Indian Spring rep said.
Wine aficionado Paul Hoffstein called the bill a win-win, where Maryland vintners can make a little cash shipping bottles to local and out-of-state customers, and dudes like him can have less common bottles delivered to their homes. And don’t sweat the kids trying to score hooch online.
“Shipping costs are between $35 and $50 a case,” Hoffstein testified. “This isn’t a way for teenagers to get liquor. This is a niche bill.”
But Chuck Ferrar, who owns Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits in Annapolis, gave the bill a thumbs down. Online and mail-order sales would make it tough for the state to collect sales tax, a nasty proposition in this fiscal environment, he told the committee.
“They’re gonna give us $90,000 in permit fees, and we’re gonna lose $10 million in taxes,” Ferrar testified.
Whether the bill advances beyond this committee is unknown. A similar bill went down in flames last year.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Kai Hendry.
Dining, Politics | Feb 24, 2009
By Jennifer Deseo
ANNAPOLIS — Kids know better than to walk into a liquor store and ask for beer, wine or a bottle of scotch (not without convincing ID, anyway). Now, one MoCo state delegate wants to be sure they can’t score another form of hooch at the local 7-Eleven.
On Monday afternoon, Del Bill Bronrott (D-Dist 16) pitched his idea to ban the sale of “alcopops” at stores licensed to sell only beer. Instead, he said frou-frou drinks like Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer and Mike’s Hard Lemonade should be sold at stores licensed to sell the harder stuff.
“As many as 10 million underage children drink,” Bronrott testified before the House economic-matters committee. Pin some of that booze abuse on the alcopops, which he said were marketed directly at young people and were available in urban convenience stores.
Marlene Trestman, with attorney general Doug Gansler’s office, was down with Bronrott. “These drinks bare no resemblance to what we traditionally label beer,” she testified. “This bill would put those beverages where distilled spirits are sold.”
So what the hell is an alcopop?
According to the bill’s text, such a drink is no more than 6% alcohol by volume — the same as beer. But unlike beer, which is totally the product of fermentation, an alcopop can pull just under half of its alcohol content from other sources of booze. In other words, it’s a mixed drink.
“These are not flavored beers,” Trestman said. “They’re lemonades, they’re colas.”
But should alcopop sales be restricted to hard-core liquor stores, as the bill demands?
If that were to happen, downtown Silver Springers would have to hit the county-operated liquor depot on Colesville Road to score what The Penguin mailroom guys dub “wussahol”. Smaller joints like the hood’s assorted delis would be out of the running.
And that was the rub for Del Donna Stifler (R-Dist 35A), who sits on the economic-matters committee. The Harford County rep said small stores that handle their business legitimately would be stuck with sacrificing revenues, despite their compliance with checking IDs and keeping kids out of the liquor case.
The committee should announce today whether the bill will move forward for further consideration.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user FaeryBoots.
Dining | Feb 18, 2009
By Michael Kent Cornett
Fenton Village’s Highland Origin Coffee is a familiar place to me. I’ve spent lazy weekends sipping and reading there, and I actually like their coffee. So when my latest Team Cocoa Quest assignment sent me to the corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue one brisk afternoon, I knew what to expect.
At least, I thought I knew what to expect.
My hot chocolate order was filled quickly and politely, but when I peeled the top of my 12-oz cup ($3), something seemed a little off. I took a sip.
A chemical aftertaste countered the chocolate flavor. It was unpleasant and harsh, not quite the slam one gets from saccharine. I couldn’t quite place what it was, but it just didn’t belong. This was not the rich, real chocolate I’ve had at other places. This hot chocolate was — horror of horrors — reconstituted from powder.
Even my mom’s homemade brew, made with Quik, didn’t have this aftertaste. As I drank it down to the dregs, I saw the familiar wet stuff clumped at the bottom. I rolled some of it against my palate and felt the familiar grit. Yep, powder.
Perhaps another visit would prove this to be a temporary mix-up, I thought. Um, nope.
On my second visit for Team Cocoa Quest, I watched carefully as the barista dumped a scoop of powder into steamed milk (at least milk was used), and then put on the whipped topping. The first few sips were good, but then I realized the whipped topping was killing some of the powder’s chemical taste. Once the topping was gone, the aftertaste ruled the day.
This is a sad comedown. Just over a year ago, Highland Origin used a high-quality syrup to make their cocoa. Now it’s just cheap powder. Nasty powder.
Next time, I’m sticking with the coffee.
Highland Origin Coffee, 8200 Fenton St, (301) 495-6302.
Michael Kent Cornett is a member of The Penguin’s 2009 Team Cocoa Quest. He also reviews horror and mystery fiction for his blog, Dust and Corruption. Michael works in downtown Silver Spring and lives in Takoma Park.
Photo by MK Cornett for The Penguin.
Dining | Feb 11, 2009
By Jennifer Deseo
Here’s the straight dope about Thai Flavor, the latest restaurant to set up shop on Colesville Road’s north side: It’s a hole in the wall without being a hole in the wall.
The place, planted next to the future Fillmore venue, is small. I’m talking shoebox small, with barely enough space for nine patrons. There’s a granite counter that seats three on a quiet day, another counter along the large window that seats two, and then two tall tables with bar stools that can manage a total of four. It’s a freakin’ hole in the wall.
But it’s not one of those holes in the wall, the kind with twitchy fluorescent lighting, mirrored walls to make the place look bigger, and a greasy veneer on everything. In fact, Thai Flavor’s bare, bright yellow walls, granite countertop and round-the-clock CNN coverage on its plasma-screen TV make the place utilitarian without being dull or depressing.
But how’s the damned food? It’s okay.
Filed under appetizer, the conspicuous shrimp bikini ($5, above) hits with four pieces of taut shrimp and soft, sweet ginger, all wrapped in rice paper then deep fried until crisp. The ginger adds a nice accent to the shrimp, which can lose its intrinsic sweetness in the deep fryer. But beyond the ginger, there isn’t much more flavor. At least it’s not greasy, like the deep-fried disasters offered elsewhere.
The summer rolls (two pieces for $4) are a lighter option. Shrimp makes another guest appearance in this cold appetizer, along with lots of shredded iceberg lettuce, scallions, mint and cilantro bundled in a translucent rice wrapper. Iceberg lettuce really has a way of sucking the life out of any dish, as it does here. It erases the shrimp’s texture and the herbs’ brightness.
On top of that, individual ingredients have a lopsided distribution inside the wrapper. During one visit, I got a mouthful of oniony scallions, while Penguin ninja Wombat got a wallop of mint. Balance and harmony in the universe are not maintained with this dish.
As for the entrees, diners have a bunch to choose from and the ability to mix and match protein sources. The penang curry with chicken ($8, above left) is a little on the sweet side, which may turn off some Thai food purists. However, I find that sweet coconut milk sauce plays well against the light chili heat and slight zing of tart lemongrass. The chicken itself is sliced thin and is tender.
The chicken ka prow ($8, above right) hits with thin, tender slices of chicken sauteed with a couple slivers of bell pepper and basil. The brown sauce is the dish’s undoing, amounting to a salty soup of soy sauce and nam pla (fish sauce). There’s a little bit of chili heat when ordered medium, but the sodium takes its toll on everything.
For a carbo fix, there are the drunken noodles ($8, above). It’s a straightforward dish — broad, flat rice noodles with meat (in this case, shrimp for an extra $1.50), scallions, basil — no big whoop. But the rich brown sauce adds a robust flavor to the dish, showing the sweet, caramel side of soy sauce and a balanced hit of garlic. There isn’t much heat to this one, but it’s still good eats.
This hole in the wall’s future depends on how the owner plays his or her hand. The place opens at the ungodly hour of 8:30 a.m., though croissants in a small countertop display suggest that breakfast isn’t a traditional Thai one.
Instead, the place might do better as a late-night haunt, a place to quell that curry craving at 3:00 a.m. (You know what I’m talking about.) In that way, the restaurant embraces its true hole-in-the-wall nature.
Thai Flavor’s service can be a little slow during the lunch rush, when office workers inundate the sole food server with orders and questions. However, she’ll never push you out, and the service improves once the lunch hour is over. It’s worth a try.
Thai Flavor, 8650 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, (301) 495-1234.
Photos by J. Deseo and R. Pace for The Penguin.
