The Silver Spring Penguin

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.

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.