Cheap Eats 2007: Samantha's

Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Don Rockwell , Michele Kayal

Samantha's

631 University Blvd., E.
Silver Spring/Takoma Park, MD 20901
Phone: 301.445.7300

Cuisines:
Tex-Mex, Peruvian, Mexican, Salvadoran, South American

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
None nearby

Price Range:
Inexpensive

Dress:
Informal

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Not needed

Special Features:
Kid Friendly

Best Dishes
Chicken tamales; carne asada; Salvadoran-style whole trout; masitas de puerco; seafood pupusas; black beans.

Price Details:
Appetizers, $3.95 to $10.95; entrees, $10.95 to $25.95.


 

Reader's Rating:
No Reader Reviews

It might be set next to an auto-repair garage on a dreary strip of highway, but inside this family-run joint you’re greeted with a peppy mariachi soundtrack, tables packed with extended families, and a basket of tortilla chips with fresh salsa.

The menu is primarily a mix of Mexican (terrific carne asada) and Salvadoran (seven kinds of pupusas) cooking, but it also borrows from other Spanish-speaking countries. Masitas de puerco—cubes of pork marinated in garlic and bitter oranges, then seared until crusty—are a Havana tradition done right. Milanesa de carne—a thinly pounded, breaded steak served with rice salad and beans—transports you to a Buenos Aires cafe. From Spain comes gambas al ajillo, a gratin of shrimp sizzling in a garlicky butter sauce. It arrives with a baguette, and it’s hard not to blow your appetite swabbing up the sauce.

Entrées are so generous that they can be stretched into a day or two of leftovers.

Open daily for lunch and dinner.