Samantha's
Nov 10, 2004
First, let me give credit where credit is due. I would not have gone to Samantha's if it were not for two things - Amy suggesting we eat there after reading Tom Seitsema's chat and my reading Tom Sietsema's Fall Dining Guide. If you follow this link, you will see that I even posted to Tom's chat last week and thanked him personally, cause I really loved Samantha's. Can you guess which post was mine??
Samanatha's is located on a small building by the intersection of University Blvd. and Piney Branch Rd. in Silver Spring. We drove over there for lunch a couple of weekends ago because I had a serious craving for some pupusas. The restaurant looks pretty nice on the inside, which you probably wouldn't normally expect from the look of it on the outside. Staff are all in uniform and wearing ties. I imagine the small dining room get's pretty crowded, but that Saturday afternoon, it wasn't even half full. If Samantha's was in Dupont Circle, there would be a constant line out the door.
I have to admit though, Amy and I didn't exactly brank out and try a lot of different food at Samantha's. Mostly we just ordered pupusas. They are $1.50 each, which is an extreme bargain and they're a lot larger than other pupusas I've had. We also ordered the queso fundido to start with. It was not your ordinary queso made of Velveeta and onions. It was actually made of real cheese and peppers, which is nice. Sometimes, though, you just want Velveeta and onions. :) We ordered a couple of each kind of pupusa - chicken, pork, queso, and beef. To say the least, it was more than either Amy or I could eat. I barely finished three.
Since it was lunch time, I only ordered a single margarita just because I wanted to try one. It was made fresh. I don't think they used any mixer to make this margarita unlike most Mexican restaurants around here. (Take a hint Cactus Cantina)
I'm looking forward to going back to Samantha's and trying their other dishes. They had your typical Tex-Mex dishes like you'll find at Rio Grande Cafe and those types of places. I have this feeling though, they will put those places to shame. I especilly want to try their chimichanga.
Samantha's
631 E. University Blvd
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Map
(301) 445-7300
Hours:
Sun-Thu 11am-11pm
Fri-Sat 11am-Midnight
Dress Code: Casual
Reservations: not taken
Parking available on location.
Thanks for the recommendation- I'm new to this city and always looking for great places to eat. It was amazing!
Posted by: Joette | Nov 11, 2004 at 02:47 PM
Wow. That was quick. I just posted that last night. :)
Posted by: Jason | Nov 11, 2004 at 05:33 PM
Do you think Tom Seitsema knows of your website? I wonder if he realized another "famous" foodie was posting on his chat. =) He seems a little pretentious to me, but I agree--his reviews & chats are interesting & a good source of info for this area.
Posted by: naomi | Nov 14, 2004 at 12:00 AM
:-) I'm not sure how "famous" I am, but I'd be flattered if Tom did read my site. Some reliable sources tell me he does.
Tom's reviews and chats are great. The Post is really the only good source of dining information in this area. The other newspapers just don't get it.
Posted by: Jason | Nov 14, 2004 at 08:46 PM
There is another Burmese restaurant in the area. It's called Burma and is located in DC's Chinatown. The Mandalay cook used to work at Burma. When I last visited the Burma, the food was salty and the service slow. It was hard to get anyone to take my money. I had to get up and walk to the other room of the restaurant and ask if I could pay then.
Posted by: deborah | Dec 10, 2004 at 01:30 PM
I agree Samantha's is really good. It is a notch above all the similar Salvadoran/Mexican places around (e.g. La Lomita, El Golfo). The atmosphere is nicer. The spinach enchilada was close to perfect - the spinach was cooked just a little and it had the right amount of cream ..not gloppy like other places. Also the chile relleno was nicely al dente. I think it was my best DC margarita so far, with all fresh ingredients and a satisfying tang. The salsa was also noticably better than average. It seemed to have a deeper, more complex flavor than the watery underripe pico de gallo that is all too common in these parts. And there is parking!
Posted by: Barbara | Jan 31, 2005 at 03:47 PM
if you enjoyed Samantha's, i invite you to come check out
El Tamarindo Restaurant. My parents opened the adams morgan location way back in 83.. it was the first salvadoran/mexican restaurant in adams morgan..1785 florida ave nw dc 20009
202-328-3660
In 1990, they opened the georgia ave location.
7331 georgia ave nw dc 20012 202-291-0525
this location offers private banquet/meeting rooms
as well as an outdoor patio for fun in the sun.
The georgia ave location is offers free WIFI so bring that laptop
after work if needed.(adams morgan location will offer free WIFI soon)
anyways.. i hope to see you guys down there soon.
ciao.
Posted by: drade | Apr 04, 2005 at 01:15 PM
i forgot to mention
at el tamarindo restaurant
the dress is casual..
call for reservations
and parking is available
both locations.
Posted by: drade | Apr 04, 2005 at 01:27 PM
My boyfriend and I went to Samantha's Restaurant yesterday expecting it to be a little better than a hole-in-the-whole, but boy were we in for a surprise! The inside of the restaurant is so elegant and sophisticated and the wait staff were very well-dressed and professional. And now the food...first of all, they have the best salsa I have ever tasted! The tortilla chips were also very warm and crispy and the pollo saltado (sp?) was to die for. Since I am not a major fan of Hispanic food, I must admit, I was very impressed and it has become one of my favorite places to eat.
Posted by: Mariam | Oct 06, 2006 at 10:43 AM