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Showing results for tags 'Latin Fusion'.
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Been meaning to try Panas for a while now since it is so close to my office. Dined there last evening with my wife and had a really really enjoyable quick meal. My understanding is that the empanadas are Argentinean style so they are smaller than those at say, Julias (which is the only other empanadas place i've ever been to in DC). The restaurant is a nice space with a "hip" decor. It looks like Panas has about 15 empanadas choices. They had a number of vegetarian empanadas, steak, chicken and also tuna and shrimp ones. We both ended up ordering their meal deal which gives you a drink, three empanadas and a scoop of plantain chips. I ordered three: chicken pesto, brie and "fiesta cheese". All three were excellent, and in both of our opinions, miles better than Julias. I particularly liked the fiesta cheese one which had a lot of mozzarella filling and some very good caramelized onions in it. Overall, the fillings were all very good, savory and seemed very high quality. Their dipping sauces were also quite good. I particularly enjoyed the chimi sauce which was basically a tomato salsa type sauce with a hint of cilantro. If you like empanadas, I highly recommend checking the place out. -
Since this spot is allegedly opening next week, I figured I would start the thread since I didn't see one. If anyone with mod powers and better sense of board formatting wants to make edits to titles, etc., please feel free. Per Bethesda Magazine, the restaurant will be opening next week at the top of Downtown Silver Spring, in the old Macaroni Grille spot. As a resident who likes to frequent the neighborhood and ethnic joints, I'm excited for something new and original in the area, especially in such a high-traffic area and with what looks like a beautifully updated space. What I'm most curious about, personally, is how it will do. That area (literally, the "Downtown Silver Spring" complex run by Peterson) is a mix of international/national and local chains, for the most part. Silver Spring is not really a "dining destination" in the same way that many DC neighborhoods are, or in the same way that someone in Montgomery County would be used to more varied options in Bethesda or Rockville. AG Kitchen is the second restaurant with this concept (seems to be Latin-American fusion/comfort food), with the first in Manhattan, and opened by a "celebrity chef" who doesn't have any particular ties to the area. The reviews in New York are mixed, and though the menu is appealing to readers of a site like this, I question how much of the foot traffic to that area used to less challenging options via chain, will take the plunge to try a more complex menu (the menu on the website appears to be the New York menu from September 2014, so I question what specific dishes and price points will be in Silver Spring). I think that initial reviews will have to be strong - to give folks the sense that it is worth taking the plunge on, or even venturing from other parts of the county to try. I'm hoping for the best, as I'd love to see some of the middling options in that space replaced by some more interesting and adventurous restauranteurs.
