I lunched at Pampano this week and it was a super meal. The space is appealing, the wait staff is attentive an unobtrusive and the food is tasty and creatively presented.
Guacamole
I started with the guacamole ($13) (can be spicy or not – ours was spicy) and it was delicious. It featured tons of fresh cilantro and lime and the portion could have easily served four guests. The chips paired with it were a bit different but warm and crispy.
Pampano offers six variations of masterfully made ceviches that guests can order in single servings or combinations of three ($26) or four ($30). I had the Ceviche Mariscos ($13) – a mix of shrimps, scallops and octopus, as part of the Prix Fixe menu ($28) and it was zesty from fresh lime with a kick of heat from serrano chile.
Enchiladas Nortenas
The lunch menu is quite extensive and features salads, soups, fish/seafood dishes and special platters. On this recent visit, our entree selections were the Churrasco ($24), skirt steak with wild mushroom escabeche served over white bean puree and the Enchiladas Nortenas ($16), tortillas filled with slow-cooked pulled pork and black beans served over chile pasilla sauce. Both entrees were rich, flavorful and outstanding.
Pampano offers a couple desserts that clearly aren’t its forte, but are nonetheless enjoyable. The Chocoflan was more cheesecake than flan, but the flavor was nice.
Award-winning chef/Owner Richard Sandoval does it well and I’ll definitely dine here again.
Pampano
209 East 49th Street
New York, NY 10017
212-751-4545
Reservations: http://www.opentable.com
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