There are several "unique" restaurants in and around College Park that offer cuisine not generally available elsewhere in the area. This month's column is devoted to two such restaurants.
Tropicana is located at 8638 Flower Ave. near the corner of Piney Branch Road (telephone 565-2036). Many years ago, I used to enjoy eating cuban-style pork with black beans and rice at Omega Restaurant on Columbia Road in the District -- while listening to plans for the counterrevolution. Alas, Omega burned down. (Ah, Castro!) Now there is Tropicana, a restaurant in our area featuring Cuban food.
Owned by Eugenio and Delmi Hernandez (who grew up in El Salvador), Tropicana is unusual because of the range of national foods. Cuba is well represented, but so is Mexico, Peru, Salvador, and even Italy. The charming Delmi is the head chef.
Luncheon specials, ranging in price from $6 to $8, include arroz con pollo (chicken with yellow rice, one of Delmi's favorites), puerco asado (roast pork), carne con papas (beef stew Cuban style), and pollo enchilado (boneless chicken in a spicy sauce). The latter, served with rice and black beans, is a special favorite of mine. The chicken is tender, and the sauce made of tomatoes, dried red peppers, onions, green peppers, and spices, keeps one's interest throughout the meal. These and other dishes are also on the extensive dinner menu, priced slightly higher. Appetizers include a light, nicely flavored empanade de carne (ground meat in a light dough) for $1.50; side orders include platanos muduros (fried plantains) and yuca, both priced at $2. The corn tortillas are freshly made. Among the drinks are Pina Colada and Margarita, each for $3.95, and a pitcher of Sangria at $8.95.
The restaurant is open from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily. There is no delivery, but of course take-out orders are welcome.
Africana is wedged in between a Vietnamese grocery store and restaurant at 8545 Piney Branch Road (telephone 585-2377). Head down the hallway, and you'll find the two-room restaurant on your right. Run by owner Patricia Macauley along with others from Sierra Leone, the restaurant proudly claims that it is the "first authentic African cuisine in Silver Spring, Maryland." The menu takes me back in time to the hundreds of meals I've eaten in West Africa. Included are such items as bitter leaves, foofoo (a processed cassava cooked into a dough), egusi (ground mellon seeds), and plantains. The restaurant has no liquor license, so such traditional drinks as palm wine and Star Beer are not available.
The order on my most recent dinner visit was tasty moin-moin (ground black eye peas cooked with smoked fish), $1.99; spinach with egusi sause (comes in the form of a thick soup), $5.99; and groundnut stew with kenkey (ground corn, processed), $7.50. All the dishes were tasty, and the servings were generous. My co-researcher for an earlier visit was Ebere Osuagwu, a campus student from Nigeria. She and I had curry goat stew with rice, $6.99, and smoked fish with plantains, $5.60. Her view is that the food was authentic and good. For my own taste, the seasoning of the goat was not especially interesting and the smoked fish was "chewy." However, I do recall that "chewy" food was more liked in Africa than we "soft" Americans tend to prefer.
There is a special luncheon menu featuring such dishes as jollof rice, $4.75, and moin-moin with roast beef, $3.75.
Recent research reveals that palm and coconut oils are relatively unhealthy. Alas, palm oil is commonly used in African cooking. Several dishes at Africana Restaurant specifically state that no palm oil is used.
The restaurant delivers within two miles so long as the order is for $12 or more. Its business hours are 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and slightly shortened hours on Sunday.
On the subject of restaurants serving African food, I must mention Casa Africana, located at 941 Bonifant Street in Silver Spring (585-5659). The owner is from Togo. Among my favorite entrees at this establishment are the stewed chicken in a spicy peanut sauce and the suckling pig.
Metro tip Restaurant-nightclub La Princesa at 1511 University Blvd. next to Hechinger's (434-5605), owned by major Latin music impresario and Dominican native Daniel Bueno, hosts hot Latin bands on weekends. Many of the bands are from south of the border. Terrific dancing! Bueno also owns Zodiac (1323 University Blvd.), a good Latin record shop several blocks from the club.
Suggestions, evaluations, and...criticisms with regard to this or any other Dining Around column should be sent to me at 1117 LeFrak Hall, UMCP, or Emailed to BHANNA@BSS2.UMD.EDU.
William John Hanna is a professor in the Urban Studies and Planning Program at College Park.