2005 Fall Dining Guide
By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, October 16, 2005

Parents weary of encountering sighs when they walk into restaurants with kids in tow ought to get acquainted with the family-run Samantha's. The staff actually smiles when this demographic shows up, quickly rearranging tables to accommodate whatever number of diners there are. (Early one evening, I spotted no fewer than three families using the white napkins to play peekaboo with some very young diners.) The menu, a mix of Mexican and Salvadoran flavors, proves long and enticing. Fried green plantains draped with mild white cheese, chicken-stuffed tamales and chicken soup with a small garden of vegetables all make great introductions. And take your server's advice when she steers you to her favorite beef dish or a daily fish special. The payoff might be one of the best skirt steaks you've ever cut into (carne asada), or flounder stuffed with fresh spinach, both entrees made more memorable by hearty black beans and oiled white rice. The portions are huge, but order dessert anyway. The flan is as soothing as a call from Mom, the tres leches cake ultramoist -- and quick to disappear.