Dinner at College Park, MD

[Lori in PA]

Dh and I will be exploring IKEA for the first time in a few days. Where can we go for dinner that is:

--inexpensive - moderate?

--focuses more on protein than starch (dietary need)?

The second requirement eliminates a lot of ethnic restaurants. We love adventuresome food, though. Ideas?

[Malawry]

There ain't a lot going on from a culinary standpoint in College Park. You're better off heading up the road to Langley Park and checking out Tiffin for Indian food or Samantha's for Salvadorean cuisine. Both have entrees hovering at the $12-17 price point and excellent protein-based options which my husband and I have relied on heavily in the past. Both are situated on University Boulevard. (Some people prefer Woodlands, which is also in this area, but Woodlands is vegetarian Indian food and less protein-focused overall.) I like the lamb dishes and almost anything from the tandoor at Tiffin. The mariscos saltado, pan-fried trout and carne asada at Samantha's are also big favorites, especially if preceded by that salad with hearts of palm and avocados.

From IKEA, take Route 1 south about 2 miles and take the exit for 193 towards U of M on the right. Follow 193 (University Blvd) for about 4 miles to Tiffin on the left (in the strip center right next to Pollo Campero, which is excellent in its own right if you're into fried chicken), or about 7 miles to Samantha's on the left just past the traffic light at Piney Branch Road (you will have to make a u-turn to get to Samantha's). After dinner, you can take University Blvd a few more miles out to get back to the Beltway and on your way home.

[melonpan]

tiffin is an excellent suggestion, as is udupi palace next door!

[melonpan]

i might add that i know people travel very far to visit udupi....

[Malawry]

Yeah, I think Udupi Palace is better than Woodlands, but Udupi is all-vegetarian and therefore may not be the best choice for somebody trying to go high protein/low carb. Also, Tiffin has a tandoor and Udupi does not...and I almost require tandoori something every time I eat Indian food, I love the char so much. Udupi Palace and Tiffin are owned by the same people and are in two shopping centers that are right next to each other, so it's simple enough to go check out both menus if desired. The best thing going at Udupi, imo, is the dosai menu ...but dosais are of course not protein foods.

[Lori in PA]

Thank you very much for the recs AND discussion -- it helps a lot.

[KOK]

It's not particularly adventuresome, and is more moderate than inexpensive, but Lupo's Italian Chophouse in the heart of College Park makes about the best steaks in the county. Upscale (at least for the college crowd to impress the parents) with tablecloths, but excellent service and not overpriced.

Everyone I know always comes away satisfied.

Thanks,

Kevin

Lupo's Italian Chophouse

7416 Baltimore Ave.

College Park, MD 20740

301-277-6225

[takomabaker]

Hi again. I live a few miles from College Park. It is such a wasteland for anything but "college" food. There used to be a GREAT Burmese restaurant in College Park that moved to Silver Spring a few years back called Mandalay. Great for Silver Spring, bad for College Park, but definitely worth the short trek. It's moderately priced, very unusual, and has a great deal of protein on the menu. Very highly recommended, but can also get very crowded during dinner hour on weekends. It is very popular for a reason!

http://www.mandalayrc.com/

With the exception of Lupo's, I have tried liked all of the other places that have been mentioned as well.

Dh and I will be exploring IKEA for the first time in a few days.  Where can we go for dinner that is:

--inexpensive - moderate?

--focuses more on protein than starch (dietary need)?

The second requirement eliminates a lot of ethnic restaurants.  We love adventuresome food, though.  Ideas?

←

[Malawry]

Lupo's is all right, I've eaten there and taken my mom and my grandfather there on separate occasions. But it's just pretty-good Italian-American food, steaks and chops, nothing that interesting. Also, the parking around there can be weird depending on time of day since they don't have a parking lot.

Mandalay is excellent and a great value. I love the ginger salad there, and the pork with pickled mango is fantastic. If you're schlepping to Silver Spring, you may also want to consider options like Ceviche, Jackie's or Cubano's. Silver Spring isn't exactly far from College Park, but it's not as close as Langley Park is.

[Lori in PA]

After all of your very kind advice, our plans changed a bit. We ended up staying in downtown DC for an early supper at Jaleo's -- the Spanish tapas place. It was perfect for us. Then we made the pilgrimage to Ikea. So, my culinary experiences in that area consisted of a Starbucks coffee and a cinnamon roll eaten in the van after Ikea. The roll (just baked from Ikea) wasn't bad, but it had a weird marshmallow-flavored glaze I wasn't wild about.

[Anonymouze]

Anyone have an address or website for Tiffin? Thanks!

[Malawry]

Tiffin is at 1341 University Blvd, East, Langley Park, MD

Their sister restaurant is Udupi Palace.