Pampano - Fancy Mexican, a Restaurant Week Success!

I have been wanting to try Pampano (209 East 49th St., between 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave.) for a while because of how cute it looks with the outdoor patio, and also its close proximity to my office! My boyfriend and I have been to one of Richard Sandoval's other restaurants, Maya (1191 1st Ave., between 64th and 65th St.) and enjoyed their happy hour and unlimited brunch several times. We knew based on the food, drinks, and ambiance at Maya that Pampano was a definite must try! Richard Sandoval has over 30 Latin restaurants across the United States, Mexico, the Middle East, and Europe, so this is a chef that knows what he is doing when it comes to Latin cuisine!

We decided to check Pampano out for lunch during NYC Summer Restaurant Week. Unfortunately, we went on the most humid day of the summer, so we couldn't make my dream of sipping margaritas out on Pampano's beautiful patio a reality. We decided to sit inside comfortably. The inside of the restaurant was very low key and nice. It seemed very traditional Mexican.

De Maracuya - Jalapeno infused tequila with passion fruit

To start, I ordered the De Maracuya margarita that had jalapeno infused tequila mixed with passion fruit juice. It was a really nice combination because it was sweet and spicy all at once. 

Ceviche de Mariscos- Shrimp, octopus, bay scallops, tomato, chile serrano, cilantro

To start, we decided to order an additional appetizer to share, since we were going to share the 3 course restaurant week menu between the two of us. Most restaurants I don't think would allow two people to share one restaurant week prix fix meal for two. I was very impressed they allowed us to do this, since otherwise we would have had way too much food for lunch!

We decided to order the Ceviche de Mariscos as our extra item, even though it was offered as part of restaurant week since the quesadilla that was offered on the restaurant week menu was not part of the regular menu. Most restaurants during restaurant week don't offer items that are majorly different from their regular menu, and I liked that Pampano's choices were not all items that were on their regular daily menu.
The Ceviche de Mariscos was a mixture of shrimp, octopus, bay scallops, tomato, chile serrano, and cilantro in a fresh citrusy ceviche sauce. It was served with some fresh avocado as well. This ceviche I must say is probably one of the best ones that I have had! Every bite was so fresh and tasty, that I wish I could have had more and more of it. The portion was also very generous with a great variation of seafood.

Quesadilla de Pescado - Red Snapper, oaxaca cheese, crema, tomatillo salsa, cotija

For our starter that was part of restaurant week, we ordered the Quesadilla de Pescado. This was served with a beautiful presentation and was already cut into two slices. Perfect for sharing! It was quesadilla tortillas stuffed with red snapper and oaxaca cheese, and covered in crema, tomatillo salsa, and cotija cheese. There was also some black bean puree underneath the quesadilla to dip into, which I thought was a really nice touch, since I am a bean lover!
You could really taste the red snapper in this dish, and all the flavors worked really well together. MMM!

Enchilada Nortenas - pulled port, black bean puree, melted cheese, and chile pasilla sauce

For our entree, we ordered the Enchiladas Nortenas, which was mexican style pulled pork, black bean puree, and melted cheese, covered in chile pasilla sauce. This dish was also split into two pieces which made it easy to share. The flavors of the pulled pork were definitely unbelievable, and dipping each bite into the chile sauce made this dish fabulous.
What I loved about this dish versus our starter was that they were both completely different in taste from each other and unique to themselves. I find that a lot of Mexican dishes tend to be a lot of the same ingredients prepared in different shapes or formats, so each dish ends up tasting the same, but looking different. These dishes were not that way at all :)

Fried Plantains

We also ordered fried plantains as a side, that was not part of the restaurant week menu. We couldn't pass up having these since the waitress raved about them. These were very good, but not the best plantains I have ever had. They needed to be a little crispier and more well done, as some of them were even mushy and soggy.

Pastel de Elote - Warm corn cake, coconut ice cream, hibiscus sauce

For our dessert, we ordered the Pastel de Elote, which the waitress said was one of their signature desserts. It was a warm corn cake served with a scoop of coconut ice cream and hibiscus sauce. The warm cake went really nicely with the coconut ice cream because of the contrast of temperatures. Also, the corn cake was nice and sweet without being too sweet. And the coconut ice cream, let me just say OMG! So refreshing! It really was an authentic Mexican dessert that we enjoyed immensely.

I definitely would like to visit Pampano again and try their unlimited brunch for $39. It includes unlimited small plates and free flowing margaritas, sangria, and bloody maries. I also would love to return for dinner and sit on the beautiful patio! I highly suggest visiting Pampano!