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