Super Pan Latino

Oh, Santiago! I have ventured to Pura Vida a number of times now and I always walk away a bit disappointed in your food. You were on Top Chef last year but did not have a great amount of success on the show. Now, you’ve opened a tiny Latin Sandwich Shop in the basement of Pura Vida and give it a name comparable to a superhero. Bold move! Thank goodness it paid off. Your sandwiches at Super Pan are actually worthy of a superhero’s name. There’s something that is so different about these sandwiches that makes them really special.

I love the fact that this place is truly a “hole in the wall” also. Beware there are only 5 tables and the restaurant is only open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30AM-2:30PM. I was told that sometimes Santiago sells soups on the weekends in the parking lot across the street. I haven’t tried his soups yet but I hear they are very good as well. Also, the prices are expensive (around $12/sandwich), especially for lunch, but sometimes that’s the price you have to pay for good food I guess.

When we went for lunch, we tried two sandwiches- the BBQ Rib Bolillo and the Coca de Jamon y Queso. The BBQ Rib sandwich had a ton of savory meat on the sandwich and was topped with julienned carrots, chopped cilantro and an orange chipotle BBQ sauce on a Bolillo roll. This sandwich was extremely flavorful and was such a large portion that it was sometimes hard to take a bite. The other sandwich was not your typical ham & cheese. This sandwich was on a base of foccacia and layered with delicious Serrano ham, Manchego cheese, and arugula. Date almond butter was spread on one side of the sandwich and on the other side was a sweet piquillo pepper sauce. The flavors of this sandwich were unlike anything I have ever tasted. The dates and sweet peppers definitely stood out but seemed to be a good compliment to the sharpness of the cheese, the saltiness of the prosciutto and the freshness of the arugula. All in all, I thought it was a very unique and tasty flavor combination. Super Pan is definitely not your typical sandwich shop but if you’re in the mood to experiment with some unusual Latin flavors, then I recommend you give this place a shot. Just make sure you make it during their 3-hour lunch interval!