A recent work trip found me back in Atlanta, and, as usual, I was hungry. For all its myriad faults, one thing Atlanta does really well is food: I’ve never had any trouble eating very well down there. Unfortunately, that is not to say there’s only great food in Atlanta, and I ran across a small disappointment on this trip.
I’d been hearing good buzz about Super Pan Latino Sandwich Shop for a while now, and since it was just around the corner from my hotel, I figured I had to give it a shot.
I came in the front door, and was greeted by a room divider wall and a basket of laminated menus, with a sign instructing me to order upstairs. Not welcoming at all, but nonetheless I went off to the side, noting a very full (and rather small) dining room, and up the stairs into the ordering area (which, seem to be an extension of the prep kitchen).
Being a semi-vegetarian, I ordered the smoked tofu buns from the regular menu, and a special – a cucumber carpaccio with melon chunks, and grabbed a bottle of iced tea from the fridge. Since the dining room was full, I opted for a to-go box, and waited in the stairwell, half-enjoying the Latin pop playing on the sound system (Shakira featured prominently).
My food came out, and I made my way back to my hotel, which has a lovely sitting lounge, to eat. the food all looked very pretty in the box, and it smelled pretty good too. I ate.
The cucumber carpaccio with melon chunks was nice and summery and refreshing, but honestly a bit boring. The cucumbers had a very, very light vinegar dressing on them, and some herbs added a touch of flavor, but it was all a bit vague for my tastes. Especially since I found the other ingredients really overpowered the cucumber. In addition to the cantaloupe (itself such a strong flavor, which I do like very much, but it does take over), it had these really delicious chorizo chips (I did say “semi-vegetarian,” right?) on top. Again, these chips were bloody delicious and added a much needed crunch and saltiness to the dish, but they ultimately overwhelm the cucumber, which is already mostly lost to the cantaloupe, in any bite they joined.
The tofu buns were pretty tasty, if a bit too sweet for my taste, with a good low burn of spice behind a smokey barbeque-ish flavor. The topping of cabbage added a bit of crunch, much needed with the soft steamed bun and mushy tofu (they need to learn to finish the tofu to get that nice crispy outside), but not much else. This was a textural 1-note, plus a half note for the cabbage. If the cabbage were pickled, the bun a bit chewier, and the tofu prepared properly, this could be really good. Note how I’ve just remade each part of the dish. Oops.
I know that the vegetarian option is often not the best offering (though I have yet to hear a decent explanation for why you bother to have one if you don’t want to do it right). The pork version looked (and may be) better, but since I know the frankly epic katsu and kakuni buns Guy Wong and Melissa Allen do at Miso are nearby, it’s not something I’d recommend going out of your way to get.
All told, I think this place has good potential, but the finish needs work. I’d pay $5 for sliced cantaloupe with those chorizo chips any time (but either drop or turn up the volume on the cucumber, please), and $6 for 2 tofu buns (if they were better) is a pretty good deal for lunch, $10 for the pork is too much.
Super Pan Latino Sandwich Shop
1057 Blue Ridge Ave, NE
Atlanta, GA, 30306
404-477-0379
-MAW
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