There is a new and "improved" corner in Silver Spring. Gil's Restaurant has 
opened @ the corner of Silver Spring Avenue and Piney Branch Road. It's the corner store at the end of the old strip shopping center on Piney Branch Road near the intersection of Dale and Piney Branch.
I hardly recognized this place. It's was the site of Matchu Pitchu restaurant and then something like Lembada's (not sure of either spelling), just remember the restaurants there before were "scruffy", beat up looking, raucous at night and not very appetizing.
The place has been painted, spruced up and there is new landscape in the front. The inside feels cleaner than the places that were there before.
The food was great. It is Tex-Mex & Salvdorean. I had a lunch special platter with cheese enchiladas. The platter had the ususal beans, rice, guacamole and pico de gallo. I won't name names, but at most of the mexican places in the area, the beans, rice, guac and pico de gallo are usually left on my plate after just a taste, especially the beans. At other places the beans are usually so bland and greasy, I don't bother eating them. The beans at Gil's are fantastic, I cleaned my plate. The beans are seasoned to perfection and like none I have ever had before. They are not greasy, bland, dry or hard, they are just right.
The tortilla chips were also excellent, served warm with "warm" salsa, you could tell they were made there and made at least "very recently". The guacamole and pico de gallo were really FRESH and like the beans, seasoned better than 
I've found in other mexican places. The enchilladas were very light, not a hint of heaviness and not greasy.
This is a place that I will go back to again just to try more dishes.
NOTE: They are just getting started in business and don't have their credit system set up quite yet, so don't be surprised if your credit card reciept say's "Gil's Painting". The manager came to my table to give me my reciept and explained the situation. They probably do painting too? I'll bet they did the great paint job on the outside and inside of the restaurant.
Website www.GilsRestaurant.com
8200 Piney Branch Road
Silver Spring, Md 20910
(301)328-5972
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