if you like empanadas...and getting lost in the sun...El Arepazo is the one...

As luck...or fate would have it Betty and I finally made it down to Pearl Market to check out Nellie's Samosas...as we got up to make our order -- the ladies running the stand told us they just sold out. Go figure. I was slightly irked because I've heard a lot about these samosas and I wanted to put their flavor to the test...but not today. The trials and tribulations of samosa searching in Columbus will have to be put on hold. As we trekked around the market we noticed a Venezuelan restaurant with a patio El Arepazo. We ventured into the spot and were excited to see empanadas on the menu reasonably priced at $4.75 Betty and I went back and forth as we waited in-line trying to figure out if we should order 1 or 2. We decided to go with one with the understanding we'd probably grab some more food later on our walk back to comfest. We ordered the combination empanada and a side of their spicy cilantro sauce. After we ordered -- we were advised to go outside to wait for our food as traffic back-up in the lines was causing a bottleneck for the wait staff. No problem -- we located an open covered picnic table to park our bear rumps until our order came up. It seemed to take about 10 minutes which was no biggie and we received our order in a paper bag. When I pawed into the bag i was shocked to see the magnitude of the empanada. This thing was hugonda. A huge deep-fried-crispy-corn-flour hot pocket was my initial reaction. We split the empanada in half and the cross section view of this empanada was a thing of beauty and mystery...and out of focus-ness...


surveilance aerial footage of empanada


out of focus cross section

The empanada was phenomenal. The cilantro sauce was tasty. I can't see many places who can top this taste with the right price. We were stuffed splitting just one. Now the empanada was tasty -- it was fried to perfection and the corn shell crust was mighty fine -- but after my carb-cheese buzz subsided slightly I did comment that there could be some more seasoning added to the ingredients in the empanada. Betty and I need to do some more tasting research at El Arepazo considering they have crab cakes and fish burritos. This massive empanada put a world of flavor in my tummy for not a lot of money. What's messing with this?

her name is Bar-rio and she dances on the sand...

Not sure if it was work or something else in the air but I had the get-out-and-eat-bug this week. We decided to finally try Barrio Tapas after striking out at Banana Bean Cafe off of Whittier which we learned was closed on Mondays. We ordered a number of items from their seemingly delicious eclectic menu.


We started off with a pitcher of sangria which was half off for happy hour for $12. The idea that someone might drop $24 for a pitcher was shocking to me. Sangria was so so -- not even in the same ballpark as Barcelona's. The bread with the butter and spiced oil was nice but we only got 3 slices of bread. Come on now.

Started off with the tuna ceviche and both versions of their empanadas.


tuna ceviche with base of lime, basil, siracha

The plating of the meal was the best thing about the ceviche. The lime was too overpowering and I failed to understand what they were trying to do with the taste. The popcorn I could care less for. The radish salad and plantain were tasty but it's not a good sign when radishes are trumping tuna.

crab, almond, goat cheese empanada with corn, pico, avocado puree

I really wanted to enjoy this but it tasted bland to me.


beef and bean empanada

I enjoyed this empanada a bit better but I couldn't really make out the bean that was with it. Beef was alright. Both empanadas had tasty puff pastry but in the end I would've been happier eating a Chili's southwestern eggroll.

At this point I found myself uninspired by the food but wanted to try more of the menu -- good for Barrio Tapas -- but bad for this month's credit card bill. We ordered the watercress & goat cheese salad along with the scallops wrapped in serrano ham. I'm glad we explored the menu. The salad was tremendous and the scallops were delicious as funk. Definitely some of the best scallops i've ever tried -- not no parkay -- not no margarine -- strictly butter -- strictly butter.


watercress & goat cheese with sour orange mojo, pistachio & goat cheese tostada



scallop and serrano ham with mango sherry vinaigrette, cilantro puree

When all is said and done Barrio Tapas is an alright place: a pricey menu with some tasty gems, a great dining environment and a prime downtown location. If we go back it'd be more of a stop off for a drink sort of place while out on the town.