JeffB wrote:Generalizations can't really be made about empanadas. That said, here's one: empanadas form South American countries with Italian influence are more likely to be baked and have a doughier, less "short" crust. El Mercado (which I am happy to see is getting an uptick here, particularly the butcher counter) is a good example. Colombian empanadas go heavy on the cornmeal. ...

El Mercado also sells Peruvian empanadas, which are fried, alongside their baked Argentine empanadas. I haven't tried the Peruvian ones, but I really like their Argentine empanadas, especially the beef.

"Actually, I thought they were pretty cheap"

I guess it depends. My background led me to believe that a good, decent sized empanada should cost a buck. (And an espresso $.25.) At any rate, my memory is of really expensive empanadas there, though I only visited a few times at dinner.

The GP wrote:Would your niece be up for Venezuelan cuisine? My recollection of the meal we had at Caracas Grill (Clark south of Devon) is that it was quite tasty and not total meat overkill. -The GP

You know, somebody was just asking me what Venezuelan cuisine was like, and I wondered myself. Have to try it!

Just to clarify, fried empanadas certainly exist in Argentina - and those look right - it's just that empanadas are a little like Italian spaghetti sauce or Mexican tamales: everybody's Mom makes the "right" kind, and the remainder are "wrong" I think the ones I was raised on (my mother tells stories of spending her wedding day making empanadas for the dinner) were the Buenos Aires variety, at any rate were baked - but since my Mom's heritage is both B.A. and Mendoza, I could easily have that backwards.

Oddly, the closest empanadas I've had to my mothers were at Mom's Philipino Buffet on Peterson - although the dough was awfully sweet. (It's not a restaurant I'd personally recommend, but I have a hard time distinguishing whether I don't like Phillipino, or just that place.)

I keep forgetting, also, Cindy2, that empanadas are sometimes available in a spinach and cheese variety, fried or not.

while i LOVE empanadas dearly (el nandu's are superb, including the two sauces that accompany them - the lighter green, spicy one and the darker green, cilantro-based sauce), i have a real question about Costumbres Argentinas:

we haven't really brought it up directly since the the poster on june 25th of last year declared it closed.

so, i was suprised in reading this thread after some friends have been trying to put together an outing there on a wednesday night, supposedly when they have live music.

are we going to find a closed restaurant next week?

i tried calling yesterday afternoon & the phone just rang & rang. however, if they are not open for lunch, that might not mean too much. i plan to call again later today and try again, but just wondering if anyone else has been there in the past 6-8 months since that poster declared it as "RIP".

thanks!
miss ellen

Ellen-

I drive by that location frequently and it has appeared vacant for many months.