Affordable times 2

The next time you are at steubens order a side of the crispy brussel sprouts for a cool price of $3.  As the name suggests, the brussel sprouts are fried till they are crispy and seasoned liberally with salt.  It has a strange addictive quality similar to popcorn or in my case kettle corn that keeps you going back for more. The double chocolate cake is not too bad either.

Plate score: 8




I don't profess to know much about cuisine from south and central america but on the recommendation of Best of Westword Food and Drink, i opted for a new gastronomical adventure with venezuelan cuisine at Empanada express.  The original one in Golden consistently garners great reviews so i was hoping the 2nd outpost on 44th and Stuart (1 block East of Tennyson) would measure up.  So I met a friend for a super late lunch or senior citizen early bird dinner at 4:15, depending on how you look at it.  The place is small with a few tables and since we were the only patrons so we decided on "patio" seating given the beautiful, albeit blustery weather.  Our server brought out free samples of yucca fries, a starchy and flavorless root vegetable like a potato sprinkled with white cheese and a few slices of avocado.  He also brought out two squeeze bottles with what looked like a chipotle dipping sauce and cilantro dipping sauce which brought some life to the root veggies and were a great addition to the arepa.  The arepa, if you are unfamilar is a corn cake sandwich (like a pita) stuffed with a variety of fillings.  My arepa arrived fresh with a nice crust finished off on the stove stuffed with shredded flavorful beef, black beans and white cheese.  Served with fresh red cabbage and slices of fried plantains, it was excellent and for a very affordable price of $4.75.  We finished with fresh sopapillas with condensed milk.   I am often criticized for my expensive taste but i can be equally happy with a hole in the wall gem.  This can be a great lunch take out place in the future, i hope it survives.

Plate score: 9