Mr. Empanada's Has Some Tasty Offerings

I ate at Mr. Empanada's at 10312 Bloomingdale Ave., Riverview, when it first opened, and I wasn't terribly impressed at the time, but I wasn't offended either. I decided to give it another try and, no, it has nothing to do with the colorful artwork on the windows even though that wasn't there when I first tried the place.

I entered and found myself to be all alone in a room full of polished tables and clean counters. The place was very clean with the exception of the glass door, which looked like a kindergarten class had a finger-painting party--no paint, just filth.

I ordered five different empanadas on my way home to share with my wife since I knew we didn't have previous dinner plans and I didn't feel like cooking. They all appeared fresh and crispy on the outside, and please believe the sign at the counter that tells you the inside is extremely hot.

The first and my favorite was the spinach and cheese empanada. Very flaky and tasty with a good spinach mixture inside that was better without sauce. There were a couple of small clumps of chopped spinach that held together after being wrung out but that's not a reason to complain--just a slight oversight.

The barbecue chicken came in second with a sweet sauce that wasn't too saucey. There was just enough sauce to hold the chicken together and not enough to cause the oozing effect that is the natural enemy to the white and beige shirt I happened to be wearing. I might have made the barbecue a little spicier as opposed to the sweet.

The beef and cheese empanada and the Italian sausage were the exact same mixture with different meat substitutes even though the beef one was a bit gummier. Nothing spectacular about either one of them, sort of a ho-hum type of lunch offering that actually reminded me of a high school lunch.

The guava and cream cheese was tasty at times but it seemed that the guava and cheese were layered sideways instead of being mixed together. First bite guava, then cheese, then guava and so on, and I had to fold it onto itself to try the guava and cheese together. It's not a big deal as far as quality goes; I just might have mixed the internal products a little better. Very tasty!

Overall, I would say that the food was cooked right but, like I said before, nothing jumps out at me to say this is spectacular but nothing says "yuck," either.

This would be a great place to open a spinach and guava hut but two out of five won't get too many people making returns to eat here.

The menu boasts Cuban sandwiches and black bean soup but here's a little word of advice: Whenever you walk into a restaurant that brags about its soup, especially black bean soup, and you can't smell it cooking, don't order it. Cuban cooking gives off a cumin aroma that wafts through the air when you first enter an establishment and that is a serious selling point.

I'll give these people 2 1/2 stars. It would have been three except for the gross door and all the handprints.

1 Star--Wouldn't go back on a bet

2 Star--Would have to go back, but only on a bet

3 Star--If I was in the neighborhood and hungry

4 Star--Would go out of my way even if I wasn't hungry

5 Star--Would make reservations and wait in a line