Tango's

So I have to give Props to a new favorite restaurant of mine. This probably won't pertain to half of you that read it, but if you live in Boise, Listen Up!

This is a little place called Tango's. It is owned by a lady from Buenos Aires named Monica, and her husband Luis, from Mexico. They've been in business for about 2 years or so. I received the recommendation to go there from my brother-in-law, Rhett.

So, about the place. It has a mostly traditional Argentine food called Empanadas. Empanadas are made in many different ways. In Chile, they are made different than in Argentina. In Mendoza, they are different than in Buenos Aires. The ones that I ate here were kind of a mix between Buenos Aires and Chile style empanadas. I can't really explain what they are, but here is the homepage, which has some pictures on it.

I wasn't sure what to expect before I arrived. I had decided to take my wife to an informal place for our anniversary, what with having family in town, Sarah expecting in a week, etc. So I drove by the place, and wasn't too impressed from the look of it. It had a dining area with about 8 pub-size tables. It seemed okay, but I was just hoping that Sarah didn't get too upset about the atmosphere not matching with the celebration. I warned her that she shouldn't expect candles or anything like that. It has an order window, like fast-food. You go up, pay, and get your food from the counter. They do not have waiter service.

Like I said before, the food was mostly traditional. The empanadas they serve are about twice the size of the ones I am used to. Instead of having large chunks of green olive in the "Gaucho," she minced them up. (she said that people would just spit them out and throw them away. So she decided to mince them and nobody knows the difference.) The masa, or dough, was a little crispier and flakier than what I think of as traditional as well. I also tried the "cuzco" which monica said was traditional, but I never had tried any like it before. It was pretty good. Sarah had a new one that is not on the menu, and thought it was very good.

The part that I thought I was going to be critical of was the Dessert empanadas. I was pleasantly surprised. Luis asked me how I liked them. I couldn't wipe the stupid smile off of my face it was so delicious. If you are a fan of Bavarian Creme, this is _______ (fill in the blank. I.E. perfect, sensational, mana from heaven, etc.)
The Carmelo was good, basically an empanada filled with home-made dulce de leche. Better than I was expecting.
So my initial rating was an 8 out of 10, overall. The food was good, the atmosphere was average, but the prices were Exceptional. We paid a total of $15 for dinner.

As a side note, we went back, as we made friends with the owner (monica) to show her our brand new baby boy. The floor tile has been replaced, so they are working on improving the atmosphere. They do play tango and other latin music, which definately helps the mood.
Next time you are near the mall, stop by 701 N orchard, and order some empanadas! Do it early, as they close at 7 mon-Fri, and on 4 (I think) on saturdays.