Four Empanadas

It is Saturday night, the day after Halloween. Hubby and Mady are hungry. I phone in a food order at Aguapanela's, a Colombian restaurant near me on Queens Boulevard. After waiting 15 minutes, I pick up my food. I ordered a mini bandeja, Hub got milanesa neapolitana, and Mady got 4 empanadas (2 chicken, 2 beef). I got two bags worth of food, and trekked back home. Hub is taking the food out and says there are no empanadas! I ask if he is certain, and he is, we looked everywhere. Great. Plus he tells me the price seems a bit high, we look at the menu, and it is. Double great. I phone them to tell them about my predicament, they tell me to come back.

So across the Boulevard of Death I go again. I showed the guy at the register the bill, and he informed me they have a new menu, I checked, and the prices were correct. One solved. He apologizes for the lack of empanadas, I say OK. Then his boss comes over to me. He has a very inquisitive look on his face. He says "You did not receive the empanadas"? I say "No". He says "Are you sure"? I say "Yes, they were not in any of the bags". He then says "No, I know they were there- I put them in the bag myself". I said "And I know they were NOT there because they were NOT in any of the bags"! He then said "Show me". I asked "Show you? Show you what? The bags are at home". He said "Yes, OK, lets go, I go with you and you show me". This idiot wanted to go to my apartment with me so I could show him there were no empanadas? Who does this? Plus are we really gonna gyp them for 4 dollars? We could have hidden them or eaten them in that time. He then says "They were in a little white container, I placed it on top of one of the entrees". I said "Yes there was a little white container but that was the salad". Then he said "The salad...oh....OK I'm sorry..You're right". I make for you now fresh". UGH. Then he went to the back, and the man at the register said "Thats my boss, he's crazy". I laughed. After asking me to "please, sit", he gave me a coffee "on the house". Geez, thats the least they could have done.

This time, I checked the bag before I left to make sure. What ever happened to quality service? Plus, this place is never busy! Ever! There are a ton of Colombian restaurants I can go to in Jackson Heights, and they are better, IMHO.

I brought the leftover empanada for lunch the following Monday. It was chicken. Chicken is not as good as beef.