A cozy Argentinian restaurant opened about four months ago near the Newtown area of Virginia Beach.
Tango Bites, owned by Chris and Alba Constante, offers a small menu consisting of three appetizers, four sandwiches — including grilled chicken and beef or chicken milanesa — and four salad options. Dine in at one of the five tables or call ahead and take out lunch or dinner. Prepare to wait; made-to-order food takes a while to cook.
I didn’t mind the wait on my two recent visits. All the appetizers and two sandwiches were worth it.
Chef Chris Constante, whose father is from Argentina, has mastered a juicy chicken empanada ($3.50) that will go down in my book as one of the best in the 757. I had to examine the inside to make sure it was poultry. I confirmed that it was and continued eating with pleasure.
The beef empanada ($3.50) held its own too. Fried, golden crust stuffed with seasoned ground meat never gets old. I could attend an empanada-only party and not miss the other foods. This one would be the star.
I experienced the same gratification after one bite of the skirt steak sandwich ($17). The flavorsome meat was grilled medium, the way I like it, with mostly a tender chew. After a few tough spots, I decided to sample my husband’s sausage sandwich ($12). It gave me sandwich envy. I loved the layers of thick, delicious sausage piled on top of lettuce, tomato and slices of red onions. I made a mental note to get it on a future visit.
The restaurant listed the shrimp-stuffed avocado ($12) as an appetizer, but it can serve as a main course. About six to eight grilled shrimp came stuffed in a halved avocado topped with a creamy, herbaceous lime sauce on a bed of shredded romaine lettuce.Fresh, light and — as JJ Evans said on the ’70s sitcom “Good Times” — “dy-no-mite!”
Rekaya Gibson, 757-295-8809, rekaya.gibson@virginiamedia.com
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If you go
Where: 5650 Virginia Beach Blvd. at Newtown Road, Virginia Beach
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday
Details: 757-408-1772