Other options include orecchiette with savory crumbled sausage and cherry tomatoes ($11), and well-charred steak, sliced thin and served over arugula ($19).

Ruben's, a trim, inviting storefront, offers a large selection of plump empanadas that have perfectly turned crusts, crisp around the edges, and are filled with spicy chicken, savory Argentine sausage or other choices.

On the long list of tapas-like appetizers, I loved piquillos rellenos, two sweet, meaty, mildly hot peppers stuffed with savory sausage and chopped plantain.

A couple of empanadas, perfectly turned crusts that are crisp around the edges and plump with spicy chicken, savory Argentine sausage or other fillings, make a fine fast lunch.

Then he's off to Lyon with fat rounds of savory garlic sausage ($7) paired with look-alike rounds of boiled potato and hard-boiled eggs, all dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

"I want to be a sausage machine pouring out good sausages, savory and toothsome, delightful, desirable."

The body of the beast was filled with savory sausages, stuffed peppers, whole capons, and vegetable torts.

His "shop" is a small, unadorned room with a counter and a scale near storage areas where savory sausages and paprika-covered hams hang on hooks.

An immense portion of chicken scapiolla ($12.95), loaded with savory sausage, thin-cut roasted potatoes, zucchini and green peppers, holds special appeal for hearty eaters who seek robust flavors.

I chose from the regular menu, picking the savory sausage with jacket potato over the vegetable spring rolls ("suitable for vegetarians"), tuna and peach salad and the ever-present bacon sandwich.