-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Empanadas
I brought a newfound love for empanadas back home with me when I returned from Argentina this past March. They really are the perfect snack as far as grab and go goes (it's a little harder to eat a taco while walking). But I've crossed paths with a diverse selection of empanadas since my return -
Honestly the empanadas in Buenos Aires kind of ruined all others for me. Every single one of them could’ve been the best I ever had. That’s how good they were. I’m not saying that Argentinean empanadas are superior I’m just saying there’s so many awesome empanadas in BA. That said I had high hopes for the Argentinean empanadas at Thimi Empanadas at 1247 S. Western Avenue on the edge of Pilsen. It’s ran by a family from Uruguay that lived in Argentina previously. The South American countries are located right next to each other and they have similar cuisines so this isn't out of the ordinary. They make a variety of baked empanadas but with this being my first trip I had to try the beef which comes ground with onions, bell pepper, hard boiled eggs, garlic, scallion, and spices. One bite of this and I was ready to name these some of the best empanadas in town right now.
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We’ll shoot over to Little Village to check out the next spot at 2455 S. Kedzie. Taqueria Misantla is named after a town in Veracruz and they offer a menu of regional snacks from the area including gorditas, tamales, and empanadas. You can choose between a few fillings but the friendly waitress suggested I get the chicken so that’s what I went with. These are fried and similar to Venezuelan style empanadas except they get topped with typical Mexican toppings including cotija cheese, sour cream, and shredded lettuce. You kind of have to eat these with a fork alike a plate of enchiladas.
Empanadas at Taqueria Misantla
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Viet Five is a Vietnamese owned coffee shop at 1116 W. Madison in the West Loop. I’m not a coffee drinker at all but I was driven in by a sign I saw for fresh Vietnamese empanadas. I don’t think I’d ever had a Vietnamese empanada before this but a little online searching led me to a similar dish called bánh gối aka a Pillow Cake. Wikipedia describes them as “meat, mushrooms, vermicelli, and diced vegetables such as carrots, kohlrabi and jicama…sometimes boiled egg and sliced Chinese sausage are used and it’s wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough and deep-fried”. You’ll find most of those ingredients in the empanadas at Viet Five making them both different and delicious.
Vietnamese Empanada at Viet Five
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Empanada Mama opened last year at 1703 W. Chicago Avenue in Ukrainian Village. It’s Minority, Woman, Veteran and Puerto Rican owned with a fully stocked bar and extended hours on weekends. I dropped by for lunch a couple months back and enjoyed a massive empanada stuffed with garlic pork and rice. These are fried so the ones without cheese are a tad dry but that’s easily remedied with an excellent salsa criolla. Also of note is the Puerto Rican rice which the courteous owner let me try.
Pork and Rice Empanada at Empanada Mama
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Roma's Italian Beef & Sausage
I’d venture to guess I hadn’t been to Roma’s Italian Beef & Sausage at 4237 N Cicero in more than a decade. Nothing against the place I just hadn’t been by for a sandwich in forever and technically I still haven’t as I recently stopped by to try their Italian beef empanadas. They come freshly fried with two to an order and are served with a little cup of gravy aka au jus. I think they must’ve got the idea to make these trying to figure out what to do with all of the beef debris that sinks to the bottom of the pot. It was fun to try these once but I still prefer my beef in bread lightly dipped with sweet and hot. Oh and I also got a gravy bread for the first time in forever. I’m always down for some old school nostalgia.
Italian Beef Empanadas at Roma's Italian Beef & Sausage
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See ya next time @chibbqking
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