Empanadas are the hot pockets of Latin America, and their origin seems to be rooted in Galicia, but there are many similar foods food worldwide, including the samosa, piroski, and the pasty.
Hand held street food can be a meal on the run, nostalgic, comforting, and nourishing, depending on what you are eating and where you are eating it, so no matter which version you consider the best, the basics of using fresh ingredients handled with care, and made with skill, still result in the pleasure of eating well:) I've not yet had the pleasure of eating empanadas outside of Los Angeles, so this blog post is written solely from the point of a foreigner eating a foreign food.
My taste buds smiled as soon as I smelled the chicken empanadas I ordered to go from Kachi Deli Cafe. They offer a wide variety of typical lunch dishes, ranging from salads to sandwiches and smoothies, but I wanted something easy to transport and eat on the road driving away from DTLA. At only $2.50 each, I was impressed by both the size and flavor of the flaky pastry and the plump and very savory filling. It did not need the side sauce at all, and I devoured one before I remembered to take a picture of the other one:)
After eating the empanada from kachi, I wanted another one closer to home, so I went to Empanada Place. I had eaten their empanadas years ago at a party and remembered them as impressive pockets of flavor. They are still impressive, both for the variety offered, and the skills with which they are made. They cost a bit more than Kachi, at around $4 each but every flavor is delicious, and they have options for vegetarians as well as meat eaters.
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