Chile Lindo baked empanadas (weekends only) - who's tried them?

[hhc]

I read from a blogger a mention of Chile Lindo baked empanadas - anyone have them yet?

Chile Lindo
Currently serving Saturdays & Sundays, 10 am - 6 pm
2944 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
[phone]

Blogger mention:
http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/20...

[lmnopm]

The filling in that pic looks like really authentic Empanada de Pino. This may be heading to my "special trip" radar, because the best empanadas (IMnshO) are the chileno baked empanada de pino. They are even folded in the traditional style. (You can tell the fillings apart by how they are folded.) I'd love to hear from someone who has tried them.

[Melanie Wong]

On this hot afternoon, I stopped by Chile Lindo to check out the Chilean style empanadas. The storefront is unmarked but a few photocopied articles taped to the windows let me know I was in the right place. There is a small counter with a couple stools to eat there, and you can have your empanada heated, but this is basically a take out place.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/3541542014/

There were two types available, don’t know if other styles are made beyond that. I bought one of each. The half-moon cheese empanada was $4; the meat-filled empanada de pino was $5. If you buy a dozen, you get two more for free.

The cheese one was nothing special, filled with cheddar and what seemed like pepper jack cheese with a definite kick. I was far more interested in the empanada de pino, folded in the traditional manner, which was quite hefty and measured about 7” across at the widest point. The golden brown, thin pastry was crispy and filled with Empanada de pino, unique Chilean style of turnover filled with coarse ground beef, sauteed onions seasoned with paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper, raisins, a black olive, and a slice of hard-boiled egg. I liked the balance of sweet, savory, piquant heat, and salt.

Empanada de pino
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniew...

This was my first encounter with a Chilean empanada. I’d be interested in hearing how Chile Lindo’s compare with those made by Café Valparaiso or Sabores del Sur.

[lmnopm]

I cannot compare them with Cafe Valparaiso or Sabores del Sur. I can give them a "critical" evaluation, however.

This is the closest thing to a real empanada chilena that I have had, outside of Chile. I visit Chile one to two times per year, so while I'm not an "expert," I have had my share of empanadas. I like them more than the Argentine versions (where I also have had more than my share).

In some ways, they may be better than some empanadas chilenas. This is probably because they are baked in smaller batches and aren't sitting around as long as a place that makes them in the thousands. The pastry was somewhat more crisp/less soggy than many I've had. However, this may also be because they were somewhat thinner and more spread out than I'm accustomed to. This I didn't like quite as much. (The overall weight and contents seemed about right, however.) However, this difference was not significant, and may have kept the pastry from becoming more soggy (which it wasn't at all).

The olive didn't have a pit, which is probably a good thing here, as we wouldn't be expecting it.

I had one last night with dinner (reheated) and another at lunch today (reheated). Both held up well. Today's was the same as yesterday's as far as the crust not getting soggy.

I did not see if she had any aji there. I put some aji pebre (I buy it in bottles when I'm in Chile) on it which gives it really that extra chileno touch. (You can find that in a handful of latino markets in the bay area, but it is expensive here for what it is. A mexican salsa just doesn't have the same flavor.)

To sum this up, if you eat her empanadas de pino, and put some ahi pebre on it, you will be eating something pretty much as you would be eating in Chile (at 3x the price, which I kidded her about).

And if she ends up reading this, she should start making Pastel de Choclo in to-go tins for oven reheating, and I will cry AND be her temporary subservient slave.

[Melanie Wong]

Thank you so much for your critical eye and palate on these empanadas. I glanced at the posted article there, and I thought it said something about pastel de choclo. The owner wasn't there at the time I made my purchase, but I understood that there used to be more offerings and on weekdays too.

Cafe Valparaiso is in the East Bay. Please do let us know if you have a chance to try it.
http://www.chow.com/places/44695

[Jeni Bean]

This is very exciting! We had a favorite empanada place in Washington DC that made this type. The combo of the savory beef with the raisins and egg is to die for.

Thanks MW!

[Melanie Wong]

I'll be interested in your opinion, please do report back when you try them.

Since this thread has been bumped, I'll mention that I tried Sabores del Sur's empanada last year. It's not the empanada de pino.

[L C]

Although Guiselle the owner of Sabores del Sur is from Chile, many of her recipes (alfajores, anticuchos, etc.) are Peruvian.

Sun Stream Coffee has a homemade hot sauce (bottles on table) for their conxinhas, that has similar ingredients to Pebre. But in my opinion the Brazilian hot sauce is much MUCH more hot (sorry for the bad grammar), almost "volcanic". Really only 2 or 3 drops is enough.

[Melanie Wong]

Cool . . . errrr, hot! Anything else you recommend at Sunstream?

[L C]

Sunstream is a tiny shop that specializes on salgados (savory snacks), fruit drinks and coffee. The coffee is strong, I haven't tried the fruit juices yet.

- The conxinhas are the best seller, that's a deep fried pear-shaped ball filled with shredded chicken, that supposedly resembles a chicken drumstick. It's good.
- other "snacks" are only okay (risoli, empadinha, esfiha), basically baked or fried pocket pies in different shapes. The fillings available each day vary over time (beef, chicken, ham, egg, shrimp, potato, hearts of palm, veggie mix, or cheese).
- I didn't like the quibe (fried bulgar wheat oval filled w/ground meat).
- Brazilians recommend the cheese bread (pao de queijo).
- Health fanatics like to get the Acai bowl, a smoothie made with that fruit and topped with granola.

[Melanie Wong]

Thanks, I love coxinhas and haven't had one for a long time. Your post jogged something and I found rworange's old post on the place. Thanks for the reminder, I'll have to try harder to get over to Sunstream Cafe.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/45572

[L C]

Adding link

[hhc]

read on Yelp: Open 8am-10pm daily also a vegan empanada has been added to the menu.

[susancinsf]

Update: Chile Lindo is closed Sundays, open Monday through Saturday.

[lmnopm]

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010...

Sad. Someone brought an ADA suit against the landlord. (The someone who has 100+ various ADA suits against mostly small businesses) and so the location is closed, but she'll still be selling empanadas out of the basket. Sighting reports welcome.

[Melanie Wong]

Here's the follow-up story.
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010...
Chile LIndo has reopened, but NO ONE is allowed to go inside. Non-discriminatory that way.

Edited to add: When the first news that the trapped Chilean miners were alive first came out, I couldn't help but think about this thread when it was announced that special empanadas were being produced for them.