It is lunchtime.
Our favorite time of day.
Today we're eating at a place called La Americana.
And the slogan is La Reina de las Empanadas.
The queen of the empanadas, so that is exactly what we're going to be trying.
We've ordered a sampler plate with five different ones and that should be coming really soon.
So La Americana, the name of this restaurant, is actually a little bit of a misnomer because
they specialize in more like traditional hearty types of fare.
Yeah, like pizza and empanadas.
You won't be finding hot dogs or hamburgers.
No, nothing like that.
No, it is not American.
And this is one of these cool longstanding restaurants that is located on Avenida Corrientes.
Yeah, the theatre district area.
What is that fancy little thing you've got over there.
Alright, so this is pretty cool.
It is called soda sifon.
And it is basically soda water and I guess they just prepare it here.
Honestly, I don't know the technicalities.
I don't know how you make soda water.
Well, that is obviously the device that makes it work.
But yeah, so then you just go like this.
Oh, it is leaking.
You've got soda.
I do have soda.
La la la.
Look at those bubbles.
Isn't that cool.
Salut!
Isn't it bad luck to toast with just water?
Probably is.
It tastes like soda water.
They have arrived.
Yes, and I think we may have ordered one too many because these are massive.
Two or three too many.
These are gigantic.
They're a lot bigger than what we were expecting so I think we'll have some leftovers for dinner
or maybe a quick snack.
Um, but anyway let's dig right in.
I'm going to start with this one right here.
This one is called Cuyanita.
It is a meat empanada that has been deep-fried.
So let's just cut into it first so you can see the filling.
There we go.
It is steaming.
So you can see the beef there, there is a green olive and also a bit of egg.
I'm going to have to wait for this to cool down.
I think it is fresh out of the deep fryer to be honest.
It is burning my fingers.
Blow on your food.
Mmmmm.
Oh, oh my gosh.
That is one of the best ones I've had in the country.
I kid you not.
But have a look.
The meat is kind of juicy.
It is really nice and also the dough is made with lard.
So you kind of get like a salty greasiness coming through which probably isn't healthy
but it tastes amazing.
And which one are you trying next?
I'm trying Criolla which is also a meat one but apparently this one is baked as opposed
to fried.
So let's dissect that here.
Oh, look you can see the juices.
The juices are coming out.
Oh, wow.
Wow!
Wow.
Oh, wow!
You know what I don't even know I can really hold it.
Oh, that has got a green olive in it as well.
You can see it steaming.
Look at that.
Oh, baby.
Let's try that.
So you also had a bit of mine which was deep-fried.
So you'll have to compare the two.
You know what, there is one common element between the two of them and that is that there
is so much awesome juicy ingredients inside.
Like, these are some of the best empanadas we've had in South America not just in Buenos
Aires.
They're so juicy and so flavorful.
Honestly, the only difference really between the fried and the baked one is just how the
dough tastes on the outside.
The fried one is a bit more crispier whereas this one has more of that typical baked type
of texture.
So next up I'm going to try one that is called Pastel de Choclo which technically isn't an
empanada.
It is round and it looks more like a pastry.
But I mean, it kind of looks like a fancy Danish or something.
But it was listed on the menu next to all of the empanadas so we figured why not.
Let's just add it in.
Oh, look at all of the corn.
Oh, yeah wow.
Look at that.
Yeah, oh my.
So this one is a lot flakier if you can see the dough it has lots of layers.
It is like Mille-feuille.
Um, and yeah you can see the corn right there.
It is very buttery.
You can feel it.
Let's take a big bite.
To me it looks like a cross between a Danish and a Croissant.
A stuffed Danish.
Mmmmm.
You know what it has icing sugar on top.
So it is an interesting combination because it is kind of savory.
Like I wouldn't say the dough is super salty but it is kind of savory with the corn.
And then you add a bit of sugar on top.
It is interesting.
I've never had anything like this.
It is like a crossover pastry.
Mmmmm.
Unusual.
But I'm glad I tried it.
It is time for another.
Which one are you having next?
Yes, I am having the tuna one.
The atún one.
And much like the one you just tried this one has a texture more or like a pastry or
a croissant.
Yeah.
And so very flaky.
But you can see there is a generous amount of tuna here.
Let's see.
Mmmm.
Yum.
Alright, let's try that.
Mmmmm.
Yeah.
That's really good.
I haven't had a lot of empanadas with tuna before so this is a pretty unique flavor.
And it just it is kind of strange having a tuna pastry that is more like a like a croissant
than a typical empanda.
Yeah, but it goes well.
I mean there is also a little bit of a sugary taste on this one too.
But it is overwhelmingly savory though.
I noticed it had a bit of icing sugar.
Good stuff.
Well, well was that a good choice for lunch?
Yeah, that was an awesome surprise.
I mean, we though the empanadas would be good here but we didn't know how good they'd be.
They were spectacular.
And they're very affordable too.
Between 19 to 26 Pesos.
So that is not a lot of money at all.
I mean, you're looking at less than $2 US dollars between 1 to 2 US dollars about 1.50
to 2.00 US dollars.
It is really good value.
So yeah, come check it out.
La Americana on Avenida Corrientes.
Yes.