Empanada Surprise

So I was visiting my Mom at Cedar’s Sinai Hospital yesterday and I started to get hungry. I had 3 choices:

1. Go to the hospital cafeteria (that sounds appetizing!)
2. Go to the Beverly Center (and stand in line with girls half my age and more money than I’ve ever owned in my life) or
3. Go exploring to find something new.

Surprisingly I opted for #3. At the same time I had to move my car so I wouldn’t get a parking ticket and lo and behold, I had discovered that I had unknowingly parked in front of Nonna’s Empandas.

Half intrigued by the thought of having empanadas for lunch, and half exhausted from wandering around Cedar’s for an hour trying to find my Mom’s freakin room, I decided to try it.

I maybe had empanadas twice before in my life with varied results, but I figured this place makes ONLY empanadas and a million varieties.  They must have found something good to shove inside that crust.  I selected one with shrimp and one called Filipino Beef.

Did I say I had tired empanadas before? Apparently I was mistaken, because these empanadas were little fluffy pillows of meaty delights with crusted yumminess.

Maybe it was having spent the whole afternoon in a building full of anesthesia and pain meds, but DANG these things were good!

Even though they charged me $1.00 extra for the shrimp, it was well worth it. When I bit into it, it was moist, juicy and flavorful. Inside it had large chunks of shrimp, bell peppers and onions, and when you top it with chimichurri sauce – HEAVEN!

Next I tried the Filipino beef, it contains ground beef, potatoes, carrots, peas, raisins and spices. I had to cut it open, (much like what was happening to my Mom at Cedars), but the empanada looks appetizing inside. See for yourself.

Can’t wait to visit Mom again today!!