Take my hand. Look ahead. Feel the music. We must say this. We must. We really must.
Not all empanadas are alike. Please forgive me. Some are greasy, boring, stale or worse.
Ah, but El Nandu’s empanadas are small round balls of light dough stuffed with more kinds of fresh ingredients than you would imagine.
Try a Criolla empanada filled with ground beef, green pepper, onion, tomato, olives, raisins, a hard-boiled egg and spices.
Pop a Pescado empanada filled with fresh cod, onion, green onion, tomato, green pepper and spices.
And there are chicken and spinach and shrimp and steak and cheese and ham and cheese empanadas. All are only $1.50 each.
But before you begin sampling, start with a good-size house salad for $4 or a potato salad for $2.50. Then choose some empanadas, add a touch of hot sauce, some Chilean or Argentinian wine and you have danced into life’s limelight.
The entrees are just as much a delight. The Milanesa rellena ($9.95), breaded steak stuffed with ham and cheese, is more than ample in size and art. But a better main course might be the chicken with chimichurri, which is a dressing of garlic, parsley, oil, vinegar and spices ($7.95).
The homemade flan ($2.50) is so delicate it pays not to stuff. Or it pays to go right to the flan and then stuff.
There are other reasons to like El Nandu. It is a large, well-kept room that looks out onto Fullerton Avenue. Its walls are filled with art for sale, and there is a constant slide show of pictures of Argentina or the dishes or whatever.
Unlike some high-priced artsy joints, there is a sizzle of life here, which is what big American cities are about. Thursday nights starting at 8 are open mike for mostly Latino music. Friday nights there is tango music. Saturday nights, romantic music.
But the best part is the empanadas. After all, El Nandu’s slogan is “The House of Argentine Empanadas.”
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El Nandu, 2731 W. Fullerton Ave., 312-278-0900. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-10 p.m. Sun. A, DS, M, V. Wheelchair accesible.