Julia’s Empanadas
14th Street & Park Rd.
Washington, DC 20010
202-328-0008
Hours: 10am-8pm
Adams Morgan
2452 18th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-387-4100
Open Fri-Sat til 4am
Dupont Circle
1221 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-861-8828
Open Fri-Sat till 4am
Pockets are like opinions around DC, everybody, it seems, has at least one. They go by so many names. There’s the pita, the pupusa, the gordita, patties, knishes, turnovers and something called the P’zone. All tend to be crusty, doughy and delicious. Some come stuffed with spiced, tangy meat while others ooze savory cheese. And then there’s Pizza Hut.
In case you haven’t figured it out, the pockets of which I write are of the edible variety.
In my opinion, the queen of this most portable and delectable invention is the empanada: a pocketbook-sized pocket of pure goodness. And in the DC area, there is no finer establishment to dine on these endlessly noshable treats than Julia’s Empanadas.
The word empanada comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap in bread. At Julia’s you’ll find a global selection of fillings folded into several varieties of custom dough. Take Julia’s Jamacian style empanada, please: this spicy ground and chopped beef, onion, and potato blend is buried in dough cut with curry. For non-carnivores there’s a straight-up vegan version (ingredients vary) with a crust containing pureed squash.
From more traditional Latin America tables come Chorizo(Spanish sausage) with white rice and black beans; Chilean style beef(ground and chopped) with raisins, hard-boiled egg, onion and calamata olive; and Saltenas: chicken, potato, green peas, hard boiled egg, green olives and onion. Flavors run from sweet and savory to spicy and sumptuous. Presented beautifully, encased in a glistening golden crust decorated with braids and other repulges (custom patterns), all are a feast for the eyes as well.
A selection of salads and daily soups - all fresh, all homemade, all delicious - round out a meal wonderfully.
Then along comes dessert: fruit empanadas of the sweet apple, strawberry and cream cheese, peach and guava, and pear with almond paste variety. Pan Dulce Royal!
The shops themselves are as compact and efficient as the signature dish. Eat in if you like, though empanadas are designed to be devoured on the run, which is how most local take them, during business or bars hopping hours, sometimes both. (Available until 4 AM weekends!)
With every last menu item coming in under $4.00 - and this is fact not opinion: Julia’s won’t be tough on your pocket.
-N.S. (08/15/08)