I get giddy when I find little treasures such as this. I had originally bookmarked this little…read moremarket because of their empanadas, but I found so much more.
The market is small and cramped and packed to the gills with Latin American and Spanish goods. They have good looking produce, a nice big butchery, multiple freezers and refrigerators filled with specialty items that will make your brain work on overtime.
The way the deli works for buying their prepared food is different from some. You must first place your order at the back counter. You will receive an itemized ticket which you must take up front to the cashier. Then, you return to the back to show your proof of purchase receipt and then you get your food, bagged and ready. The total wait for us was about 10 - 15 minutes, not bad. I get it, why they have to do it this way, but it is time consuming and inconvenient at best.
We did get some empanadas. They are fried, not baked, so have an extra good crunch with every bite. There are two ground beef fillings, i.e. two different recipes. Three were the wonderful filling that has green olives (my favorite), and one that was described as spicy beef (that really was not all that spicy). Both were delicious, and their dough was flaky. This could easily become one of my favorite destinations for a reliable empanada.
Besides the deli empanadas, there was a nice selection of empanada disc's (round pastry wrappers) in the freezer section if you are inclined to make and stuff them yourself, and frozen empanadas made by Goya in yet another freezer.
I also convinced myself I needed to buy two tamales. One Guatemalan, the other Peruvian. These are sold frozen and are ordered at the deli counter. Haven't tried them yet, but I am excited because they are not so easy to find.
Other products that caught my eye included a fascinating collection of sausages, chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), Spanish linguiça, Spanish chorizo, smoked meats (Corte's brand), smoked herring, quail eggs, and other imported delicacies. Perhaps I will not need to drive all the way to La Española in Harbor City anymore for Spanish imports?
They sell a very comprehensive list of Goya brand products and prepared foods. I grabbed a bag of ready to eat sweet plantains from the freezer as well. All so tempting.
By the time I had perused the whole store and was headed to the cashier, my guard was completely down. There it was... freshly baked goods critically placed next to the cashier so you can't miss them. Soft crust baguettes and rolls in baskets, and small, sweet pastries and cookies in their bakery case. There were several pastries that looked very special, some featuring custard or quince filling. We, of course, had to buy some. I have already tested the one filled with the quince and topped with finely grated coconut. It was outstanding, not very sweet. The dough was lightly brushed with egg yolk for a rich, beautiful finish. These were super fresh and very tender. The baked goods are delivered fresh from an Argentinian bakery in Burbank.
This is a great find! Not your usual small neighborhood grocery. I am very excited to return.
