Empanadas To Go in Chino: Baked Turnovers Filled with Meat and Hard Boiled Egg Doused with Chimichurri -- Need I Say More?

I go to San Bernardino County for work monthly and I always like to discover a new find and this time, it was Empanadas To Go in the City of Chino. Yes, it's far, but if you're in the 'hood, it's a great to go option. It's also a great place to pick up picnic or Hollywood Bowl food, and it offers catering too. I am always in search for Chilean empanadas but haven't found any in LA. There are plenty of Argentine options in LA but still, none come close to my fave empanada joint in DC called Julia's Empanadas.

This joint had a ton of varieties, although I'm most partial to any of the beef options, including criolla or spicy beef. The key is the chopped hard boiled egg pieces. They help to balance out the saltiness of the beef filling and add a different texture too.

I usually don't like the non-beef options like chicken and spinach but these had flavor and it didn't seem like the owners skimped on the quality of the ingredients. I also approved of how this place operated when they fresh baked all the dozen or so empanadas I got on the spot, rather than pre-bake and sell them heated through. Look at those lovely browned edges! And they were all shaped differently to easily distinguish which had which filling.

Having said that, the place wasn't without its downsides. Maybe it's me, but I really didn't care for the cheese and ham versions. The ham was cut into little cubes but were too tough and chewy. Not good. Not sure which cheese they used but the cheese was like a cheap Swiss cheese that didn't even melt very well when warmed.

I'll definitely skip these next time. And of course, there was the chimichurri sauce, which the woman at the counter was a bit skimpy with so I had to ask for two extra. I was buying a dozen and she only gave me two. That's pretty outrageous. Inconceivable, I say. So I asked for two more. She reluctantly handed them over. They also have alfajores for sweets lovers but I didn't love them. Maybe I'm used to the packaged ones that are super crunchy from a ton of shortening but the locally made ones didn't do much for me.

The all veggie ones were soso but the chimichurri sauce made everything taste good. They even had dulce de leche dessert empanadas that were a big crowd favorite. I liked them but I think I'm a savory person when it comes to empanadas. Viva la empanada!