Dining out: Chilean Deli

Anyone who thinks the flavor of Latin America consists entirely of either Mexican or Brazilian food should make a trip to the Chilean Deli.

In fact, anyone who wants a satisfying meal that's a real break from the usual should try out this downtown cafe.

Chilean food isn't often spicy, as Mexican food can be. And it bears little resemblance to the Brazilian food that's popular in Utah.

It is definitely a cuisine apart, as we discovered on a recent weekend lunch visit.

The Chilean Deli is a great place to take the kids, though there's no kids' menu per se. But there are empanadas. Darn good ones, too, and cheap to boot (the fried empanadas top out at $1.50 apiece, and the larger baked varieties are between $2 and $3). The menu lists six kinds of baked or fried empanadas with beef, cheese, chicken or ham and cheese fillings.

We tried a baked beef empanada as well as a couple of fried-cheese and beef choices. While the baked empanadas are waiting, ready-made, in the deli's bakery case, the fried varieties are taken out of the case and into the kitchen, where they're quickly cooked before being served.

They're all good, with the baked kind more bready. The white cheese in the cheese variety was mellow and creamy, and the juicy ground-beef filling was nicely seasoned with onions and herbs and a bit of chopped hard-boiled egg. The kids loved them.

We had our share, too, but had to save room for our lunches. I tried a Chilean sandwich, the lomito palta, which the menu describes as a "pork steak sandwich." It arrived on a huge, fresh, obviously locally baked bun, generously piled with chunks of moist pork, and topped with sliced tomato and mashed avocado. It's hearty, creamy and meaty all at once.

My husband had one of the deli's meals, the bistek a lo pobre, a large plate featuring a flat, juicy steak topped with sunny-side-up eggs, with sides of white rice and French fries. I found the steak a little chewy, but my husband and the kids, who snitched bites from us the whole meal, didn't seem to mind at all.

We also shared a small loaf pan filled with pastel de choclo, a classic Chilean dish that reminded me of shepherd's pie. In this case, though, the potatoes are replaced by ground sweet corn, and there are olives, boiled eggs and raisins mixed with the filling of ground beef and chopped chicken. It's delicious, with sweet and savory flavors and a ton of textures, all enriched by the oven baking. If this sounds good to you, make sure you visit on a Saturday, as that's the only day it's available.