"If some meals feel like fireworks shows, then by contrast, others are a nice pat on the back. This 50-year-old Chilean restaurant in East Hollywood falls into the latter category. It's not flashy in the slightest and your dinner will probably take two full hours. But the unrushed casualness forces you to pump the brakes on your day and sit down for a simple, filling meal at one of LA's only Chilean restaurants. What Rincon Chileno lacks in pizzazz, it makes up for in traditional, no-nonsense food. The main reason to visit this restaurant is to eat their incredible empanadas. These golden beef pies have a soft, spongy crust that gives a little when you press firmly with your fingers. They're thick enough to conceal the pino, the Chilean name for ground beef stewed together with soft onions, olives, and golden raisins for a little break of sweetness. Bite into the cheese empanada, and a wave of salty, melted dairy oozes out the crispy fried crust. Not everything on the menu works as well as the empanadas. Over in entree world, there's a nice, lightly breaded milanesa, but it might hit the table at the same time as some ceviche mixto that eats like an eraser cap. Be confident ordering the humita, though. This steamed corn tamal is soft like custard, and perfumed by the sweet, dried basil mixed into the masa. We'd commit to a long meal at Rincon Chileno any day if it involves the humita. But you really do need to commit. Despite incredibly kind servers, the flow of a meal at Rincon Chileno can feel awkward. Service is slow and the space is sparse, with a wall dividing Rincon Chileno's restaurant area and a mini-mart section where you can grab a quick empanada or shop for Chilean wines, pastries, and frozen humitas. Expect to spend some time alone with your thoughts, in between the thuds of meat cleavers from the kitchen and the YouTube playlist on the TV streaming folk music. Rincon Chileno's draw is at least partially due to LA's lack of Chilean restaurants. But if you're looking for great empanadas and an excuse to slow down for an hour of your life with thoughtful, delicious food, it's a good choice. Not everything has to be fireworks, after all. " - Sylvio Martins
