Empanadas Maria Elba

Where to Eat and Drink in Hood River

"Fried empanadas overflowing with melty cheese; colorful completo hot dogs topped with diced tomatoes, sauerkraut, mashed avocado, and mayonnaise (don’t knock it til you’ve tried it); and doughy sopaipillas bring the flavors of Chilean homes and markets to Hood River’s food cart scene. Owner Norma Vega and her husband originally hail from Chile’s capital city of Santiago, but now serve popular Chilean street food from this food cart along 13th Street. The house specialty is the empanada, stuffed with traditional fillings like a blend of ground beef, onion, eggs, and black olives called pino, or non-traditional fruity fillings like pineapple. The recipes come from Vega’s grandmother, for whom the cart is named. In the summer, you can cool off with a glass of mote con huesillo, a syrupy-sweet drink made with peaches and husked wheat brought from Chile." - Zoe Baillargeon, Molly Allen