Julia's Empanadas: Late-Night South American Staples
Julia's Empanadas is a late-night staple among revelers in their 20s heading home from a hard night in the clubs. The owners say their crispy, oven-baked dumpling is as important in South America as pizza is to North America. With locations in Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights and Brightwood, Julia's Empanadas may not be as prevalent as pizza, but the word is definitely spreading.
Unlike the three-bite empanadas found at food carts in South America, Julia's version can be turned into a light meal. Choose from seven salty ones: Chilean-style (beef with raisins, hard-boiled egg, onion and olive); Jamaican-style (beef, onion, potato and curry); spinach (with mozzarella and ricotta cheese); chorizo (with rice and black beans); Saltenas (chicken, potato, green peas, hard-boiled egg, raisins, olives and onion); and turkey (with cilantro, onion and jalapeno). There's also a vegetarian option, the ingredients of which change weekly (and the dough is made of butternut squash) and the Adams Morgan location just introduced a pulled BBQ pork concoction.
If you prefer a sweeter finish to the evening, try an empanada of pear and almond, peach and guava, apple, strawberry and cream cheese, or pineapple and coconut. And if for some reason you don't actually want empanadas, there are side salads, homemade soups and rice pudding.
You can also order the empanadas ahead for parties – the cocktail-sized empanadas require a day's notice and a minimum order of 25. If you want an empanada as a meal, there are various specials that include empanadas and a drink or salad.
HelloWashington D.C. Tip: In Dupont Circle, Julia's is conveniently situated next to a couple popular bars, with a faint layer of flavorful grease hovering in the air and piles of empanadas awaiting. Order at the counter and receive a bag to munch outside (it gets crowded inside). A line will form about 12:30 a.m., and drunken arguments can occur, so go earlier.
Posted on May 16, 2011 by Rin-rin Yu
