This Chile is Mild.
If you follow world news at all, you’ve probably noticed that Chile has had a lot happen in the last few days. Voters have turned down a proposal to change their constitution, which in turn has perpetuated violent protests. According to the New York Times, “Chilean voters rejected a 170-page, 388-article proposal that would have legalized abortion, mandated universal health care, required gender parity in government, given Indigenous groups greater autonomy, empowered labor unions, strengthened regulations on mining, and granted rights to nature and animals. In total, it would have enshrined over 100 rights into Chile’s national charter, more than any other constitution in the world, including the right to housing, education, clean air, water, food, sanitation, internet access, retirement benefits, free legal advice and care from birth to death.”
Chile is one of the most conservative countries in Latin America, and its constitution still holds policies in place from Pinochet’s dictatorship. To put it in perspective, Chile finally allowed its citizens to get divorced in the year 2004. Chileans were functioning under a marriage code that was written in the 1880s. If they wanted to divorce, they would amicably separate or run away from their partner depending on the circumstance. As troubling as things may be in Chile at the moment, I actually found calm and peace on a rainy day off 108th Street and Northern Boulevard at La Roja De Todos. Located in the neighborhood of Corona, Queens is a quaint Chilean restaurant serving up traditional dishes that really can’t be found anywhere else because most restaurants serving the cuisine have shuttered.
My Chilean friend Ali gave me a long list of what to order since she wasn’t available to grab dinner with me. Unfortunately, a good chunk of those things weren’t available so I had to improvise on the spot and just randomly pick things from the menu. Let’s start off with the appetizer, which was the empanada de pino. This traditional empanada contains a savory mixture of beef, onions, raisins, olives, and hard boiled egg in a perfectly folded crust. I found the mixture inside to be very sweet from the caramelized onions but was balanced with the gentle fattiness of the meat. I usually LOVE an empanada, but this one wasn’t my fave. I think what was a bit off-putting for me were the warm raisins and whole black olives. It still had an interesting taste that differed from all the empanadas I’ve ever had.
I ordered two entrees to chomp on: sandwich a lo pobre and cazuela de pollo. The sandwich a lo pobre is essentially a Philly cheesesteak style sandwich but without the cheese, on better bread, and a fried egg on top. The steak was very tender and a bit greasy, but I think it gave the sandwich its juiciness. The sandwich roll was the absolute softest bread. Even though it was the end of the day when I ordered the food, the bread was still soft and held everything together wonderfully.
La cazuela de pollo is chicken soup with big chunks of chicken, rice, string beans, pumpkin, corn, yuca, carrot, and bell peppers. It was my first time having bell peppers in a soup. Who would have known that peppers don’t taste that bad in soup?! I will say that I was taken aback by how salty the broth was at first, but then it kind of dissipates and mellows out because of the starchiness of the veggies. It was a great soup for a rainy day.
Ali told me to order a peachy drink called mote con huesillos. This drink is like Chilean boba tea, if you will. The drink is made from a dried peach that is rehydrated and cooked with water, sugar, and cinnamon. Then it's poured into a cup with mote, also known as fresh cooked husked wheat. You slurp the wheat through your straw like you would tapioca pearls in boba. This drink blew my mind. It was very refreshing but also a bit spicy (not hot spicy - more of a flavorful spice) from the cinnamon. The flavors melded well and tasted like caramelized peaches. I thought the wheat nibblets were going to be a weird texture, but it just reminded me of the puff wheat cereal Smacks. Such a strangely awesome drink.
Last and certainly not least, I grabbed dessert because I can’t say no to sweets! I ordered an alfajor. It’s a spongy sandwich cookie with dulce de leche inside. The cookies tasted like soft lady fingers and were super sweet. It had a hint of almond flavoring that reminded me of the Stella D’oro anisette cookies I grew up eating. The amount of dulce de leche on the cookie wasn’t too excessive, so it was just the right amount of sugar rush I needed to end the meal.
Chilean food isn’t brash or necessarily bold in flavor. The cuisine is milder and more understated than I would have thought. It’s steeped in comfort and tradition, much like most of its country still is. Hopefully, in the future Chilean food will have the capacity to grow beyond one restaurant in Queen’s limited menu, just like the country can do the same for its people.
Cook. Eat. Repeat.
Natalie 💗✨
That empanada! This piece! Made me hungry. And miss queens. 💛
Okay first I haven't thought about a Stella D'oro cookie in ages! 😂 And second, the mote con huesillos does not look particularly appetizing to me but it sounds amazing! I look forward to trying it one day.