Good Taste: Empanadillas
Empanadillas by the sea Most fans of the Sandbox Cafe know this quirky Long Beach Island bathhouse-turned-funky garden eatery as a destination for hearty, inventive breakfasts.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/J7OCH5EIXZCLTHHUWOAGD4NHPI.jpg)
Most fans of the Sandbox Cafe know this quirky Long Beach Island bathhouse-turned-funky garden eatery as a destination for hearty, inventive breakfasts.
Enormous "deep dish" pancakes stuffed with sweet cheese sizzling from the oven in bubbling maple syrup. The Parmesan baked egg, peeking out of its creamy sauce from beneath an English muffin.
The handmade empanadillas on the lunch menu, which begins daily about 11:45, offers an intriguing taste of owner-chef Dana DiSalvio's heritage as a self-proclaimed Nuyorican.
As taught to DiSalvio by her Mamá Monseratte Ferrer, each hand-crimped and crispy pastry is stuffed with minced sirloin seasoned with tangy soffrito, capers, and olives. And it resonates with Latin savor.
Like everything else at the Sandbox, the portion is generous (five per order), and unmistakably homemade.
Empanadillas, $7.95, Sandbox Cafe, 2604 Long Beach Boulevard, Ship Bottom, N.J., 609-361-2425.
- Craig LaBan