Cuban sandwiches are good, but like Rubens and the Bahn Mi, they’ve had their day in the sun. Enter the Chivito.
The discovery came, as discoveries often do, as the result of a happy accident. The original mission was to get empanadas from Cakes and More. The South American bakery has launched a worthy fried pastry operation, selling empanadas in three flavors: beef, chicken, and cheese. But, while waiting on the empanadas, a little frame on the counter featuring the Chivito Sandwich popped into view. It sounded intriguing, and a subsequent Google search indicated it’s the national food of Uruguay.
So, back to the bakery we go.
The Chivito is a messy thing. More meat than bread, the sandwich is built on a barely-there bun, stuffed with slices of red tomato, tender frilly lettuce, thin slices of ham, soft bacon, a fried egg, and a slab of steak. The steak is tender enough to be manageable in the sandwich. A generous slather of mayo between several layers oozes out the sides while giving the combo an irresistible boost of hedonistic heaven. It’s served with fancy fries: thin cut, and spiked with a garlicky seasoning.
Of course, if you get only the Chivito, you’ll regret missing the top-shelf empanadas: hands down, the best in recent memory. A tender pastry is stuffed with chunks of quality chicken in a reddish sauce with olives and sautéed onions. Alternately, the beef version features little niblets of beef in a similar savory mix with sautéed onions.
So, bring a serious appetite. It won’t take much money to eat yourself silly: $10 for the Chivito and fries, another $5 for a couple of empanadas. There’s a bakery shelf of cakes and cookies too. We’ll leave you to your own devices there.
Cakes and More can be found at 4969 North High Street, just north of Morse Road.
For more information, visit cakesandmore.us.