Putin's invasion of Ukraine has stirred things up beyond the region of the conflict. Cultural institutions, English soccer clubs, stock markets and even New York's revered Russian Tea Room have suffered as a result.
But it may not have been expected that a modest, mom-and-pop restaurant on San Antonio's West Side should feel obliged to purge references to Mother Russia from its menu. Alas, the ensalada rusa at Fat Tummy Empanadas is no more. The once-and-former Russian salad, a mayonnaise-heavy mélange of potatoes, carrots, peas and hard-boiled eggs popular throughout Latin America, has been recast as a simple potato salad, the owner told me with a shrug during a recent visit.
Nothing else on the establishment's resolutely Argentine menu has changed, nor should it. The "how do you pick your favorite child" cliché applies when choosing among the dozen savory empanada fillings offered by the restaurant. All are tucked into packets of tender dough as taut and smooth as a baby's belly and baked to a golden sheen.
Diners can choose to eat in Fat Tummy's unpretentious dining room, but taking your partially baked order to go is also an attractive option. No rush to get home — just pop those empanadas into a 400-degree oven when you arrive and 10 minutes later, they'll emerge fat and happy.
Another suggestion: ask for extra chimichurri, the classic Argentinian sauce of parsley, garlic and olive oil. The spot sells the sauce in 8-ounce jars of original or spicy, and both are good.
Given the quality of the fillings, you can almost throw a dart at the menu board. I tried seven out of the 12 savory options and would repeat any. But I did have favorites — namely the beef and potatoes; the humita with fresh corn, onions and a two-cheese blend; and the chile poblano with lightly caramelized onions, corn and two cheeses.
The traditional beef is also a must-try with its classic combo of finely ground meat, chopped hard-boiled egg and olives — all a great foil for the chimichurri. Chicken breast features in two options, and my only criticism is that I'd prefer it less finely chopped so it adds some texture. Otherwise, the flavors in the chipotle-accented spicy chicken struck just the right balance.
The chicken, spinach and cheese features three, not two, cheeses. Yes, the queso dominates, but just go for the goo and add more chimichurri in compensation.
Meanwhile, the Argentinian chorizo and eggs features an abundance of the country's favorite street-side snack, beef-and-pork chorizo, which dominates the herby filling.
At Fat Tummy, you can also sample Argentina's favorite way of serving the sausage — the grilled choripán. A staple at soccer stadiums across the country, the dish couldn't be simpler: grilled chorizo nestled into a French-style bun and dressed with an immoderate amount of chimichurri.
Fat Tummy's bright and snappy sausage arrives desnudo on the bun, allowing the diner to decide how much sauce constitutes "immoderate." It also comes with either fries or a surprisingly substantial salad, and I took the additional liberty of piling some of my greens as well.
To finish off the meal, don't forget to sample the smaller, sweet empanadas of dulce de leche and guava with cream cheese. The latter is especially lush.
But don't sleep on the house-made version of the alfajor that's available in packaged form. The popular dessert consists of two, buttery cornstarch-flour cookies bracketing a filling of dulce de leche, and it's amazing.
Fat Tummy Empanadas
2927 W. Commerce St. | (210) 396-7288 | fattummyempanadassa.com
Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Tuesday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday-Saturday
Entrée prices: Savory Empanadas, $4.20; Sweet Empanadas, $1.59
Best bets: Throw a dart
The skinny: Fat Tummy exists to do Argentine-style empanadas, and each of the dozen savory options has its pleasures. But make sure to try the traditional beef for a grounding starter — either in the small dining room or to take home and reheat. Among the smaller sweet empanadas, the classic dulce de leche and the guava and cream cheese stand out. Also consider the street and stadium food classic that is the choripán: sausage on a bun slathered with the inevitable and omnipresent chimichurri sauce.
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