About 10 years ago, I started volunteering at a mother and child homeless shelter called Clinton. Each week, our task was to entertain a group of kids while their moms took classes, or indulged in some rare alone time. After about a month, I noticed that there was a core group of women that were always there: Jen, Kate, Mary, Moriah and Sarah. One day they invited me to join them for dinner after volunteering. My latest post, an ode Empanada-Mama ,and friendship is dedicated to my Clinton Girls ❤️.
We all loved Empanada Mama from the very start. The food was great, the atmosphere was lively and it was very affordable! Through the years, while munching on plantain chips dipped in guacamole, we celebrated new boyfriends, marriages, births and work promotions. Areppas and watermelon salads helped us get through moves, job searches and family troubles. Dessert empanadas and red wine Sangria helped comfort us through illnesses, break-ups and deaths.
This story is so interesting…please continue!
The group shifted as groups do. Amongst other changes, Sarah went back to school and Moriah moved to Boston. A developer bought the homeless shelter building and planned to make it into condominiums 😡. Through all of that, Mary, Kate, Jen and I remained close friends. It was (MUCH!) harder to coordinate, but we always managed to continue our tradition of going out for dinner. We tried many restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen, but we always returned to our original: Empanada Mama.
What does the fam think?
At some point, I brought Renato to Empanada Mama and he really enjoyed it as well. When Nina and Alex were about 3, we decided to go as a family. Back in the day, Empanada Mama was TINY (they may have been able to squash 30 people together on a good day!). They didn’t take reservations and there was always a long line. The littles began to get HANGRY, so in a desperate attempt to quell the fire, I did what I normally do: entertain. Yes, I probably looked and sounded like a fool to all of those who passed me by on 9th Avenue that day, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I made up “The Guacamole Song” to keep spirits high and occupy them as we waited. It worked! In the end the chips, guac and cheese pizza empanadas won their hearts! (PS – I still sing “The Guacamole Song” every now and then 😂).
In 2016, we all mourned the loss of Empanada Mama after a terrible fire shut them down. Whenever possible, we would drive downtown to their other location to fulfill our empanada urges. A year later, the Hell’s Kitchen location re-opened in a much larger space. We ran there as quickly as we could!
What’s it like there now?
Then coronavirus came and ruined life as we knew it. No more friends, and no more trips to Hell’s Kitchen. (Yes, I am being glib…and obnoxious…and yes, I KNOW how privileged I am). We ordered Empanada Mama a few times during the COVID era, despite the fact that the one delivery service that would make the 40-block trip had an outrageous service fee. Then, last week, Alex had a craving for empanadas and (WTF?!) that one service STOPPED delivering to our neighborhood‼! We needed to make the journey downtown, so we did.
I thought there would be normal table service, but I was sadly mistaken: right now, Empanada Mama is take-out only. You must place an order with the cashier and wait outside until your name is called. From there, you may sit at (one of the few) tables outside, if you are lucky enough to snag one. We were!
The table was nasty, but I found the DIY cleaning station. I had not been prepared to have to work, but that’s ok…it’s better than sitting at a dirty table! Our food came super quickly and it was packed up the same way it always was for delivery. We dined on makeshift paper-bag “plates” and danced to the music of 9th Avenue traffic. It was all worth it! Yummy as usual! I highly recommend a trip to Empanada Mama (or, if you live close enough, order in!).
To read more COVID-Cautious Adventures, check out:
- How To Make A COVID Era Birthday More Fun
- A salon in Manhattan with outside services
- COVID-safe dinner and movie in Brooklyn NYC
- The emotional onslaught of COVID-19
- The Early Days of COVID19 With Kids