At first Maria Empanada brought genuine Argentinian empanadas to mainstream fast-casual dining in Denver. Now, owner Lorena Cantarovici has composed a love letter to her home country through sandwiches.
“The Sandwiches de Campo have a story. The bread has a story, the components of the sandwiches have a story,” said Cantarovici, adding she always wanted to include another component to Maria Empanada, but didn’t have the support staff before now. “It’s [like having Argentina in your hands, but on a different level than an empanada, and they come very well together, they are good friends.”
When Cantarovici came to Denver from Argentina she had $300 and the means to make really good empanadas.She started catering, then sold out of her garage, and finally opened the first Maria Empanada in 2011. Since then the original shop has closed, but now Cantarovici has four locations with plans to expand beyond Colorado. But first, she revamped her places to resemble an elegant Buenos Aires cafe and added an ode to that city through a new sandwich menu.
The idea for the dish came from the Argentinian style of bar food. Often, said Cantarovici, when you go out for a beer you’re served little plates of cheese and other other nibbles for free. She wanted to put those meats and cheeses together in a hand-held way that’s easy for her customers.
The bread garnered inspiration from Cantarovici’s grandfather. Her family grew up in a small, poor town in Argentina, where her grandfather built a large oven for the community to use. In it her grandmother would bake bread, adding salt and olive oil on top, and forged herbs into the dough. It’s a memory Cantarovici holds close, and when creating the bread for the sandwich program she wanted to replicate the taste and comforting feeling.
“It was my grandmother’s magic,” said the owner, who compares the bread to focaccia but a bit denser. “She was making bread not only for her, for them, but she was also doing it for the community.”
Each of the Sandwiches de Compo also has a story behind them. The Gaucho Steak ($17.49) comes with thinly-sliced ribeye, caramelized onions, smokey mayo, melted havarti cheese, and roasted red peppers. It pays homage to the gaucho, or cowboy, culture found in the country. That, and the amazing beef and barbecue the area is known for. The Recoleta features ($16.49) a combination of brie cheese, prosciutto, shaved ham, arugula, and fig marmelade. The name comes from one of the most exciting and elegant neighborhoods in Buenos Aires.
“If you are a tourist you will go to Recoleta for sure, because everybody will send you there,” explained Cantarovici. “So this [sandwich] is basically sophistication in your hands.”
Next is the Choripán ($15.49), a love letter to Argentinian football. The dish is stuffed with housemade chorizo from the owner’s own recipe, fresh arugula, garlic aioli, salsa criolla, and chimichurri. In a way, said Cantarovici, it’s like getting a hot sausage after or before the game, topping it with chimichurri, and eating right there.
“Remember that we are soccer fans, and there is no Sunday that you are not going with your family or your friends or dad to the stadium,” she said, adding the aroma of hot chorizo would permeate the air surrounding the field. “As soon as you are getting closer to the stadium, it is right there and everybody is grilling chorizo.”
The last Sandwich de Compo is the San Esteban ($17.49). Inside the fresh bread layers of mortadella, stracciatella cheese, roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and pistachio pesto cream work together beautifully. The name hails from the little town her grandparents lived in, the one with the famous oven. It’s meant to be simple, fresh, traditional, and humble. And, while mortadella may sound upscale, in Argentina it’s a cheaper meat that’s made right there.
Currently the sandwich menu is only available at the Riverview and Broadway shops. The other two, said Cantarovici, are just too small and do better with a real grab-and-go menu served quick. While the sandwiches are easy to take out, unlike the empanadas they are made to order.
Add on a traditional mate service while there and bring a friend or five. It’s the best way to transport yourself to Argentina through setting, flavor, and tradition. Plus, all the food is great to go to if you want to bring that taste to a park, on a hike, or home. Find the locations and hours on the website, mariaempanada.com.
