Top  DINING  Trend

“Every culture in the world has its own version of fast food — quick, tasty and not very expensive,” says Molly Irani, co-owner with her husband, Meherwani, of the new Chai-Pani, in Asheville, N.C. With its friendly, casual ambience and menu emphasis on the traditional Indian snacks known as chaat, Chai-Pani straddles the line between quick-serve accessibility and ethnic authenticity. The concept creates a new option for sophisticated diners who want more than just drive-thru speed and convenience when looking for something quick.

A lot of big-name chefs and restaurant operators are embracing this new, global fast-food trend, borrowing from streetside carts and marketplace menus all over the world and fusing a limited-menu concept with modern amenities and, in some cases, more of a sit-down style. Rick Bayless, the chef behind Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, opened XOCO to celebrate such Mexican street food and snack classics as tortas, empanadas, churros, house-made hot chocolate and caldos (soups and stews).

The menu at G Street Food in Washington, D.C., reflects owner and star baker Mark Furstenberg’s wide-ranging travels with a daily-changing menu that runs to Indian lentil salad, a banh mi sandwich, Moroccan tomato soup, Montreal-style bagels, and a tartine sandwich and sausage of the day. In New York City, Surbhi Sahni, pastry chef of Devi, opened Aamchi Pao, a small shop turning out “pao slider” sandwiches and other Mumbai-style street food.

What these operators understand is that all-American quick-serve restaurants (QSRs) are a great format for introducing global tastes.

“Empanadas are ideal for a fast-casual presentation, and they have the potential to be the next food to go mainstream, like tacos already have,” says Leo Suarez, owner of Chicago’s Macondo Colombian Coffee & Empanadas, which opened in summer 2009. “Every country in Latin America has some version of the empanada, so people understand them.”

Colombia’s are made with corn flour, turned into a simple dough with salt and water, then filled and fried. They are crisp and flavorful and can be filled with a wide variety of different ingredients — and, as Macondo’s menu points out, these flaky little turnovers are also gluten free.

“Our restaurants have survived because we’ve reached out to a predominantly American clientele and haven’t depended on Colombians for our business,” Suarez explains. “We’ve been able to introduce our culture in a positive way — not just the food, but also the music and art.”

Macondo serves a clutch of different empanadas at the friendly price of $2.50 for an order of two, with “aji casero” hot sauce on the side. Suarez’ selection includes Tradicional, with beef and potato; Pollo, chicken with red and green pepper sauce; and Carne Molida, with seasoned ground beef. He also has empanadas filled with cheese and guava as well as vegetarian versions featuring mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and onion in chipotle sauce. His sweet version is filled with dulce de leche and banana. Rounding out the menu are stuffed plantains, chorizo, fried yucca and a small selection of the stuffed-cornbread snacks known as arepas.

Suarez continues to add to the menu, with empanada specials like those filled with tuna or snapper, avocado or pork belly, fried chicharrone-style. He would also like to introduce skewers of grilled meat.

Many of these items pair sweet with salty ingredients and crisp textures with melty ones, like the sweet plantain stuffed with guava paste and soft cheese, then broiled to create a traditional Colombian specialty full of the flavor and textural contrasts that are increasingly appealing to Americans.

“I think anyone who can do this kind of concept right, in a style that appeals to a broad spectrum of customers, has a great deal of potential for expansion,” say Suarez.