El Sur

 At the bottom of Potrero hill, in an adorable strip mall with several independent restaurants lives the beautiful cafe and commercial kitchen for Marianne Despres and her Argentinean inspired empanada empire, El Sur. The savory pockets of greatness that she has perfected are filled with the inspiration of her life. Pollo Saltado for her Peruvian mother, Parisien -an ode to Paris and the Traditional, hand cut beef with olives and hard boiled egg, a pie to make Argentina proud. She sources her beef from local five dot farms and believe me when I say that these are some of the most thoughtfully and technically designed hand pies to touch my lips.

This is far from the corporate path she was on before moving to France to study at Le Cordon Bleu. After years in Paris she returned to work at the French Laundry and then took up catering to focus on starting a family. During this time she planned and plotted her concept and menu before finally launching her business out of a 1970 H-van she imported from France. It’s a memorable van, with a customized kitchen, its military like edges and a shabby chic vibe. Hard to miss if you’ve ever been to an Off the Grid event.

These days you can pre-order a box of 12 or 24 empanadas for pick-up or delivery. You can buy them frozen too and bake them yourself for a special occasion or an easy family dinner. And they have breakfast kits that include egg/bacon, egg/veggie and their sweet apple empanadas with coffee or maybe even a bottle of vino. A great idea for an easy Mother’s Day brunch that doesn’t include a sticky clean up after your partner and kids. In a city where empanadas seem to be on trend, El Sur has certainly set the bar high.