A Meal in a Crust

That's the motto of Pasty Kitchen, a little hole-in-the-wall corner store on Katella Avenue in Los Alamitos. I've often driven by this place on the way to my nephews' house in Cypress, but had never set foot in it. Finally, having joined the Grub Club, my curiosity finally got the better of me, and I made a quick u-turn to find out what "A Meal in a Crust" was all about.

Score! A "pasty" is like an English version of an empanada, but as big as a char-siu bao! A huge fistful of meat (chicken or beef) and vegetables (potatoes being the major veggie here) is stuffed into a pastry shell and baked to a golden brown. It is hot, filling, pretty good-tasting (I prefer the chicken to the beef; they also have a veggie-version.) Each pasty is about $2.00, but I challenge you to finish one and not say that you are full, or almost full. A pastry is truly a "meal in a crust" like the handpainted sign outside claims. Stop in, buy a half dozen or so, freeze them, and voila! You have a "meal in a crust" ready to be microwaved for any meal!

Cheers!