Empanada-palooza

During the last two Taste of Chicago events, Las Tablas sold a whopping 100,000 empanadas. We pity the cooks, who barely managed to turn them out as quickly as the crowd devoured them.

But we thank Las Tablas owner Leo Suarez for giving us the chance to get our fix all day, every day, by opening Macondo, an empanada and coffee shop up the street from his family's Colombian restaurant in Lakeview.

Currently in soft-open mode, Macondo offers seven kinds of empanadas ($2.50). The sweeter options--like dulce de leche with bananas, or mozzarella with quince--are a perfect complement to Macondo's Colombian coffee.

But it's the savory ones that will earn a place on your constant craving list. Flaky, salty pastry--deep-fried to a gorgeous golden-brown--surrounds braised beef, chicken, vegetables or cheese. With a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of the house-made hot sauce (a piquant concoction of onions, jalapeños, cilantro and olive oil), they go from fried to sublime.

Between now and the official grand opening on October 12, look for the empanadas to be joined by sandwiches, arepas, a breakfast menu, a selection of CDs for sale by both Colombian and local artists, and a wall of organic, fair-trade coffee and espresso beans, specially sourced and roasted by Metropolis.

Macondo, 2965 N. Lincoln Ave. (near Wellington Ave.); 773-698-6867 or macondochicago.com