Alright, folks – gather ’round. Your boy has another food truck adventure to write about. In case you’ve missed it, I’ve been scouring the area, looking for all the good good to try on BestFoodTrucks.com. I had seen this killer-looking empanada truck, CHIVANADA, parked in random spots around town, but had yet to see ’em in my neck of the woods (Hermitage/Mt. Juliet).
I just happened to check one day last week, and saw that they were going to be parked out near Bender’s Ferry on Thursday. Sound the alarm – it was go time.
My girlfriend and I loaded up and made the drive across town. I went with a classic beef empanada, but the first lady was brave enough to go in on CHIVANADA’s ‘chocolate y queso’ empanada. Yes. It was literally an empanada stuffed with semisweet chocolate and gouda cheese. We couldn’t decide on an appetizer – we were both pretty hungry, and of course, for the sake of journalism and getting a full review together, we elected to get two. We went with the buñuelos (I’m a big time hushpuppy guy) and the patacones (I’m a big time plantain guy, too).
I shelled out the $40, we picked up our food, and decided that since we were out by Bender’s Ferry anyway, we’d just go park out by the lake and eat instead of driving all the way back to Hermitage and risk our food being cold. I gotta say – it was quite the evening.
Eating hella good food and enjoying the sunset with a nice cool breeze at the lake – this is how life should be lived, folks.
Check out more on CHIVANADA on their Facebook page. Let’s dive in!
Pics
Ratings
Food: 7.9/10 – When I say that this was a hearty meal, I mean it was H E A R T Y. But, the flavor – my goodness – I described the carne empanada to my mother as a “taco in a piece of cornbread.” It had that classic taco flavor. The gouda cheese is a nice touch. But, it’s the corn meal breading of the empanada itself that really won me over. I could see this being a big time comfort food in the cooler weather months.
The buñuelos were like hushpuppies on steroids with a hint of a cheesy flavor and texture added. And, the patacones were nice, crispy, and salty. I will say that if you don’t like plantains…probably best to not go with the literal plantain chips. They are very plantainy.
Finally, I just had to try the cheese and chocolate empanada. It was so rich…I can see doing one…but how anyone eats two of those things is beyond me.
Value: 4.5/10 – I initially thought, “whew, $40 is a bit steep for a food truck meal for two people.” But, common sense prevailed, and I realized that I left a $10 tip, we did get TWO entrees and TWO appetizers. Honestly, the girlfriend and I could’ve split a single order of empanadas and a single app, spent about $20 with a tip and been just fine. We were definitely STUFFED miserably at the end of that meal.
Overall: 6.2/10 – One of the better food truck meals you’ll find in the area, and it’s also something different beyond the usual BBQ, hot chicken, tacos, burgers, hot dogs, etc. that you usually find in the food truck world.
CURRENT NASHVILLE RESTAURANT RANKINGS
- Butcher & Bee (8.5/10)
- Nectar: Urban Cantina (8.44/10)
- Von Elrod’s (8.17/10)
- Catch 22 (Mount Juliet) (7.125/10)
- Red’s 615 Kitchen (7/10)
*Keep in mind, we’re just starting out. This list is only 26 deep at this point. Stay tuned as we continue to build our anthology of Nashville reviews.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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