Chilean Dogs Get Their Day

"chile: long and narrow land," was the title of my 5th-grade report. years later, i would think of chile when under the spell of pablo neruda's odes or listening to victor jara's music and reading of his sad fate. never once did i encounter or think about chilean food. yet, barros luco has moved in to introduce us all to "authentic chilean cuisine" in the form of grilled cheese sandwiches with chilean touches, like string beans and banana peppers, empanadas and vienesas (chilean style frankfurters).

a meal in itself, the baked empanada ($5) is a whopping 5"x3" rectangle bursting with chopped steak and onion, zipped up with black olives and hard- boiled egg, and served with a tiny, piquant side of pebre, a coriander and aji pepper chilean condiment. the crust is as hefty and savory as on the best british meat pie.

the vienesas, in contrast, are almost all topping and very little substance. "where's the frankfurter?" i wondered, dipping under the avocado, tomato, salsa americana, sauerkraut, mayo and bright yellow mustard colorfully adorning the bun of my "dinamico" (i.e., the works). vienesas are as good and thin as gray's papaya dogs, but it's the toppings that give them oomph. -- barros luco 300 1/2 e. 52nd st. (betw. first and second avenues) 212-371-0100

got a snack attack to share? contact nbrand@aol.com