Uruguay's National Sandwich Makes its Way to, uh, Wellington?

A sandwich is a sandwich is a sandwich. Unless it's a chivito. The chivito, for those of you unlucky enough not to have wrapped your gums around one, is the national sandwich of Uruguay, a sort of Latin-esque breakfast-slash-lunch McManwich for the kind of guy or gal who'd jump Ronald McDonald in a parking lot, steal his ratty wig and beat him to death with one of his stupid, over-sized boots.  

Your typical chivito is jammed with thin slices of beef, crispy bacon, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato and fried eggs, with perhaps a slathering of mayo. A full meal on a bun, it doesn't just satisfy your hunger but grabs it by the throat and shakes until it begs for mercy. And where can you get one of these appetite-destroying McManwiches without a long flight to Uruguay or even longer drive to Miami's esteemed El Rey del Chivito?

Uh, Wellington?

Yes, the tony burg of the horsey set is one of the few (perhaps the

only) places north of the Miami-Dade border where you can start

jonesing on this rich, meaty, smoky, juicy delicacy -- at Cilantro's

deli (3975 Isles View Dr., 561-296-6500), just off Lake Worth Road.

Cilantro's isn't much to look at, just a modest storefront with racks

of Latin food products and a couple of big cold cases filled with deli

meats and various prepared foods. But they make your chivito to order,

griddling the egg and thin sheets of filet mignon and slapping them

still hot into a loaded baguette so the cheese gets all molten and the

juices soak into the bread and. . . well, you get the idea.

All it costs is eight bucks and some change so check it out. And tell the clown to take a hike.

Cilantro's

3975 Isles View Dr., Wellington

561-296-6500

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