Manny's Tortas - Pollo Torta

I've been meaning to get out to the Midtown Global Market for quite some time and for no reason other then the fact that I had a lonely stomach and was craving something different, I decided to finally pull the trigger last Saturday. The market is a loud and vibrant place with a healthy pulse and food everywhere. It's pretty much my own personal heaven. You can get just about every type of ethnic cuisine and take care of your grocery shopping as well. There are some very good meat, seafood and produce purveyors, and I know exactly where to go next time I need to go get some already ripe avocados.



I've been obsessing over pictures of Manny's Tortas for quite some time so after making the rounds and evaluating my food options I decided to look no further than their sandwich booth. There was no line when I arrived and I breathed a huge sigh of relief because after a quick lap and observing all the tempting food I was ready to do some work.


I shot through the menu quickly and settled on the pollo, although there were several combos that looked like they would be right in my wheelhouse. I would have easily gone for the eggs and chorizo, but the overindulgence of Thanksgiving was still fresh on my mind, so I played it safe. Plus, I just knew I was going to dig this shop, so I figured I could experiment further on a return visit.


The sandwich came out fast and I was more then ready to finally sink my teeth into the heaping construction. This particular beauty was built for flavor and not for function or style. I could tell I was in for a sloppy ride, but I was up to the challenge. I took a huge bite and the sandwich was a bit slippery, but it was really freakin' good. The bread had a nice crunch on the exterior, but was soft and chewy on the inside. A layer of chipotle mayo was a nice vehicle for spice and added a smokiness to the sandwich that played well with the other ingredients. The chicken cutlets were breaded and heated up so that they were crispy and flavorful, yet a bit oily. The real kicker for the sandwich was the fresh toppings. Fresh ingredients make for great tacos, and the same idea is applied here. A nice smash of avocado added a degree of tongue cooling richness that makes for a killer sandwich. The fresh jalapeno added a smooth layer of heat that mingled really well with the fresh lettuce, tomatoes and snappy onions. The textures made this sandwich feel completely substantial and fulfilling. It was so fresh and so flavorful, that it was a true pleasure to down. Before I knew it, it was all over. My only complaint was that it all ended too soon. The sandwich (served with chips) was only $8, and made those $5 footlongs look like a tragedy of a deal in comparison.

Sandwich Rating: Killer. Too flavorful and too fresh to be anything else. I'll be heading back to the market just to pick up these delicious tortas in the very near future for sure. It's pretty far out of the way for me and parking can be a pain, but it's a small price to pay for the excitement of a fresh sandwich loaded with layers of flavor.

Happy Eating,

Teddy

Scott Jamama's BBQ

I love good BBQ and it was pretty nice out last Saturday, so I decided to try and squeeze a few last drops out of summer and grab a nice BBQ sandwich. You could drive past Scott Jamama's BBQ in Tangletown and not even realized you missed it - good thing I know what I'm looking for. The place is a classic dive with only two tables and a little register to order at, but it's swimming with character and the appearance of a serious BBQ joint. I walked right in and all the seats were taken as usual, but since I live right down the street I had already decided to take it home anyways. I ordered the pork sandwich and Scott asked if I wanted mild, medium or hot. No brainer - hot. Scott reappeared a few minutes later and told me I owed $5 and he handed over a foam container that felt like it had a small dumbbell in it. If you pair the enormous sandwich with the cole slaw, bag of chips and soda he gives you, you realize you are getting a crazy deal.

I took the sandwich home and soon realized the generous allotment of pork and sauce quickly overcame the inconsequential bun, and I decided to attack this with fork and knife. The sauce was rich, sweet and hot at the same time. You definitely got the heat in the finish, but the rich pork flavor was sort of lost. I managed to get a few bites that weren't overloaded with the robust sauce ad it was really good. The pork really was pull apart and was cooked to perfection. The bun, as mentioned, was nothing special and was essentially an attempt to organize the pile of swine and sauce.

My Rating: Good, not great. You literally can't beat the deal, or the convenience, but I think you can beat the execution. I would have liked about half the sauce I received so I could get a little more balance in the sandwich. I think over saucing is a common mistake in BBQ and getting less sauce would greatly help the cause here. I'll head Back to Scott Jamama's, but probably not until a very cold day in the winter when I need a jolting reminder of warmer days to be savored.

Happy Eating,

-Teddy

Corner Table Ham, Cheese and Rustica Baguette

I swung over to Rustica this morning to grab another sandwich from the Corner Table. I arrived right when they were setting the display up and the gentlemen doing so told me they make their own corned beef for the sandwiches. I thought that was a nice little nod to their pursuit of excellence. I settled on the ham and cheese sandwich because it looked tasty and because it featured a smoked paprika aioli,.

The sandwich is composed of a nice crusty baguette layered with Hidden Streams ham and Fenceline Farm provolone. They used some nice buttery bibb lettuce ans smeared a delicious aioli on the bread to make the flavors nice and bright.


The ham was really good. It was firm and think and was closer the the variety you would eat during the holidays vs. what you would pick up at the deli. It wasn't too salty and the marbling of the flesh made it rich and luscious. The provolone cheese was pretty strong and a bit gamy for what I typically perceive as a pretty creamy cheese, but it was a nice contrast to the firm and flavorful ham.
The aioli was really nice and light especially when compared to a standard mayonnaise. It had a serious jolt of lemon which was nice and refreshing, but I didn't catch much paprika, which was a bit disappointing. Overall the sandwich was rich, satisfying and a meal in itself. I really appreciate the fact that Corner Table uses good ingredients and still manages to keep their prices low. The $7.75 I paid for the sandwich was more then worth it and I'll be back to enjoy some of their other creations soon.

Sandwich Rating: Tasty. I'll be back at Rustica several times a year to eat, but I'll want to try something new every time I'm there. The sandwich was very good, but not enough to overcome my curiosity for something different when I return. The sandwiches Corner Table makes to sell there are all quite good and I'd rather keep things fresh before I settle in on a favorite.

Happy Eating,

-Teddy