Remember the other day, when we hunted for tacos? Well, we also spotted several interesting shops to buy tortas (sandwiches). Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I couldn’t eat as many different tortas as I did tacos, they’re just too big. So I tried to pick the two most interesting ones I saw.
I was the most excited about the first place I tried. It’s called Mr. Kiwi’s. It was the night after the horrible ferry ride and around 11pm, I had managed to rid myself of most of my nausea and Jessica was sleeping hers off. When I got to Kiwi’s it was packed with locals. I LOVED the atmosphere. It was a blend of late night unhealthy eating (coughDRUNKcoughFOODcough) and healthy drinks (fresh fruit blends, etc.). My broken Spanish helped me order the Kiwi Especial. It took about 15 minutes to prepare, because it contained flank steak, chorizo, chicken, hot dogs, and some other stuff, but I don’t remember what. The chef and the clerk had so much fun making it and showing it off to other patrons.
They piled it on a huge hero bread, with mayo, bean spread, lettuce, and tomatoes. I carried it back to the hotel with a brisk walk, similar to the excitement a child has when going home with a new toy. When I unwrapped it, I started eating quickly, and just about as quickly I realized… that sandwich sucked. It had lots of meat, but not much flavor. It was just bleh. I didn’t even finish it. So sad.
Yesterday, for lunch, Jessica had some fresh fruit, and I stopped by Taco Chido, which you may recall was one of the winners from our Taco Hunt. I got a sandwich of flank steak (arrachero), chorizo, and onion. It was served on the more classic shaped Bolillo (like a Portugese roll in the US), but unlike many tortas, the bread wasn’t pressed on the griddle. Like the Kiwi sandwich, it had mayo, bean spread, and lettuce. It also had one slice of cucumber on one side of the roll and one slice of tomato on the other — a bit odd.
This sandwich tasted much better than the Kiwi sandwich, but sadly, it was just average.
I think I’m a bit spoiled. There is a place called Great Burrito, in Manhattan, that is exceptional. Their tortas are the absolute best. However, I should point out that my sandwiches here were $4 and $2 (USD) respectively, which beats the pants off the $6.50 I pay in NYC.
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awww sorry that you’re disappointed..
A giant meat torta (with hot dogs! unbelievable!) was regrettable? Now I’m disappointed for you!