Happy Cake Bakery TORTAS 1350 W 18th St

I wandered into the Happy Cake Bakery on 1350 W 18th Street for lunch today and was excited to see a nice variety of dagwood style tortas on the menu. I ordered the Maradona. There are 3 torta menus on the wall, two of which are named after soccer players I would assume. I'm fighting the urge to slip into a torta coma as I type this, but I just had to post about it because I was there between 11:35AM and 12:25PM and it was dead. Not a soul was coming into this establishment to eat, and the many times I have driven past it, it's empty. Across the street is a McDonalds where the drive thru line spilled out into the street and people just kept going in and out - as I sat there eating this wonderful creation, I felt sorry for all of those people going to McDonalds.

My torta was missing the avocado as pictured, but I am not going to complain, I loved every bite of this Maradona meat monster. The price is a bargain, too.

Note on the horchata: warning, it's REALLY sweet. I probably would get something else to drink. Also their red and green salsas are very "creamy" and I have never had a table red/green salsa quite like theirs.

Behold, the TORTANATOR!

Carne asada, Tocino, Ham, Pierna Blanca (??), Hot dog, Chorizo, white cheese, yellow cheese, pineapple.











And why not a little dessert, after all I am at a bakery - some fresh flan on top of some very chocolately cake dough.




Hope you enjoyed the pics and they made you hungry for a Happy Cake Torta.

UniAddict

UniAddict wrote:I wandered into the Happy Cake Bakery on 1350 W 18th Street for lunch today and was excited to see a nice variety of dagwood style tortas on the menu. I ordered the Maradona. There are 3 torta menus on the wall, two of which are named after soccer players I would assume.

Excellent that you bring up the topic of megatortas again (here's an earlier thread); I've been meaning to say some more about these sandwiches. I think the three categories you saw at Happy Cake (maybe also known as La Baguette and Doña Torta) are Tortas Futboleros (named after soccer teams), Super Tortas Guapachosas (general names) and Mega Tortas (named after soccer stars). It's not a coincidence these same categories are used at the La Baguette Bakeries (they may have newer names) on 26th Street and on Ashland and also at Doña Torta Chilanga on Cermak. Sorting out the connections is tricky and indeed that's the reason I haven't posted yet.

Happy Cake/Doña Torta/La Baguette, 1350 W 18th, February 2013

UniAddict wrote:My torta was missing the avocado as pictured

I agree the picture suggests there is avocado on the Maradona but if you read the ingredient list you'll find no aguacate. I'd have to say your sandwich was assembled correctly. I wonder if they simply used the wrong photo for the Maradona. With so many similar tortas, it would be an easy error to make. It doesn't look like they shorted you on the (canned) pineapple though.

These megatortas can be tasty (though some simply have too many ingredients for their own good) and they're usually great deals.

I agree, I did notice the ingredient list later - even though it didn't match the picture. It didn't need the avocado anyway, there was so much going on with all of the tasty different meats, it was a party in my mouth. Flavor overload... maybe a little too much, but it's something I would probably only get once every several months.

My favorite thing about these overwrought sammies is the Mexican penchant form naming things with monikers bearing no apparent connection to the item at issue. Nothing screams "Russian" quite like a hot dog and pineapple on breaded steak.

JeffB wrote:My favorite thing about these overwrought sammies is the Mexican penchant form naming things with monikers bearing no apparent connection to the item at issue. Nothing screams "Russian" quite like a hot dog and pineapple on breaded steak.

I know exactly what you mean with the odd national naming conventions; still, my friends in Siberia would love this sandwich. As a food adjective in Spanish (ensalada rusa, salsa rusa, cerveza rusa), or even in early 20th century English (Russian dressing, an American imagination with caviar being one possible naming factor but mayo and pickles being equally important in my mind), the primary connotations are often sweet-and-sour, red, emulsified, imperially grand, and preserved. I'd say its the harder sausage + fruit combo that takes this one over the top into tongue-in-cheek Russian territory, but the one way to find out would involve sampling one, and I have to say I'm leaning Chilanga on the first go.

JeffB wrote:My favorite thing about these overwrought sammies is the Mexican penchant form naming things with monikers bearing no apparent connection to the item at issue. Nothing screams "Russian" quite like a hot dog and pineapple on breaded steak.

Considering Maradona's well-publicized weight issues and the size of that sandwich, seems that menu item is at least aptly named.

I

Matt wrote:

JeffB wrote:My favorite thing about these overwrought sammies is the Mexican penchant form naming things with monikers bearing no apparent connection to the item at issue. Nothing screams "Russian" quite like a hot dog and pineapple on breaded steak.

Considering Maradona's well-publicized weight issues and the size of that sandwich, seems that menu item is at least aptly named.

The name would be especially apt if you got a small bag or two of uncut Bolivian on the side with that sandwich.

I plead guilty that I drive past all those businesses on Blue Island a couple of days per week at about 6pm, and never stop. Most of the food-oriented businesses in that stretch just don't seem busy, and I have a dysfunctional thing about walking into an empty food place. I do stop at that McDonald's drive-thru for a $1 beverage from time to time.

But I've been meaning to stop at Don Churro, so I guess I'll make it a two-fer.