Tortas Ahogadas – Las Picosas, Maxwell Street

Tortas Ahogadas – Las Picosas

In search of typically Jalisciense chow, I traveled to Las Picosas on the southside to sample the surprisingly somewhat rare Guadalajaran tortas ahogadas (“drowned sandwiches”). The place is unprepossessing (click to enlarge and see World-Class Ass taking up two prime parking spaces in front):



I was turned on to this source for Mexican sandwiches by the illustrious ReneG, who warned me that I should go with lowered expectations, and I did, but still, this seemed to me some god-awful chow. Now, I’m willing to admit that I don’t know as much as I should about this particular type of torta, and I’d very much like to hear about other people’s experiences with them, but the overwhelming flavor of mine was sourness, perhaps contributed by the joint acidic interaction of pickled onion and tomato sauce. The bread was so stale I felt temporary carpal tunnel syndrome developing in my wrist as I attempted to saw through the crust (in all seriousness, though, perhaps this sandwich developed as a way to use stale bread: just cover it in hot sauce to soften it up). Although a smear of beans on the bolillo is di rigueur for these sammies, this one came, instead, with a small taquito of beans, which was actually one of the best parts of the meal. Overall, this sandwich seemed like an excellent way to wreck perfectly good carnitas.



Fortunately, on the way home, memories of my lousy lunch were displaced by a vision of a gigantic Native American with glasses, standing proudly and protectively over Pulaski and 63rd; suddenly, everything seemed okay.



Las Picosas
6446 S. Pulaski
773-735-1954

Tortas Ahogadas: Maxwell Street: Green House

About an hour ago, still reeling from the miserable torta ahogada I had yesterday, I blew down to Maxwell Street for a fast survey of available sandwiches of this genre. I stopped by The Green House Steaks, and had far-and-away the best torta ahogada so far. The Green House no longer has a clear sign indicating its identity, but I’m sure many of you who have been to Maxwell Street have seen this:



Those are bolillos, the Mexican torpedo-shaped buns of French descent, slightly right of center frame (click to enlarge).

They did not have the traditional carnitas, so I went with the counterperson’s suggestion and had mine with chorizo and potatoes. I always tell the chef “con todos,” because I want to see what they’ve got, and I was surprised to see lots of green stuff go on.



Absolutely knockout fabulous, delicious, complex and relatively easy to eat with the hands. The salsa was not very hot, but that was fine because the stepped-down sauce allowed the flavors of the chorizo to shine through, as well as a rather delicate blend of greenery on top, including lettuce, green onion, and what I believe was papalo, all topped with an unexpected dollop of sour cream and some Parmesan. This was one helluva sandwich, and the bread was soft and absorbent.

I chatted with the manager-type person, and he told me that torta ahogadas and pambasos are the same thing. I believe, however, that the dollop of sour cream may be a Distrito Federal variation.

Oddly, the “torta ahogado” is apparently on The Green House’s “secret menu.” The item is listed no where on their signage at Maxwell St., nor on the menu for their brick and mortar operation at 2700 S. Millard.

Maxwell St. was very pleasant this morning, though I should note a disturbing infestation of clowns, all wearing extraordinary leather and big-toe versions of Converse All-Stars.



Note: I saw several signs in Spanish indicating that some stands were moving farther north.—it didn’t register at the time, but this could indicate the beginnings of exodus of the market to somewhere around Des Plaines Ave.

Hammond

In the days of my youth....

Haha...the Indian is even more fun when viewed from 63rd heading East. The thumb on his left hand takes on a frisky quality that can only be appreciated in person....

David,

Quite a lot has been said about pambazos and tortas ahogadas, most of it going back a ways. Steve and I had a mutual favorite spot for the sandwich in its DF style on Irving just east of the expressway. I also went in search of and found the "true" pambazo at a the taco trucks of Santa Rosa, CA.

My current go-to torta ahogada purveyor is possibly too obvious for people to have considered: Dona Torta. The cooks don't blink when you ask them to drown your sandwich.

As RST wrote, a pambazo is, strictly speaking, a kind of bread that is not much found in Chicago. It's almost like a brioche. The drowned sammy made with this bread is a pambazo. Some would say that a "pambazo" without the bread is like a Cuban or a medianoche without the breads that lend their names to those sandwiches.

If my memory serves, the nomenclature is complicated by the fact that a DF pambazo is often (usually?) made with chorizo -- but not the bread of the same name -- while the original "torta ahogada" has rather specific ingredients (lechon/pernil, red onions, eg) and is traced to a particular restaurant in, I hope I'm right, Guadalajara. I have seen and bought pambazo bread in the western suburbs but I have not seen it in the city.

We think of Mexican bread as being tortillas, but Mexican bakers are pretty specific and accomplished when it comes to regional, leavened wheat breads. Cemita/semita is another obvious bread/sandwich example. The anise-tinged challa-like bread that lends its name to the pork milanesa sandwich is fairly easy to find. The name is a reference to Semites, and not the seeds on the bun, as I have seen suggested.

JeffB wrote:As RST wrote, a pambazo is, strictly speaking, a kind of bread that is not much found in Chicago. It's almost like a brioche. The drowned sammy made with this bread is a pambazo.

JeffB,

I found bolillos, the standard torpedo-shaped bread for torta ahogadas/pambazos (which I believe are the same thing), at this cool little panaderia a few steps from Las Picosas, right next to Shark (for which I have acquired a menu, should any Peruvian enthusiasts be interested)



I used to "not get" Mexican pastry. Now, I do. They're fabulous (I was just shopping at the wrong places). The opportunity to get a load of unusual baked goods, for about 30 cents a pop, is too good to pass up. Check the watermelon slices (which, I believe, actually taste a little like watermelon).



There is just a lot of really delicious looking and tasting stuff here.



If I had the adress, I'd post it. It's about 1.5 block south of the big bespectacled Indian.

Hammond

JeffB wrote:Steve and I had a mutual favorite spot for the sandwich in its DF style on Irving just east of the expressway.

Jeff,

You're talking about La Aurora in the 4000 block of Irving Park, right? I was only there once, had, among other items, the pambazo and was not all that enamored with the sandwich.

La Aurora Pambazo


Frankly, I've never had a pombazo that rang my bell, though in theory the sandwich sounds terrific. I will have to give Hammond's Green House Steaks suggestion a try.

Enjoy,
Gary

Is it maybe La Fiesta Bakery?

La Fiesta Bakery
6430 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago IL
60629-5134
773-735-6319

gleam wrote:Is it maybe La Fiesta Bakery?

La Fiesta Bakery
6430 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago IL
60629-5134
773-735-6319

Ed, you are the God of Internet Searches (plus you seem to know almost everything). Thanks,

David

Davis, briefly,

Pambazo the bread is quite unlike a bolillo. It is as brioche is to baguette, very loosely speaking. A "proper" pambazo sammy uses this bread.

Pambazo the allegedly misnomered DF sandwich does, IME, use a bolillo and has chorizo con papas. Chicago is lousy with bolillos and to a lesser extent the softer teleras. Bolillos can be found in nearly any Mexican corner bodega or grocery.

Torta ahogada has both a specific and a generic meaning. The specific Torta Ahogada is a drowned sandwich that conforms to certain filling strictures, a la a Cuban, a beef or a cheesesteak. It has roast pork and red onions. I believe the bread is us. a bolillo. Could be wrong, as I have not had in Jalisco (too busy with pozole).

The generic TA is your favorite torta dipped in enchilada sauce and, if done right, grilled.

David Hammond wrote:I was turned on to this source for Mexican sandwiches by the illustrious ReneG, who warned me that I should go with lowered expectations, and I did, but still, this seemed to me some god-awful chow.

I was hoping your experience would be better than mine. I think I was the last customer of the day and things tasted a little stale and/or reheated. I was expecting a little more from a self-described torta ahogada specialist but I guess that’s how their sandwiches always are. It was pretty sour, wasn’t it? I like acidic foods but this was one of the first times I found myself squeezing limes to relieve the sourness. Here’s another picture of the torta, slightly dissected. I think we agree this is one sandwich best experienced through photographs.

Torta Ahogada from Las Picosas

delk wrote:Haha...the Indian is even more fun when viewed from 63rd heading East. The thumb on his left hand takes on a frisky quality that can only be appreciated in person....

In person is best of course (the ideal vantage point is the sidewalk in front of Bud’s Flowers) but here’s a photo for those unwilling to make the trip.

"Big Chief"

JeffB wrote:. . . the original "torta ahogada" has rather specific ingredients (lechon/pernil, red onions, eg) and is traced to a particular restaurant in, I hope I'm right, Guadalajara.

That’s my understanding as well: the classic torta ahogada originated in Guadalajara in the 1930s. I’m not at all trying to defend the torta ahogada from Las Picosas (an impossible task) but the one thing I found notable was their adherence to the Guadalajaran recipe: pork and pickled onions doused with fiery salsa. Many places simply ladle salsa over their regular tortas, complete with lettuce, crema and other ingredients, not that there’s anything wrong with that. The one I had at Taqueria Traspasada on N California several months ago fit that description (and wasn’t particularly good). I haven’t tried it but the Green Room’s nontraditional approach sounds really tasty. Here’s an older exchange between VI and RST about that sandwich.

David Hammond wrote:. . . right next to Shark (for which I have acquired a menu, should any Peruvian enthusiasts be interested)

A few weeks ago I grabbed what I thought was a menu but it turned out to be a rather entertaining brochure. An excerpt: “In the traditional and hospitable Shark Restaurant we are proud to offer you an excellent atmosphere, friendly service and the highest quality Creole Food and drinks. The most appropriate place to male good business agreements and reassure bonds of friendship.”

G Wiv wrote:Frankly, I've never had a pombazo that rang my bell, though in theory the sandwich sounds terrific. I will have to give Hammond's Green House Steaks suggestion a try.

Pretty much my sentiment also, though I felt the same way about fish tacos until not so long ago. I hope there’s a torta waiting for me somewhere that will similarly change my feelings.

I had another torta ahogada on S Pulaski that also failed to win me over. Las Morelianas is a newer, stylish Mexican place featuring seafood and grilled items. Several tortas are on the menu, including La Capitalina (cf. Doña Torta). The torta ahogada is offered one way: filled with pork, pickled onion, and some shredded cabbage. The fillings were quite good and generous. I had problems though with the overly soft, puffy bread and the tomato sauce without much chile presence. I requested it be hot but I suspect I received the toned down salsa mentioned on the menu. I’ll be visiting Las Morelianas again but probably not for tortas; the plates going to other tables looked very good.

Torta Ahogada from Las Morelianas

Sorry for the picture quality. It was quite dark and I didn’t think using a flash would endear me to the patrons watching Mexico handily beat Brasil, 3-0.

Las Morelianas
4712 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago
773-847-7701
Every day 11-11

I had what I think was my favorite torta ahogada ever today, the Bayless version at Xoco included. In the process, I discovered a new-to-me spot that might not get much play here due to confusion about the name. Las Cazuelas on S. Pulaski is not - according to the person I spoke to there- related in any way to the Las Cazuelas on N. Elston, mentioned elsewhere on the forum in a number of places.

Las Cazuelas on S. Pulaski:


Note the sign in the window indicating that the Torta Ahogada is a specialty.



Free stuff to start the meal:


The well-salted chips were thick and crunchy, and the house made salsas were good, if tame. Those pickled vegetables were great - just the right amount of tang to still let the crunch and flavor of the vegetables shine.



Torta Ahogada:




This sandwich was simplicity at its best. Nothing but succulent carnitas, raw onion for crunch, and a thin spread of rich refried beans on the inside. The bread was fresh, and that sauce tasted like a simple but very well seasoned (and hot!) chile puree. I've had some versions of this dish with tomatoes, but if they were in this one, I couldn't discern them. I prefer the chile version by a wide margin.


It's likely that the menu here warrants further exploration, but this sandwich was so good that I'd be unlikely to order anything else if I returned on my own.


Las Cazuelas
4720 S. Pulaski
773-254-5770

I don't have any experience with these tortas outside the xoco version, but judging from the pics in this thread, this is a fork and knife kind of torta no? I can't imagine eating one of those bad boys like a sandwich without blowing through a serious supply of napkins. I'm also failry certain the Xoco sauce does have tomatoes as well as a vinegar touch to go along with the arbol, a pure chile version would be nice.

AlekH wrote:I don't have any experience with these tortas outside the xoco version, but judging from the pics in this thread, this is a fork and knife kind of torta no? I can't imagine eating one of those bad boys like a sandwich without blowing through a serious supply of napkins. I'm also failry certain the Xoco sauce does have tomatoes as well as a vinegar touch to go along with the arbol, a pure chile version would be nice.

I was wearing a sports jacket and on my way to a client meeting, so I definitely knife and forked it. But with other clothes and different circumstances, I could see just getting messy with that bad boy.

AlekH wrote:I don't have any experience with these tortas outside the xoco version, but judging from the pics in this thread, this is a fork and knife kind of torta no? I can't imagine eating one of those bad boys like a sandwich without blowing through a serious supply of napkins. I'm also failry certain the Xoco sauce does have tomatoes as well as a vinegar touch to go along with the arbol, a pure chile version would be nice.

In my experience, the Xoco version is anomalous in that it is designed with sandwich halves pitched vertically, bottoms in sauce, to allow dainty consumption -- I can't remember another version of this sandwich that was not "drowned" in sauce.

David Hammond wrote:

AlekH wrote:I don't have any experience with these tortas outside the xoco version, but judging from the pics in this thread, this is a fork and knife kind of torta no? I can't imagine eating one of those bad boys like a sandwich without blowing through a serious supply of napkins. I'm also failry certain the Xoco sauce does have tomatoes as well as a vinegar touch to go along with the arbol, a pure chile version would be nice.

In my experience, the Xoco version is anomalous... I can't remember another version of this sandwich that was not "drowned" in sauce.

not just "drowned"... "drawneed"!

Wow, Kennyz, that torta ahogada looks great. That place is less than two blocks from where I live and I've meant for the longest time to pop in there and try the torta ahogada. I'm somewhat embarrased LTH beat me to it.

David Hammond wrote:

AlekH wrote:I don't have any experience with these tortas outside the xoco version, but judging from the pics in this thread, this is a fork and knife kind of torta no? I can't imagine eating one of those bad boys like a sandwich without blowing through a serious supply of napkins. I'm also failry certain the Xoco sauce does have tomatoes as well as a vinegar touch to go along with the arbol, a pure chile version would be nice.

In my experience, the Xoco version is anomalous in that it is designed with sandwich halves pitched vertically, bottoms in sauce, to allow dainty consumption -- I can't remember another version of this sandwich that was not "drowned" in sauce.

This thread was before my join date so i was completely unfamiliar with other versions found around town, it does appear drawneed is the prevailing style and it looks great.

Binko wrote:Wow, Kennyz, that torta ahogada looks great. That place is less than two blocks from where I live and I've meant for the longest time to pop in there and try the torta ahogada. I'm somewhat embarrased LTH beat me to it.

I hope you get there soon to enjoy the torta ahhogada and perhaps report on some other things on the menu. The place was super clean, btw, and the people staffing it were as friendly as could be.

This was my first time exploring your neighborhood, and I was really impressed by the diversity of enticing restaurants, from Mexican places that span in appearance from hole-in-the-wall to upscale dining, to a handful of what seemed like Polish dance clubs that serve food. I hope my client liked me yesterday and gives me more opportunity to work (and eat) in the area.

Kennyz wrote:I hope you get there soon to enjoy the torta ahhogada and perhaps report on some other things on the menu. The place was super clean, btw, and the people staffing it were as friendly as could be.

This was my first time exploring your neighborhood, and I was really impressed by the diversity of enticing restaurants, from Mexican places that span in appearance from hole-in-the-wall to upscale dining, to a handful of what seemed like Polish dance clubs that serve food.

The food has definitely gotten more interesting and varied here over the last ten or fifteen years with the influx of Mexican families into what was predominantly a Polish neighborhood with a smattering of Czechs, Slovaks, Lithuanians, and Irish. Other places to check out in the area include, of course, Zaragoza's Birrieria, Las Islas Marias (Mexican seafood), Pete's Market (grocery, with hot Mexican food in the back), Szalas (for Polish), Gilmart (Polish grocery/deli serving cafeteria food in the back), and Dunajec (Polish bakery/deli. Our family gets their sausages from here.) Of course, there's also Bobak's a bit up the street, but we tend to shop at Gilmart and Dunajec. Oh, and if you're in the mood for a regional cheeseburger, the Big Baby at Jacky's on 54th and Pulaski is the best version in the neighborhood (the locals also swear by their gyros, but I've only ever ordered the big baby here.)

I don't know how many of those dance clubs still serve food, but Blue Sky on Pulaski used to be the one that was well-regarded in the neighborhood. I'm not sure if they still operate as a restaurant, though.

The other food item I've been meaning to check out is either Las Morelianas or Las Cazuelas offer tacos dorados (fried tacos.) Zacatacos has an excellent rendition of fried potato tacos (crispy shell, unctuous mashed potato interior--perfect interplay of textures), but one of these two places also offers a fried taco with beans, which I've never seen before. Also, a new al pastor place opened up just west of 47th, but I haven't had a chance to peek in yet. I've been almost universally disappointed with the al pastor in this neighborhood, so it hasn't been high on my to-do list.

David Hammond wrote:I was turned on to this source for Mexican sandwiches by the illustrious ReneG, who warned me that I should go with lowered expectations, and I did, but still, this seemed to me some god-awful chow.

Las Picosas moved a few years ago, from the shopping center to a larger space a few doors north once occupied by Shark, the Peruvian seafood restaurant.



I enjoyed the torta ahogada significantly more this time, for whatever reason.



The blend of salsas used to drown the sandwich seemed more balanced, without the jarring acidity I remember from before. And the bread seemed crustier but not stale, important when the sandwich is served sitting in a pool of liquid. As before, it was served with a single taco dorado, a nice touch.

The menu is expanded and offers lonche caliente, a sandwich not often seen around here.



I don't know much about this species of sandwich but this one seems to be internally drowned with a milder sauce.

We also tried a muela that sure looks to me like a tostada (also on the menu).



If anyone knows the difference between the two, I'd love to know.

Las Picosas
6430 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago
773-735-1954