Day 32 - Cubana Tortas

Rick Bayless is an American chef who specialises in Mexican cuisine. This restaurant is one of his latest and is based at the O'Hare airport. It specialises in tortas which, in this sense, are Mexican grilled sandwiches. They have a lot in common with paninis. The bread, when grilled, is hard and dry on the outside, whilst in the centre it becomes slightly moist and combines with its filling. I got the Cubana which, predictably, was filled with meat and cheese. The best thing about Mexican cuisine is the balance: It has spices and sauces which rectify the balance where a mouthful would ordinarily be too salty, cheesy or meaty. And this sandwich struck that right balance, flavour wise, with the coriander and chipotle mustard adding some zing to the creamy avocado, cheese and beans. A criticism about this sandwich was the quality of the meat, which was slightly tough and over-seasoned. Other than that, it was very tasty.



Description: Smoked pork loin, Nueske’s bacon, black beans, Chihuahua cheese, coriander crema, chipotle mustard, avocado Torta
Location: Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless, O'Hare airport
Accompaniments: None
Companion: Fiancée
Rating: 8/10