The tour begins

I was on my honeymoon in Mexico City when I fell in love. It wasn’t with my wife, it was with the torta.

For five weeks Cathy and I traveled through Mexico, starting in Mexico City, studying Spanish in Morelia, then making a coastal loop from Zihuatanejo, through Acapulco, up to Taxco and back to the capital.

We started the trip as vegetarians, hesitant to eat anything that might make us sick, but as we grew more confident with our travels, we grew more confident with our eating. As time passed we grew restless and let our taste buds wander; lengua, menudo, taco de ojos. My only regret was that we didn’t start our eating adventure earlier. Perhaps it’s better that way, after all, we did discover some interesting vegetarian restaurants and enjoyed the puzzled looks we received when we ordered dishes “sin carne.”

But it was my last meal of the trip, a quick bite to fill up before heading to the airport, that became my most beloved memory.

El Tigre is a small, exposed eatery at the corner of Mariscal and Iglesias that specializes in tortas. “¿Que es favorita?” I mumbled to the friendly server behind the counter in my butchered Español. “Tradicional,” he responded. I took his advice. Sandwiched between a crisp French roll was a thin strip of milanesa­–a breaded meat fillet– along with tender pieces of chicken, ripe avocado, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise and savory Oaxacan cheese. Tradicional es mi favorita tambien!

A perfect trip topped off by a perfect meal. My torta benchmark has been set high and I’ve been searching for its equivalent ever since.

I’m always excited to find a restaurant that serves tortas, but I can rarely bring myself to order the Mexican sandwich. I figure I’ll be disappointed so I stick with burritos. Even a bad burrito can be good, but a bad torta is a true disappointment. I’ve come to realize anything can pass for a torta. I’ve had tortas that were nothing more than cheese steaks without cheese.

That’s why I decided to start this blog - as incentive to start ordering tortas. I may be disappointed, but at least I’ll have fun reviewing my experience. And who knows, maybe the research will pay off and I’ll find a torta that will top El Tigre.

I don’t have high expectations for this blog. My only hope is that I can take some nice photos, share my experience and probably put on a few pounds. Estoy listo...