Though my heart (or perhaps stomach) belongs to Banh Mi, I also enjoy a good torta once in a while. Not an over-stuffed massive beast of a torta, but something on a nice toasted bolillo, a balanced amount of decently flavored and moist protein (i.e. pork or beef). For me, there's something nice and summery about wrapping your hands around a yeasty smelling roll..... well, perhaps that's not putting my best typing foot forward, but I hope you understand what I mean.
More then a few months ago; a co-worker, "KM" told me about a Juice Bar - Smoothie - Sandwich shop that her husband enjoys called Tropical Oasis off of Telegraph Canyon Road in Chula Vista. I few weeks later I just happened to be in the area.... and went looking for it. The reason I'd never seen it before is that I usually go East on Telegraph Canyon, always looking to my right getting off the 805. If I'd just look at ten o'clock while exiting the freeway, I might have seen the place.
The shop is small, with a few tables, brightly colored walls, and looked very clean and smoothee-ish, if you know what I mean.
KM's husband had a recommendation for me; but I decided to try something a bit.... well simpler, for reasons that would become clear later on. I just went with the simple Torta de Lomo:
The sandwich took a while, but once I sat down and went to work, I found that I rather enjoyed this simple roasted pork sandwich.
The pork was moist, and had a simple, straightforward pork flavor, with a pleasant, almost "clean" finish.... you know what I mean; I didn't feel like I needed a shower and a nap (in that order) after eating this. The thinly sliced red onion added a bit of bite, the avocado rich-creaminess, the tomato a tart-acid presence. Overall, a decent sandwich.
A few weeks later, I was in the area again, and decided to try out the sandwich that KM told me her husband gets. The Torta Ahogada. Again it took a while for my sandwich, but what arrived looked positively monstrous..... good thing I didn't order the "Dinosaurio"! I really enjoyed the toasted and crusty bolillo.
The inner workings of the sandwich was just a decent portion of lomo, just like it should be.....everything else was on the outside......holes were cut into the top of the rolls and sour cream (crema agria) were smeared in and around the "pukas"(holes) , tangy and sour, this also added a cooling element when the hot sauce came into play. Pickled jalapenos added a bit more heat to the whole deal.
I had the notion of pouring the sauce over my sandwich; after all, much like getting a "double-dipped" at Phillipe's, it ain't the real thing unless it is drenched....after all ahogada literally means "drowned", right? I felt, well, much too civilized eating the sandwich. It also would have been great if the sandwich were made using a birote salado, but hey, sourcing bread from Guadalajara doesn't make much sense if you're only selling a couple of these a day. The hot sauce was okay, nothing particularly outstanding. I will say this, though I thought the bread at the El Gallito Tortas Ahogadas truck was outstanding, the pork here was better. If I recall KM's husband's family is from Guadalajara, and he enjoys these...so there you go.
I'd say the sandwiches at Tropical Oasis are decent, as good as any of your fine neighborhood sandwich shops. The service is a bit slow, but the two women working the place are very polite. Maybe not worth a special trip, but if you happen to be in the area and want a torta....this may not be a bad choice.
Tropical Oasis All Natural Juice Bar
417 Telegraph Canyon Rd
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Torta Ahogada sounds almost like a giant meat twinkie!
Posted by: Dennis | Sunday, 05 June 2011 at 10:39 PM
that sandwich looks monstrous but good!
Posted by: kat | Sunday, 05 June 2011 at 10:54 PM
Hi Dennis - If you think it's a giant meat twinkie-fest....man will you be surprised when you bite into it with all the hot sauce!
Hi Kat - Not super large, but fairly sizeable.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 06 June 2011 at 06:51 AM