Tortas!

Have you ever noticed those street vendors selling food around Tucson? You’ve always wanted to stop but you’re either too busy on your way somewhere, or by the time you realized, you’re too far away to turn around. “Next time,” you think, but the “next time” turns into 6 months down the road when you’ve finally forgotten about it!

This time I was determined to stop. I was driving down Broadway when I saw Let’s Go! Tortas. I’ve always noticed this stand, but like many of us, have never stopped. It usually looks busy and this day I seemed to have beaten the lunch crowd.


Let’s Go! Tortas is located on East Broadway Blvd. between Cherry and Vine next to Axis Food Mart. It is a large orange cart on wheels with an overhang and benches for people to sit on while they enjoy their food. Their specialty food item is none other than a torta: a Mexican twist on an American sandwich.

A little background: a Torta is served on a 6 to 8 in firm and crusty white sandwich roll, called a bolillo or telera. They can be served hot or cold.

Like manager Abel Jaime said, “A Torta is a Mexican style sandwich”.


Jaime also said that Let’s Go! Tortas was established about a year ago. Their busiest time of day is lunch and their most popular Torta is the “Torta Cubana”, a Cuban-style sandwich.

Beside the Torta Cubana, you can also order the Torta Pierna (pork leg), Jamόn (ham), Pollo (chicken), Milanesa (breaded steak), Carne Asada (marinated steak), Fish, Hawaiian, Cubana, Loca and Mixta.

One of the newest items is the Torta Let’s Go. This is a sandwich filled with puerco (pig), carne de res asada al carbón (steak), carne de puerco adobado (marinated pig), jamόn (ham), tocino (bacon), cebolla fresco y asada (fresh and roasted onion), lechuga (lettuce), rajas de chile poblano (poblano chile), tomate (tomato) y aguacate (avocado).


I ordered the Torta Mixta which includes puerco, carne de res al carbón, cebolla fresco y asada, lechuga, rajas de chile poblano, tomate y aguacate. It also came with a side of french fries…DELICIOSO! I was expecting the sandwich to be greasy like fast food, but instead it was extremely fresh and had an extra kick of spice.


In case you’re not in the mood for tortas, there are tacos and the hot dog estilo sonora - the Mexican style hot dog (more on this to come…)

There is a Spanish menu and English menu so if your Spanish is rusty…don’t fret!


Each torta is sold for a reasonable price at $4.50 and $4.75 and the signature Torta Let’s Go is priced at $5.50.

Want to make your own torta? Try this recipe!

Time to get "Loco"

In my search to find something new and different in Tucson, I came across Old Town Artisans, located in El Presidio Historic District at 201 N. Court Ave. Inside the 150-year-old adobe building is a restaurant and six different shops and galleries: La Cocina Restaurant & Cantina, Old Town Pot Shop, Dawn Stewart, El Presidio Gallery, La Zia, Tolteca Tlacuilo and El Chile Loco.

I feel in love with El Chile Loco.

It is a small little corner shop, about as big as your average closet, but the vibrant colors and hanging Chiles catch your eye immediately. As I walked over to the store, I could smell the aroma of the Chiles. El Chile Loco is known for their hanging Chile reefs, or, Chile Ristras. The Chiles for these ristras are hand-picked by a family who then assembles them into a colorful bundle.

What are Chile Ristras you ask?

The tradition of hanging ristras started many years ago for the simple fact of preserving the Chile as a food item. People dried Chiles in order to save them after the growing season. Chile pods would be placed outside to sun-dry and then they would be stringed together (the Spanish word for “string” is ristra, hence the phrase, chile ristra). Sometimes people spray the bundle with varnish in order to preserve them longer, but untouched ristras can last up to two years and still be edible. Today, the ristras are used as home decorations.
For more information on Chile Ristras, go here!:
http://abqstyle.com/albuquerque_chile_ristras.htm

El Chile Loco also includes something else edible: award-winning salsas.


Salsa Timoteo comes straight from Glendale, Arizona where Timoteo, his wife and kids live. There, they produce salsas that have won over 33 awards and trophies.

They have won 24 trophies in the local Southwest Salsa Challenge, and at the National level, they have won trophies at the Fiery Food Challenge for Chile Pepper Magazine, The Scovie Awards in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Americas Best Food Show in Anaheim, California.


They produce 5 types of salsa including, “Not So Hot”, “Hot”, “Kinda Hot”, “Ultra Hot”, and “Salsa Verde”, as well as a taco sauce; each sell for $8.75 (except the Salsa Verde, for $8.95).


I suggest you grab a jar today because as El Chile Loco says, “we’ve tasted them all and if it’s not good, we don’t sell it!”

Make sure you also check out Chile Fest ’08, sponsored by El Chile Loco. This “Ristra Madness” will be held at the Old Town Artisans Courtyard from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., September 27th and 28th. There will be live music from Mexican harpist Francisco Gonzalez, food vendors including Real Tortilleria and Panaderia, salsa tastings including a brand new fruit salsa from Salsa Timoteo, fresh Hatch green chilies and Chile roasting.

Spicy Salsa Sundays

I am no dance machine but every once in a while I feel the need to get my groove on.

My weekend was particularly slow so I decided to spice it up and expose myself to something new. Then I thought of a dance that is vibrant, electric, sensual and rhythmic all-in-one: Salsa dancing!

After some investigating online I came across tucsonsalsa.com. This is a fabulous website that lists everything you need to know about Salsa dancing, such as places to go and different Salsa events happening around Tucson.

Then I discovered an event called Tucson's Sunday Salsa Social. This is a salsa event held at The Arizona Ballroom Comany, located at 5536 E. Grant Rd., every Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. The first hour is solely dedicated to Salsa lessons. Anyone who is interested in learning how to conquer this dance can come at 5 p.m. and receive an hour of dance lessons starting with the basics. After 6 p.m., the floor becomes open dance and a Latin band plays music for the dancers to groove to. There is an $8 entrance fee and children 12 and under get in for free.

Unfortunately I was stuck in Phoenix this past weekend so I did not get to the social until 7:30 p.m. When I got there I could not believe how much dancing was going on! There were probably around 25 couples scattered on the spacious dance floor. At the front of the crowd was a band called Señor Q playing live music.

After standing in the corner for all of five minutes by myself, I was greeted by Mike Maliner, a Salsa instructor. He’s only been in Tucson for five years, but is an avid Salsa dancer. He told me he learned his Puerto-Rican techniques at the Copacabana in New York. He also became my personal Salsa instructor… but we’ll get into that later.

Then I ran into Gerardo Armendariz and his wife Lupita, the hosts of Tucson’s Sunday Salsa Social. They welcomed me with smiling faces and bubbly personalities. Not meeting these people before, I could already feel the passion oozing out of them. They are serious lovers of Salsa and want to share their love with everyone around them.

Gerardo, originally from Sonora, Mexico, came to the University of Arizona nine years ago. He and his wife founded Ritmos Latinos, U of A’s salsa dancing club. They also teach choreography and dance lessons.

The couple decided they wanted to expose and promote Salsa dancing in Tucson while creating a friendly and inviting atmosphere.

“We wanted to push more for a family atmosphere here in Tucson. Most of the Salsa clubs around are only for 21-year-old people and older. So we target a group of people that can’t go to these places,” Armendariz told me.

I also ran into a fellow Wildcat who loves Salsa.

His name is John Calvo. Even though he is 21 and can get into local Tucson Salsa clubs, he still enjoys coming to the socials.

“I started out dancing Swing and Hip-Hop and then I got involved in Salsa, and I love it!” he said.

After talking to John, Mr. Maliner found me again and told me that if I wanted to report on Salsa dancing, I needed to first-hand experience it.

At first I laughed it off and told him I’d be better off on the sidelines, but he persisted and pulled me on the dance floor. Fifteen minutes later, I knew the basics of Salsa and now I am craving more!

If any of you feel tempted by the Salsa experience, I highly suggest you spend your next Sunday night at the Salsa social, and do not be surprised if you see me there twirling and twisting to Grupo Señor Q. Even if your feet are like concrete and you have no dancing skills, Gerardo assured me it is a simple and fun dance for anyone to learn. Come as a couple or come by yourself, either way you will be greeted with smiling faces, loud music, delicious food and a dance floor with endless possibilities.

Make sure you check out other Salsa clubs such as El Parador Restaurant and Monsoon Nightclub at Desert Diamond Casino.

***Check out this introductory video to Salsa dancing I found on youtube***

An American Style Restaurant with a Mexican Twist

One of my favorite restaurants in Tucson is Blue Willow. Going there is certainly a treat for me. Located on 2616 N. Campbell Ave. between Glenn St. and Copper St., Blue Willow is an experience in itself. The first moment you enter the restaurant you are completely consumed with little knick-knacks, jewelry and cute kitchen decorations, and cards for almost every occasion imaginable. However, what truly catches your eye are the delectable desserts sitting in a glass case just begging to be eaten.

Not only is Blue Willow a restaurant and gift shop, but also a bakery.

Weekend mornings are the busiest time for Blue Willow with anywhere from a 10 to 45 minute wait. The gift shop provides for an easy distraction and makes the waiting time pass by a whole lot faster. The restaurant contains two dining areas: inside and outside. The inside is small, quaint and cozy. The outside is a bit larger and is covered to avoid the sun. You have a choice to sit where you want, but I suggest the outside…as one onlooker described it, “Look honey, it’s so stunning!” The service is extremely friendly and attentive and they keep up a fast pace without making you feel rushed.

Blue Willow is known more for breakfast and lunch, but they do serve dinner. Now while they serve mostly American food including a Blackened Salmon Caesar Salad, Stuffed Avocado Tuna Salad, and a Grilled Sweet Potato Sandwich, they also have a fabulous breakfast menu with a distinctive Mexican style. Here are just some of the delicious food items that are derived from Mexican culture:

Chorizo Scramble – SUBLIME! This is a jumbled mix of scrambled eggs and all beef chorizo that is topped off with salsa and cheddar…$8.00

The classic Huevos Rancheros – Pinto beans placed on a corn tortilla topped with two eggs over easy. Also topped with salsa and cheddar cheese…$8.00

Breakfast Burrito – This is a delicious treat, especially after a long night of going out. It is a mix of scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, potatoes and pinto beans…all wrapped up in a flour tortilla and topped with salsa and sour cream….$7.00

***Blue Willow Special*** - This is by far the best dish at Blue Willow. For those of you who have never ventured to Blue Willow one you go, you MUST order this. When it first comes to the table it looks a bit unappetizing because it is a jumbled mess of mashed up food, but once it hits your mouth you will be screaming for more. It contains scrambled eggs with chicken, green chilies, tomatoes, chopped corn tortillas, cheddar, salsa and sour cream…$8.50.

The portions are quite large and most of the dishes come with more than one side, so make sure to bring your appetite when you go!

Let's get this started!!

So I was driving around Tucson one day and realized even though I have lived here for three years, I am still unfamiliar with Tucson and the influences of the Hispanic culture. Then I started thinking about traditional Mexican restaurants and food, arts and entertainment around town and wanted to see how much of these are influenced by the Hispanic culture and how much of them are “Americanized”.

I also thought of this summer when I was back home hanging out with some of my ASU friends…It’s funny because none of them have been to Tucson (or anywhere in Southern Arizona) and consider Tucson to be a part of Mexico (literally). I had one friend ask me if everyone speaks Spanish and if there are taco stands on the side of the street like they remember from spring break trips to Rocky Point. So I guess I also wanted to write this blog to straighten out those stereotypes because if you’ve never been here, you have no idea! Tucson is very unique...

Although Tucson is in the U.S., there’s no doubt it is heavily influence by the Hispanic culture. So stick with me for the next couple of months while I explore the Hispanic culture in Tucson – what is Americanized and what is traditional. I will also be exploring attitudes and stereotypes regarding the culture.

I will update my blog weekly…
See you next week!