Super Tortas!
Where the tortas are really, truly super
Super Tortas!!! Cheery enough to make even a gray day grand!
We peeked behind the counter at José as he scooped fresh avocado out of its cradling rind into a pristine blue and white ceramic bowl – you know, the kind of bowl your mother would have at home, the kind that brings up a sort of warm and fuzzy nostalgia just by looking at it. Our chef for the afternoon deftly juggled making the fresh guacamole, crisping the bread on the grill, griddling the cochinita pibil and the puerco al pastor, prepping the cheese on the quesadilla, and gathering the sundry little ingredients he needed to fill our order of one torta de cochinita, one quesadilla al pastor, and one side of chips and guac. Our ears filled with the sizzle of food on the grill, and our noses with the wafting perfume of perfectly done meat. We wandered away to contemplate the wide selection of Mexican sodas and beverages in the cold case and admire the large mural across one whole wall of this tiny little restaurant called Super Tortas. The tables and chairs were all temporarily stacked beneath the larger than life painting, waiting until COVID lifts and happy diners can once again take their lunch breaks inside this cozy hole-in-the-wall.
Fresh guac in the making…
As it was after the normal lunch rush hour, Guy and I were lucky enough to be the only ones in there for the moment, so we came back to the counter, fascinated by the squeaky clean shine of the kitchen just beyond and the easy, confident way in which our order was being crafted into what appeared to be a veritable mountain of food. We chatted with José’s wife and business partner, Marisol, who happens to be the daughter of one of our housekeepers at the inn. She explained the differences between cochinita pibil (traditionally roasted underground back in the Yucatán, where José is originally from, but oven roasted here – still with the traditional plantain leaves though!) and puerco al pastor (often roasted on a big skewer and shaved off before being finished on the grill). And as we exclaimed at the incredibly large portions we could see taking shape behind the counter, she softly smiled and agreed that yes, one torta or quesadilla was usually enough for two people.
Man oh man, boy howdy, was that take out bag ever heavy as José passed it over into our hands. Here was lunch for a famished crew! We carried it out to the truck, excited for what promised to be a particularly tasty break from our errands.
If only a picture could adequately capture the perfection of this torta!
After some debate, we settled on starting with the torta, since the place was called, after all, Super Tortas. Seemed fitting to start with their namesake. It was so good. So. Good. Seriously. It was delicious. The bread had an almost brioche-like softness on the inside, and it had just the right amount of crispy toasting on the outside from the grill. The cochinita pibil was heavenly – so tenderly roasted, juicy, with a fantastic mouthful of flavor. The other ingredients that had been so carefully tucked inside melded together with the bread and meat into a most satisfying whole, at once comforting and pleasing on all levels both textural and flavorful. It was just… right.
Heavenly guacamole
And the guacamole. Oh, the guacamole! So fresh! With just the right amounts of lime, cilantro, and other goodness subtly woven all together into little scoops of perfection on every tortilla chip that we shoveled into our faces. Mmmm…
Crispy chips are lo mejor!
And now here comes the time when we have to confess that we couldn’t really make it to the quesadilla de puerco al pastor. We were so full after splitting the torta and guac that we had to wait almost an hour before trying that massive quesadilla, and even then we could only handle a bite or two! Despite our groans and protests, our already sated mouths could tell that quesadilla was fantastic. And it was probably still going to be really good the next day, once our stomachs were finally empty enough again to eat it!
Where all the magic happens…
Marisol and José started their business in Fort Bragg as a food truck almost 4 years ago. They gained a loyal following of locals with their down-to-earth food, affordable prices, and obvious attention to freshness and quality. They were able to take over their current space about a year ago, and they are well worth a visit whenever you are in town! Super Tortas is delightfully unrefined, as any good hole in the wall should be, but what they lack in polish they more than make up for in finished product – they may look small, but they sure do deliver big, in more ways than one!
Words and pictures by Laura Hockett