No. 18: Cemita Milanesa Res at Tulcingo del Valle
A cemita from Tulcingo del Valle is one hell of a meal.
Cemitas are the signature sandwiches of Puebla, a region of Mexico south and east of the capital. These sandwiches are made on round seeded rolls traditionally made with cactus pulp.
Fillings vary -- you can put almost anything in a cemita you can put in a taco or huarache -- but my favorite is milanesa res, a razor-thin beef cutlet similar to Texas chicken fried steak, only even thinner.
The layers in the above sandwich, from top to bottom:
ROLL
REFRIED BEANS
WHITE OAXACAN CHEESE
BEEF CUTLET
BEEF CUTLET
AVOCADO SLICES
PAPALO LEAVES
CHIPOTLE CHILES
ROLL
Papalo is an herb that tastes something like burning rubber -- in a good way. Oaxacan cheese is the stringier cousin of mozzarella.
Tulcingo del Valle is a Hell's Kitchen Mexican grocery that morphed into a taqueria and then a restaurant, taking over an adjacent storefront as a dining room a few years ago. Check the specials board carefully before you order.
Tulcingo del Valle
665 Tenth Avenue
212-262-5510
100 Days/100 Dishes is an almost-random alphabetical collection of delicious dishes from around the five boroughs. See the entire series so far.
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