The Dudes of Food

As we were cruising down Roswell Road craving Mexican food, we encountered a dilemma. Should we go to El Azteca a Mexican-American chain, or try our chances with a new Mexican restaurant, the home of a crazy sandwich, highlighted by its iconic sign of a dancing bean with a sombrero. Hardly a difficult decision - we strolled into Las Tortas Locas.

As we entered we instantly felt the smell of the potent and fresh salsa, it was the real deal. The employees do not speak English well,but isn’t that part of the charm? We started with the beef sandwich, la torta assada. The heavy feel of the meat is balanced with mayonnaise and avocados. The tacos and quesadillas were tasty and a little greasy, the perfect combination of deliciousness. The meat burritos, however, were nothing short of fantastic. Jam packed with meat, meat, meat, more meat, cilantro and onions, we couldn’t help ourselves and ordered a round for the road. But the piece de resistance was the flauta, a rolled up flour tortilla filled with meat, deep friend and sprinkled with cheese and lettuce. Oaxaca here I am!!!

The salsa bar contains an impressive array of flavors and spiciness levels; it was here I made my biggest mistake. Climbing to the tip of the volcano, tears dripped from my eyes. I screamed for water in between sobs but somehow the heavenly taste balanced out the hotness and comforted me. What relieved my taste buds was a cup of horchata, a popular Mexican rice based milk drink. The horchata was overly sweet and the texture was a little too thin, probably because it came from a machine and was not home made. For the best horchata in town go to El Rey Del Taco, (5288 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30340)

Another nice part of our dining experience was that it fell well within our budget. We were all well fed for less than 10 dollars, even after overeating.

Here is what to order if you visit our crazy friend with the sombrero:

1. The tortas locas- try a new flavor, or go for a classic, they are all fantastic. (Note: beware of the jalapeño peppers in them, and if you do not like spicy foods, ask for them to be set aside)

2. Flautas- you will leave the restaurant with an inexplicable desire to come back or eat just one more.

3. Burritos- these burritos have a perfect meat/ tortilla ratio that modern Mexican-American cuisine has lost.