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I found the above amusing - and I'll tell you why

Had a friend in from out of town, we did a southsideish eating tour a couple weeks ago (Puebla, D's Irie for Jerk, Lagniappe and Uncle John's.. oh, and a quick stop at Top Notch for their fries. Oh, and donuts to go from Old Fashioned.. though we ate only 2 or 3 of the "fresh" ones at the time

Now, Friend has been here before... and we've eaten at several places (most with great results). Ive *always* suggested Puebla to him, he's always asked what its about, Ive said unusual taco's, and a *great* Mexican sandwich. And he has always declined, every single time - would rather spend his time elsewhere, he said, and we did.

This time we were actually in the vicinity a bit before they opened.. and so, without telling him, thats where I drove to first. By 11ish they were serving - we got a taco each (it was the first of 4 eating stops, after all He suggested we split one cemita - I insisted on 2 instead (a milanesa and a carne enchilada - which is marinated pork - we tried half each), which came once the taco was done.

Friend liked the taco a lot. And went completely bonkers for the Cemita .Couldnt get over it. Raved. Couldnt believe I hadnt brought him there before! WTF, I said, Ive been suggesting it for years and years (since they had a life-size Sosa poster)... and he blithely goes "well yeah, but you said it was a Mexican sandwich, Ive had lots of tortas before, theyre no big deal. Not like *this*!"

Had to drag him away from Puebla.. and we went onto Lagniappe. And Top-notch fries. And D's Irie Kitchen Jerk. And Old Fashioned Donuts. And Uncle John's BBQ (of which we had barely a couple pieces each, as we were so ridiculously stuffed, serious food coma, all of the above was in about 5 hours).

And then spent an hour in traffic getting barely north of downtown... at which point my friend asked for me to pull off the highway and make *another* trip to Puebla! So we did, for yet another Milanesa to finish the trip

The moral of that long and boring tale...no, its *not* just another Mexican torta. Evidence above. If neccessary Friend will be willing to offer sworn testimony of same

I dont think I agree with the others about the sesame-seed bun or whatever (yeah, its nice, but thats all). Its not, IMHO, the quality of the meat (though thats nice too, far better quality than most other places, thus automatically making it superior to the usual torta). Its not even the fresh guac (I like it, but my friend had his without!). Its not the cheese (its very good cheese, but Ive had good cheese on a sandwich before). It is, IMHO, almost entirely "the schmear of pepper" on the sandwich. That thing is amazing, completely awesome, like nothing else - and is the one thing more than any other that IMHO sets the cemita apart from any other sandwich Ive ever eaten.

TP is a long way from the northside, so Ive always tried to find a cemita elsewhere - a Rogers Park cemita outpost would be *great* - but have been signally unsuccessful. The next time Iam in the Chinatown area I'll try this new China Puebla place. But until then, Tacqueria Puebla is the only place I know to get the cemita, so thats where I have to go. (Their chalupas I wouldnt drive 5 miles for, their tacos I wouldnt drive 10 for.. the cemita Ive been driving much further for, for years now. Its all LTH's fault, without this board I wouldnt have found that place in a million years, I dont think).

c8w

c8w- i'm still LOL'g at your post. I've got serious food coma just reading about your food adventure.

Which, by the way, has moved.

Cemitas China Poblana
3138 W. 47th St.
(773) 847-8048

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Stopped by today to Cemitas Puebla for my 4th visit overall, decided on the Cemita Atomica. I realized that previously the cemita milisana simply did not have enough meat to fill me up, the sandwich is wonderful of course but something always felt "missing", and I figured the Atomica would fit the bill...

Anyhow, I ordered a Cemita Atomica, one Taco arabes, and a mexican coke, I asked for extra avocado and chipotle sauce on the Cemita but the young girl working the cashier didnt really speak much english, somehow I got charged 17 something which was probably wrong, (atomica is 9.00, arabes is 3.00, extra avocado is .50 and I have no idea how much the coke was.) Oh well a few bucks over isn't a big deal and I was too hungry to even notice the mistake. I devoured the atomica which was full of flavor, (2 pork chops and a slathering of ham) and was too full to finish the taco arabes. Although the Atomica was unique and meaty I think next time I'd rather just get a milsana and ask to double up and get two patties, even if it costs me 9.00 like the atomica I'd prefer to leave the ham off, it was simply too meaty. Besides, I think the pork chop is the best meat on the cemita I've tried thus far and want to stick with it. Now I just have to find a way to communicate extra chipoltle and avocado on the spread when I order my cemita next time. I'm addicted to the chipotle sauce they put on the cemita but sometimes I don't get enough on it and maybe I can ask if I can order some extra on the side so I can slather it on myself.

Also, the mexican coke was great, real sugar makes a difference!

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I'm not picky, I just have more tastebuds than you... ; )

foodsnob77: i'm pretty sure one of the squeeze bottles on every table has the chipotle sauce in it. look for the one with the dark red sauce in it. justjoan

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It's usually the yellow (mustard) bottle.

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"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Yes. I must have looked very much like a first-time visitor, since he told me "this sauce is specifically for the cemitas" as we sat down

My husband was there a few weeks ago when they were making the sauce - or maybe just roasting the peppers. He said it was so thick in the air that several people walked in and walked right back out.

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Came today in the early afternoon, sunday, and the place was packed! Long line but we only had to wait a few minutes for a table, I took a couple of friends who enjoyed their cemitas and taco arabe as much as I did. Today for some reason the cemita milenesa was a bit thicker then usual, which was great and now thanks to this board I know which bottle has the infamous chipotle sauce, and I can add as much as I want. I must agree that this is simply the best sandwich in chicago! Re watching the youtube video on their website of the ddd show on the food network makes me want to go back again soon!

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I'm not picky, I just have more tastebuds than you... ; )

My bride and I were on our way to the Logan Theater to see the new James Bond movie for $3 and stopped off for dinner.

We were greeted at the door by what I assume to be Tony's father. He greeted us warmly, handed us a menu and asked if there were any items on the menu that he could explain to us. Then showed us to a table. The gent that is shown in almost every photo on the wall. He was a reporter for years for several newspapers.

What a warm experience on such a snowy day!

Cemita Atomica, three Taco Arabes and Chalupas. A pair of Mexican Cokes topped it off. Our first try at the Taco Arabes and Chalupas and they were every bit as good as we expected.


Poppa confirms this is true.

Now the bad news...



I had heard that the Coke from Mexico was switching to High Fructose Corn Syrup. Was waiting for confirmation.

Wah!

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

Has anyone tried the steak cemita sammich? Impressions?

I did the Milanesa, and the Carne Asada side by side last visit(1/2 of each), and thought the carne asada was just ok. Whereas I think the Milenasa was excellent. However from now on I will stick with the Atomica, and get triple the pork.

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As i don't eat pork, I got myself the carne asada cemita on Friday night just before close. I will admit that the descriptions and the DDD footage did little to interest me in the joint, but the constant praising finally forced my hand and off i headed.

All i can saw is WOW. If the pork sammiches are better than the beef, then i'll be examing -yet again- religious doctrine. the carne asada cemita was incredible. "Scrumptious". That's the word that kept coming to mind.

The bread is light and fluffy, and is perfectly toatsted. there is a satisfying but overtly-generous crunch-n-give to the sandwich. It's an invitation, rather than an obstacle, to the contents of what lies waiting.

And what lies waiting is perfectly framed in smokey chipotle goodness that arouses, rather than offends, the senses. The avocado and cheese offer a textural and "temperatural" contrast and cooling effect that still lets the meat and the sauce frame the experience.

I doubt the taste of the sammich has left my mind for more than 2 hours since Friday night. Like MacArthur, I vow to return.

i also enjoy the carne asada cemita. that and the cemita arabe are my favorites.

Went today for lunch of a Cemita Milanesa and Tacos Arabes and they were teriffic, as usual.

Happy to see nearly all the tables filled at 11:45 and a group of five or six people ordering food to go.

A couple with two boys mentioned that their friend Ronnie Suburban had suggested Cemitas Puebla elicited smiles and nods of approval from the entire staff...

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Alright, so I finally made it to this place, and I have to admit it was pretty darn good. The Milanesa was thicker and not as breaded as I am used to. The cemita was more like a porkchop sandwich, but still really tasty. What really knocked my socks off was the taco arabe la gringa. Puebla's take on the gringa is grilled pork and bits of pineapple wrapped inside a grilled slice of ham which is wrapped inside a thick tortilla which is covered in cheese and wrapped in a second tortilla, then grilled. My cholesterol jumped up 50 points just looking at the thing, but wow was it filled with cheesy, porky, salty goodness.

Even the "Triple D" effect doesn't last forever - empty at 6:45 PM on a Friday night, and thus easy to get my order to go and enjoy some conversation with the family. I was impressed by the new signage, stickers for the take-out bags, and uniform t-shirts of the staff; they've taken branding to heart in what seems a modest, appropriate fashion for the type of attention I hope they continue to get.

I tried a gringa while waiting for the cemitas, and it was as savory a gutbomb as one could desire, though I can't picture tackling a full meal of these. The cemitas offer the best balance there for me, with the airy rolls and thin-pressed meats and cheeses offsetting the richness of the avocado and sauces. This was perhaps my first midwinter experience at CP, so I did miss the papalo, but they nailed the spicing and layering of both sandwiches so perfectly that I can't complain. Oddly, I did get a cheese cemita instead of the milanesa I ordered, but it was quite good, with extra avocado and a mild, planed cheese slice in addition to their standard shredded Pueblo string cheese. Great stuff.

FYI, It apears Cemitas China Poblana has closed.

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Hi all, long time lurker - thank you for having me.

How does Cemitas Puebla travel? A friend and I were thinking about carrying out this weekend. For a first timer, would the in-house experience/taste far out rival carrying out?

I'd highly recommend eating in the first time or at least ordering something to eat right away in the car after you leave the restaurant. I recently carried out a fairly long distance (back to my office in Highland Park) and while everything held up very well, it wasn't quite as delightful as eating there. I'd say it was 85% as good as eating there -- some stuff had obviously cooled off and the bread on the cemitas was not quite as crispy-edged as when you eat them there. Of course, that was an almost 24-mile drive back to the office, which is a very long way for any carry-out. Also, it was very hard having to smell that glorious food the whole way back to the office. It was quite a distraction. So, whatever you do, get something to eat in the car. It's probably safer that way!

And welcome to LTHForum!

=R=

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Has anyone tried a cemita pata ("cow foot")? I'm intrigued... Bonus points for an accompanying photo!

The cemitas don't travel nearly as well as the tacos arabes, imho. They actually don't suffer much on the trip. The cemitas are far, far better devoured immediately. Avocado doesn't reheat well...

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"Barbecue sauce is like a beautiful woman. If it’s too sweet, it’s bound to be hiding something."
— Lyle Lovett

"How do you say 'Yum-o' in Swedish? Or is it Swiss? What do they speak in Switzerland?"- Rachel Ray

So that was you weaving up the Edens? I gotta admire someone who drive 24 miles for carryout.

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LOL, that was actually 48 miles, round trip!

=R=

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Even more admirable.

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"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do."
-- P. J. O’Rourke"

Ronnie's git to have some of the best-fed employees in the nation.

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Yup, I had it there a couple years ago and I liked it, though I don't remember it in detail.

The friend who I was with told me pata is something like what would be called osso buco in an Italian restaurant, though I think it's cow meat, not lamb meat. I can't really vouch for this, but I pass it along. Anyway, it's definitely good enough to try.

Maybe like a ham hock? But beef?

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

Uh, not quite. It truly is hoof, not a cut of bone-in shank, not a hock, but a gelatinous, long-simmered slice of inner HOOF, ie, what could also end up in my 3-year-old's Elmer's bottle. Chorito, up on Devon, is a good place to try pata. Caldo de pata is a favorite soup of mine. Make strong.

If you like beef tendon at Chinese or Viet places, hoof isn't much of a stretch. Enjoy.

Talking to Los Antelices about this while eating one will be ultimately illuminating, but Jeff is likely right as usual. I just want to add that "pata" is one of those words (like "buche") that means different things in different regions and different dialects of Spanish, both Iberian and Mesoamerican. I've seen it used to refer to hock and trotter as well as actual hoof. It is also used on some menus to imply a young duck (vs. standard masculine pato). In Cantabria, the Ecuadorian places (there are a surprising number of Central American immigrants) use "pata" to mean "pork shoulder" instead of the more common "pernil," which itself can mean haunch (rear as opposed to forward).

Fair enough. I should add that I have no idea what they are serving at TP. However, I expect that a place in Chicago, especially a Mexican place, means pata the same way most other such places serving pata mean it. But Santander is, as usual, also right. Spanish has lots of pitfalls and one should be very careful. Some pretty basic words can be innocent in one country and off-the-charts filthy in another, for example.