Tortas Guicho Dominguez y El Cubanito

This place has intrigued me since I first heard about it, but it is enough out of my way, that it has taken me awhile to get there.  The other day, I had a little extra time, and was in the mood.  One of the first things I noticed about the place was how friendly the server/cashier (owner?) was from the moment I entered.  He knew I hadn’t been there before and let me know he would give me a few minutes with the rather extensive menu.  (He also brought me a tasty little bowl of dry roasted peanuts, so beware if you have a companion with nut allergies as I often do).  The other thing I noticed was that the place was extremely clean, which is a good thing in a restaurant, but there was a very strong smell of whatever cleaner they were using, which started to give me a little headache by the time I left.  Hopefully, this was just a fluke and they had just been doing some heavy cleaning.

Anyway, the menu, it is quite large.  Mainly they serve tortas, or Mexican sandwiches (they also offer tacos and quesadillas).  The sandwiches are interesting combinations of mainly meat-type ingredients served on these amazing, soft round rolls.  I really liked the bread—they are larger than a hamburger bun and soft, but have a nice crust to them. Inside you can get all kinds of different stuff.  They have a group of combos named after celebrities as well as several named after various countries around the world.  Aside from the toppings listed in each description, they come with a bit of mayo, avocado, tomato and slightly pickled jalapenos.

So I went with the #9, the “Megan Fox” ($6.75) which was chicken breast, mozzarella, chorizo and queso blanco.  These are substantial sandwiches that are made to order and come out piping hot on those fresh buns.  It was very good.  The chicken was seasoned and grilled and sliced and was nice and tender.  The chorizo was in small hunks that added a nice spicy kick to the chicken and the creamy cheese.  They also bring you sides of more of the pickled jalapeno/carrot mix as well as a green salsa and a very spicy red salsa.  I added a bit of the green salsa to my sandwich and a few more of the jalapenos.  It had a decent amount of heat, but it slowly grew over time, so you never felt like your taste buds were being scorched.  I could still feel the faint heat on the drive home though.

I really want to try a breakfast torta (I almost did on this visit, but wanted to give one of their combinations a try first—for breakfast you make your own combo).  I love a good breakfast sandwich, and judging by my lunch, it could be amazing…. Maybe egg, cheese and mushrooms (and avocado of course)?

Tortas Guicho Dominguez y El Cubanito

641 Virginia Avenue

Indy  46203

317/658-0735

www.tortasguicho.com