Often, our Lunch Box column takes a deep dive: we’ll interview restaurateurs, list favorites, or tell a dish’s backstory. Today, I just want to rave about an awesome sandwich.
La Esquina del D.F. opened in March on Coit Road, in the shadow of the I-635 and U.S. Highway 75 High Five interchange. It’s a colorful, cozy Mexican spot that claims, in its name, to conjure up a little corner of Mexico City. Strings of papel picado hang from the ceiling, and telenovelas play on the TV. And the kitchen serves a killer torta, made to order.
When I stopped by, I chose the “Torta Reforma,” named for one of Mexico City’s great neighborhoods. It contrasts your choice of meat with creamy avocado and refried beans, along with tomato and onion. The resulting sandwich achieves just the right balance of toasted bread, meat, veggie, and creamy spreads. The beans feel like a little savory underline for the meat, and the avocado and mayo lighten things up. It’s delicious. And unlike some tortas, it feels light, like you could eat it and go for a walk afterwards. At least, you can eat it without needing to take a nap.
Now, about that choice of meat. I asked for carnitas and was rewarded some of the best carnitas I’ve had in a long time: tender, still moist, crisped up just long enough for texture. I could tease apart threads as if I was eating pulled pork. But it was the juiciness that impressed most. It was sheer joy to eat.
Neighborhood Spotlight
North Dallas
Home to many of Dallas’ wealthiest people, North Dallas features both sprawling estates and row after row of ranch-style homes. Between Northwest Highway, LBJ Freeway, Midway Road, and Central Expressway, you’ll also find the most prestigious private schools in the city, long-established and beloved neighborhood shopping centers along Preston Road, and the crown jewel of Dallas retail.
La Esquina serves two salsas with your torta—I’d suggest dunking the carnitas in green, but both are flavorful and pack serious fire. The staff is friendly. That’s it. That’s the article. Go eat a delicious sandwich.
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