A Sandwich a Day: Ahogada Torta at Xoco in Chicago

In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year—so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around the Windy City. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know. --The Mgmt.

[Photograph: Jessica Leibowitz]

Come lunchtime, there's a hefty line at Rick Bayless' Xoco, which makes to-go sound mighty tempting. But if you can spare the time to sit, you're eligible for the dine-in only Ahogada Torta ($10), featuring pork carnitas, black beans and pickled onions swiped with spicy arbol chile sauce, served in a shallow bowl of tomato broth.

To-go exclusivity aside, it's a torta beyond all tortas, so you might as well get all carpe diem and order it. The choice of mild, medium or hot is up to you; we went with medium and found ourselves reaching for the (equally stellar) limeade for a breather.

It's a wonderful surprise that the bread maintains some enjoyable chew after its tomato bath. Utensils are not required, but recommended: it would be truly impressive if you managed to plow through the silky pork carnitas and fraternizing drippy carnage without touching a piece of cutlery.

Xoco 449 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL (map); 312-334-3688 ‎
rickbayless.com

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