Best Torta Ever?

I’m in the Coachella Valley, two hours east of Los Angeles in Palm Springs specifically. Sandwiched between the affluent resort community of Palm Springs and the even more affluent Rancho Mirage is the working class town of Cathedral City, the bedroom of the people that keep the valley ticking. It’s far and away the most interesting part of the valley for the enthusiastic eater, particularly if your enthusiasms include taco stands, and carneceria’s, Mexican butchers. A new grocery store opened recently, a full sized Latino grocery stocked with foods from south of the Rio Grande. Think T&T, but muy calliente.

We walked in at lunch, having spied a take-away counter doing a brisk business with shoppers on an earlier visit, and thought that we should try it for lunch. A keen eyed security guard spied the Nikon around my neck and ran over to tell me no pictures. Uhhh…Okay, I guess. Then the manager came over to tell me cameras weren’t allowed in the store. Rather than query his procedures for keeping cell phones outside, he further confused me by explaining the no photo rule was due to the store being a corporation, a statement about as sensible as explaining the store was a box of turtles, a Higgs-Boson particle or an old lady named Edith. Whatever, the Nikon was put away and the James Bond spy cam sized Canon was deployed.

We wandered over to the lunch counter where chickens were grilling, tortillas being pressed, pozole bubbled, and tacos were being assembled. We ordered more food than sane people would otherwise, as is the Talent family custom and waited. Out came serviceable tacos, burritos and chicken. And then came the torta. The Anne Hathaway of tortas, no scratch that, the Penelope Cruz of tortas. Stacked and so succulent. We ordered the cubanno, a cross cultural masterpiece of four meats (roast pork, head cheese, ham, spiced sausage) and cheese. Rather than the traditional pickle slices, the Mexican adaptation contained pickled japalenos. Mexico 1, Cuba 0.

After lunch we admired the in store panaderia (bakery), juice bar, gorgeous produce section and slightly frightening meat counter. Should a twenty pound pork leg be eight dollars? Mr. Pollan says no. I agree.

The market is located at the northwest corner of Date Palm and Ramon Road