The Charlottesville 29

If there were just 29 restaurants in Charlottesville, what would be the ideal 29?

Tag: El Comalito

04/12/2024

Five Finds on Friday: Lorena Aparicio

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Lorena Aparicio, who this week celebrates her tenth anniversary of work at Sultan Kebab. Originally from Puebla, Mexico, Aparicio has been a key reason for Sultan Kebab’s decade of excellence and success. In addition to her picks, below are words of appreciation from Sultan Kebab’s owners. Aparicio’s picks:

1) Carnitas at El Puerto. “I like the carnitas because they are made with the flavor of my country.”

2) Enchiladas Verdes at El Comalito. “The sauce is delicious.”

3) Sopa de Gallina at El Ciruelo.”It is good quality chicken from Honduras, and has a unique flavor.”

4) Tacos de Carne Asada at Tacos Gómez. “I like their carne asada tacos because the tortillas are freshly made.”

5) Pupusas at Mi Casita. “I like their pupusas because they are soft with well-melted cheese.”

Sultan Kebab’s tribute to Aparicio:

We celebrate a remarkable milestone at Sultan Kebab restaurant – 10 incredible years with our dedicated team member, Lorena!

Lorena, your hard work and unwavering loyalty have been instrumental in our journey to becoming the thriving restaurant we are today.

We are forever grateful for your dedication, expertise, and kindness. Your presence has been a cornerstone of our success, and we cannot imagine Sultan Kebab without you.

As we mark this decade-long journey together, we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for all that you do. You are more than just a team member – you are family.

Here’s to many more years of delicious food, warm smiles, and unforgettable experiences together! Cheers, Lorena, and thank you for being an integral part of our Sultan Kebab family!

06/06/2023

Missing El Tepeyac? – El Comalito Serves Mexican Home Cooking With Love

Remember El Tepeyac? The restaurant earned such a following in Charlottesville that some were devastated when the chef-favorite restaurant closed its doors in 2015. If you’re among them, consider El Comalito, whose vibe and heartfelt food bring to mind the much-missed El Tepeyac.

The analogy is not perfect. For one, El Tepeyac’s chef was from El Salvador and so, beyond its Mexican dishes, pupusas and other Salvadoran specialties were standouts. El Comalito’s chef, on the other hand, is from Mexico, and so Mexican home cooking shines.

Lucia Ambrosio’s career in the food industry began while working in the fields of South Carolina soon after she came to the U.S. In the brevity of their daily lunch break, she saw an opportunity: cook food to bring to work to sell to her co-workers. It was a win-win. Her peers would get a delicious, homemade lunch without having to go anywhere, while she would make a few extra bucks and savor the pleasure of witnessing people enjoying her cooking. Every day Ambrosio would make two new dishes from scratch, never the same as the day before.

Fast forward two decades, and Ambrosio is serving that same food at her own restaurant. In the interim, she moved to Charlottesville and launched a food truck, El Comalito, which grew so popular that in late 2021 she turned it into a brick and mortar. The space at 905 E Market Street beside a Shell station is ideal, with an unfussy décor that she transformed into a joyous setting with bright colors and pulsing salsa music.

Ambrosio grew up in Veracruz and Puebla, and her food draws on both regions. One standout is enchiladas verdes – shredded chicken wrapped in Ambrosio’s handmade tortillas in a pool of green chile sauce, topped with fresh cheese, and sliced avocado.

Also delicious are crispy, fried empanadas, stuffed with your choice of cheese or chicken.

Other menu highlights include gorditas, tacos, sopes, huaraches, and (acclaimed) tortas, all with a choice of meat, like steak, chicken, tongue, pork, or chorizo sourced locally from Carnicería Vale Meat Truck.

Much like El Tepeyac, El Comalito is a family affair. While Ambrosio cooks, her son Calet and daughter Gisselle preside over the front of the house, where regulars gather, sipping  horchata, agua fresca, margaritas, micheladas, and giant mugs of Victoria lager.

El Comalito is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am – 8 pm, and Sunday from 11 am – 4 pm. Closed Mondays. Phone: (434) 227-1936.

 

05/29/2022

#9: Torta de Lengua y Chorizo – Tacos Gomez

The Torta

Sometimes it feels like tortas are fate’s way of atoning for the blows she has dealt us over the years. Not long ago, tortas were almost impossible to find in Charlottesville. But at the same time that our community has seemed to face one challenge after another, it has also seen an explosion in tortas. Delicious tortas.

A torta is a Mexican sandwich typically served on either a crunchy roll (un bolillo) or a soft one (una telera), and stuffed with lots of meat, cheese, and garnishes. While ordering an American sandwich might prompt the question: “What do you want on it?”, tortas often come with everything, no questions asked. “More is more” is the common approach.

Different eateries excel at different fillings, but almost all of Charlottesville’s tortas are worth ordering, nowhere more so than Tacos Gomez. Winner of 2002 Best Food Truck, Tacos Gomez loads a telera with cheese, tomato, onions, pickled jalapenos, avocado, and mayonnaise. From there, it’s just a matter of choosing a protein from options like ham, pork, steak, chicken, and more. You can even mix and match fillings, and it’s hard to beat the food truck’s own lengua combined with chorizo: chunks of tender beef tongue with house-made Mexican pork sausage.

#9 – Torta de Lengua y Chorizo – Tacos Gomez
The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches

Others of Note: Al Pastor y Chorizo Torta at Super Amanacer, Torta de Milanesa at The Bebedero, Chorizo Torta at 5th Street Deli, Torta de Asada at El Tio, Torta Michoacana at La Michoacana, Al Pastor y Chorizo Torta at El Comalito, Al Pastor y Chorizo Torta at Taqueria Chaparro, Steak Torta Tradicional at Mi Casita, Lengua Torta at Cactus, Birria Torta at Taqueria ElChavo. Vegetarian Alternative: Vegetarian Torta at Tacos Gomez.