The category of “wet bread” may not sound even a little appealing, but hear me out. Some of the culinary world’s greatest hits, from panzanella to pain perdu, are precisely that. I think I might be especially fond of this type of cookery. I can never pass up a hot turkey sandwich or a bread pudding. And a few years ago, when working on a story about the regional cuisines of Mexico, I was thrilled to learn of the torta ahogada.
It may be the ultimate “wet bread” dish. Imagine a crusty bolillo roll crammed with tender pork. Dreamy, no? Now drench it in chile sauce. And I found a lip-smacking version at colorful Guadalarajan-style restaurant El Rulas Tacos in Manassas.
I ordered at the counter, where the words “torta ahogada” appear not on the blackboard menu but on a sheet of paper right at the counter. Clearly, the staff knows they’ve got something special. Indeed, I only know of two other tortas ahogadas in NoVA, at Taco Jalisco and Tacos El Costalilla, both in Alexandria.
The version at El Rulas Tacos is extra soupy–in fact, I stained my skirt with red spots while sawing away at the bolillo in its shallow pool of broth with plastic utensils. Worth it. That’s due in large part to the griddle-crisped pork inside the chewy roll. A squeeze of lime and a slice of lemon go a long way to enliven the already compelling combo.
OK, so the words “wet bread” didn’t make you jump right in the car. Hopefully this description will. 10456 Dumfries Rd., Manassas
Feature image by Alice Levitt
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