Artisanal Mexican Sandwiches

[ulterior epicure]

I don't *think* there's a thread devoted to this yet. This looks like it has great potential (from Chicago Dish):

The Frontera Empire Strikes Back

Why didn’t Rick Bayless think of this sooner? The chef-owner of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo (445 N. Clark St.; 312-661-1434)—and America’s ambassador of All Things Mexican—has plans to open a quick-service, artisanal Mexican sandwich place around the corner from his two showstoppers. Spurred by a tip from The Stew, we got Bayless on the horn for more details about the place, which is slated to open next spring. 

D: Give us the basics. Please.

RB: It’s going to be a tortería with a wood-burning oven. We will be doing classic regional Mexican sandwiches, a la plancha. All artisanal products. All the preparations will be in the front window. We’re grinding our own chocolate from Mexican cacao beans right on the premises. Nobody is doing that.

D: What else?

RB: In Mexico and in Spain, they do hot chocolate with churros. We will be making that from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

D: (drooling on phone)

RB: We will be serving homemade ice creams in all those crazy flavors that we do: lime, fresh corn, strawberry-buttermilk ice cream. And there will always be that Mexican chocolate ice cream available as well.

D: How did you get the idea?

RB: We were dreaming in the kitchen one day. I’ve wanted a wood-burning oven for a long time. We do lambs, pork pibil, and we cook them overnight, but in an oven. I’ve always wanted to do them like they do in Mexico: with a wood fire. Next, we had an idea for a place to make tortas, churros, hot chocolate, all the things we don’t have room for. Why don’t we put them together into a simple place?

D: Where?

RB: We’re taking over a furniture store called Champagne [near the corner of Clark and Illinois]. It will be built entirely LEED certified. You will walk up to a counter, but there will be seats. Communal seating.

D: When?

RB: I have never missed an opening day. I know two things: how to realistically plan, and how to work with the contractors to keep them on schedule. That said: We will be opening in April of 2009.

Can we just fast forward to April 2009?

[Margo]

Yes, please. This sounds so great.

I love Rick Bayless.