Taco revolution

Tortilla Sam's proves if you've got it, flan it

by Margaret LeRoux

Tortilla Sam's
107 Highland Street, Worcester
756-7267
Tues-Sun. 11:30-3 a.m.
BYOB
Major credit cards
Handicap accessible

Tortilla Sam's, the trendy, taco take-out joint that recently moved to the former Acapulco restaurant on Highland Street, may be bigger, but it hasn't lost its unique style. Not too many other area restaurants have a web site -- and you can bet Tortilla Sam's (www.tortillasams.com) gets lots of hits from its hip, young customers.

I visited the new Tortilla Sam's recently with two teenage companions; they were impressed with the decor: whitewashed, stucco walls decorated with iguanas, locally produced artwork, tables stocked with rolls of brown paper to handle those inevitable salsa spills. As the menu notes, "We kept the things you loved about the Acapulco (late night and BYOB) and got rid of the things you didn't (the food and the decor)!" They even cleaned up the lovely pressed-tin ceiling. The overall impression is funky rather than grungy; you could bring your parents here as well as your roommate.

The new menu adds an assortment of cantina specialties, gringo fare, and kid's meals, while keeping the best from the old take-out menu. New items include filet mignon with ancho chili sauce, chile rellenos, and chimichangas, deep-fried flour tortillas stuffed with black beans, cheese, veggies, beef, or chicken.

Gringo fare includes burgers and chicken sandwiches; kids can choose chicken fingers, a cheese quesadilla, chicken or beef taco, even peanut butter and jelly in a rolled up flour tortilla.

Our friendly and energetic waitress took our beverage order: Snapple and soda ($1 each) as we scanned the menu. We noticed that several other patrons brought their own drinks; Tortilla Sam's provides lemons, limes, and salt for Corona and tequila drinkers, and sangria mix in a pitcher; just add your own red wine. There is also an assortment of fancy, non-alcoholic drinks, including margaritas and daiquiris.

We started with a basket of corn chips (homemade), guacamole ($3.75), smooth, with a hint of garlic and lime, and a cheese quesadilla ($4.95), two flour tortillas filled with jack and cheddar cheese, grilled, and served with salsa, sour cream, and roasted peppers. They quickly disappeared while we made our dinner choices.

The older teen is a connoisseur of burritos and enchiladas; he considers Tortilla Sam's to be among the best he's eaten. He chose an enchilada platter of two soft corn tortillas stuffed with tasty black beans and cheese, topped with a mildly spicy sauce and more jack and cheddar cheese, served with salsa, sour cream, and a choice of potato.

On this visit he declined Tortilla Sam's homemade habanero (super hot) sauce; the menu advises "pepperheads" to "ask for the napalm." It's a credit to the heftiness of Sam's enchiladas that he wasn't able to clean his plate -- for the first time in recent memory.

The younger teen with a lighter appetite chose lime grilled chicken with mango salsa, a generous breast marinated in lime juice and spices and served on a bed of salad greens. The chicken was juicy, very flavorful, and the mango salsa added a fresh and tropical taste. With it came two rolled flour tortillas and cubed, red potatoes flavored with cumin and other spices. The potatoes tasted all right, but their grayish color was a turnoff.

My choice was Cajun catfish, a boneless fillet served over red rice, seasoned with peppers and tomatoes. The fish is coated with Cajun seasonings, pan seared over high heat so that the skin turns black while the insides stay moist. I liked the fresh, sweet insides but found myself scraping off the blackened coating. The tasty mango salsa topped this dish, too. Sweet potato fries came with it; they are a delicious variation on french fries.

We shared a dessert tortilla stuffed with spiced honey (95 cents), and I opted to take out an order of flan ($3.25), a Mexican custard similar to creme brulée. I can't imagine a better comfort food than flan. Tortilla Sam's version is rich and creamy, the sweetness comes from a brown sugar sauce that caramelizes as the flan bakes in it.

The bill for three of us came to $43.25 without tip; you could spend a lot less and still leave satisfied but take my advice -- leave room for the flan.