UYE: Tortas and Torta Reform!

Nothing says Presidents Day like a lunch time UYE with some fellow Unilocalers. Holly C. you definitely know how to pick them. Thanks a lot for hosting.
Phat Phrank’s, love the name, has the perfect environment for some great tasting food and to discuss what else, food and restaurant week. Phrank came around often to see how everything was going, a very friendly owner.
This was my first experience with tortas and it probably wont be the last. I went with the carne asada torta and it was the bomb. Not bulky, not bready, and full of flavor.

The best part of a UYE begins with great company and then the food and I’m glad to say this one was stellar on both fronts.
Sure we have a small discussion on Tort reform but the conversation was all over the place which was especially entertaining for someone like myself with a short attention span. As for the Tortas the bread was deliciously toasted and the carnitas was fried without being greasy, a certain sign of great Mexican food.
I want to say that Phrank was especially nice to let us move things around and super friendly, which is always a nice tough to any local establishment.
In the words of Ahhnorld «AL be Bahk»

Nothing beats a UYE in my expert opinion, especially when there’s a catchy, delicious theme. Tortas Reform: it’s a classic, and I have to admit my first occasion to officially eat a torta. Despite not eating white flour recently, I made a special exception because I wanted to stick with the spirit of Holly’s beautifully conceived lunch. I am glad I did. The torta was a delicious combination of flavorful pork, crispy cabbage and a souped up mayo secret sauce delivered between two nicely toasted pieces of bread.
We did actually talk about tort reform, which earns bonus intellectual stars for the gathering. I walked away with a new movie to watch: Hot Coffee, and Holly was kind enough to do some research and confirm that it is available on Netflix streaming. Yeehaw!
And, last but not least, the venue was terrific too. Phrank is a wonderfully kind business owner who had no problem rearranging the furniture for us.
Thank you Holly and good company for making my lunchtime a good time!

As usual, I forgot to check in. Despite that minor setback this was a great way to experience my first UYE. I diverted from the theme and opted for the fish tacos instead of the torta. The tacos were delicious. Topped with crunchy cabbage and a mayo based sauce that was really tasty. Phrank’s is laid-​back and informal. It’s a good place to pop in for a quick lunch as they strive to accommodate the customer’s needs. You want no cheese? No problem. Add onions? You got it.
The company and conversation was great! So much so that the lady refilling our drinks joked about taking a break and joining us because we were having so much fun. This gathering was a great way to spend an afternoon and I’m glad I took the time away from work. I’m just sad that I won’t be able to make the vegan UYE tonight as well.
Thanks Holly and company! It was fun.

I love trying new places, chatting with great people, and eating. Holly C. made this possible for us! I did not order a torta… the stubborn lady in me saw Holly’s photo and knew I could not eat a torta and go to Komol later for Jen’s UYE!
I did order the ceviche and a barbacoa taco. I would skip the ceviche next time — it was mostly tomatoes and onions with a few scary looking pieces of white fish that looked more like fuzzy? Yet the barbacoa was off the hook! I would get another one of those or anything with barbacoa in it next time! They also had good green salsa.
Otherwise, friendly conversation — I sat with Dennis and LJ — and surrounded by Unilocaliness, it was a nice time. The staff so generously refilled our many drink choices. I am glad I had today off so I could come to this area of town, try something new, and see Unilocalers! Yay!

The heart of a good UYE is good company, a hospitable host, and an abundance of tasty food. This one certainly met these criteria. My Carne Asada Torta with marinated thin steak, some vegetation, and a tasty mayonnaise-​based dressing that held everything together inside a streamlined torta bun was different than the tortas I had experienced in Tijuana (Dare I say it?!) 50 years ago, but this sandshark-​shaped, flat bottomed, and thinner variety of roll was probably better, because the ones I sampled in Mexico sported large round and fluffy rolls that rather overwhelmed the meat and other contents inside.
A Barbacoa Taco featuring pit style beef, white onions, tomato pieces, cabbage, lettuce, and cilantro on a soft flour tortilla, with green and red salsa served on the side, was very good, but I still prefer my tacos to be made with corn tortillas lightly fried in a thin sheen of canola oil until a slightly crunchy but flexible and slightly greasy shell results.
My favorite dish on this outing was a Bean-​N-​Cheese Burrito with drops of mild red and green salsa added by me on the large, curving flour tortilla that encircled generous amounts of smashed and unsmashed pinto beans mixed with a blend of melted Cheddar and Jack Cheeses. It was a little saltier than I would have preferred, but tasted very good, and was very filling.
My tablemates and I did not discuss torts or tort reform, which is good, because I welcomed a break from discussion of law. We mainly addressed the food we were eating.
Something I had never seen before greatly intrigued me. It was a series of wall dispensers where a lever is pressed to score a black plastic fork, knife, or spoon. Lisa R. said that these are in use at UNLV, but I had never seen this type of contraption before. Had I been much younger, I would probably have enjoyed pressing the lever a few times to garner a bevy of plastic utensils. But in the present day I refrained, and just retrieved one of each variety before putting two of three to good use.
It was an enjoyable and satisfying UYE! Thanks to Holly C. for setting this up, and kudos to Frank Miranda and his staff at Phat Phrank’s for being great hosts!

Yep, stealing the FTR for my UYE. OMG. :)
Thanks to everyone who came out. It was a good group with lively discussion. The service at Phat Phrank’s was impeccable as always. We even talked a bit about tort reform. You missed out Paolo! :)
But no real discussion of torta reform because the tortas were just too good. One of my best UYEs to date, if I do say so myself.