Balance defines a great sandwich. In the ratio of meat to bread, of cheese to meat and condiments to everything else, if you're heavy-handed in any one way, it's going to ruin the final product.
Balance is where the Chivito at Puerto Madero Market excels. The sandwich, popular in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, is a highlight at this amiable Argentinian market kitty-corner from Santa Ana College.
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Sheet-thin slices of juicy rib eye and tender ham adhere to crisp
slivers of bacon with a layer of gooey white cheese, whatever was
grabbed from the deli case that day. It's a salt assault, first from the
heady beef, then the double-porcine punch. The vegetal sweetness of
roasted red pepper, lettuce and tomato save the palate, before green
olives assertively arrive. Each bite finishes with the tangy sweetness
of “Salsa Golf,” a bagged condiment sold in the grocery, and the crunch
of the fresh roll. Flawless victory.
Surprisingly, the
college kids across the street at Santa Ana haven't caught on yet, so
there's never a line. Once they do I'll be kicking myself for writing
this one up.
