Tortas Frontera, O'Hare Airport

I can't believe that there is an airport restaurant that I actually look forward to eating in. Last month I had a fly in, fly out trip to DC and I ate there twice. In fact, the only food I ate all day was from Tortas Fronteras. And it was the highlight of the day (not much of a challenge, of course, when the day entails getting up a 4am to catch a 5:30 flight and not getting home until midnight. The challenge is having any kind of highlight at all). I have been a fan of Rick Bayless' food for a long time. I had already discovered Mexican regional cooking--in two ways. One was by being in various regions in Mexico, which exposed me to the food, but didn't teach me anything about it. The other is Mr. Bayless' cookbook 'Authentic Mexican', which taught me how to cook the food I loved. The recipes are a balance between authentic and possible. A variety of kinds of dried chilis are required for the sauces--you can't get away with shaking a few spices into a blender and hoping for the best. But on the other hand, the food is possible to make. You can actually get the ingredients without living in a major metropolitan area.

So,what do I like here? Everything. I am serious about that. The salads are fantastic--big and flavorful. The poblano corn crema is fantastic. The guacamole is unbelievable (get it fully loaded). But the tortas are a must. They take a few minutes to prepare, but they are all good. I know, because I have tried every single one of them--I love coming with a group, because then you can try more than one. I have recreated the mushroom one at home it is so delicious. The garlic shrimp torta is the best shrimp sandwich I have had. The restaurant is located near B10 in Terminal 1--don't miss it--it is worth the walk from far away, and definitely don't walk by it without trying something!