All over the world there are dishes that are considered essential elements of the local cultural experience. Residents will tell you that you haven’t truly visited their city unless you’ve had item X.
In some cities, like Paris, there are so many quintessential foods it is difficult to know where to start (or stop for that matter). Baguette, cheese, and wine from a nearby market? Macarons from a celebrated patisserie? Crepes from a street cart? What best defines that city’s culinary landscape?
In other spots (I’m thinking about Guadalajara, Mexico now), the essential food experience is much clearer. In fact, I am downright annoyed that I have visited the Mexican state of Jalisco and yet have not tried the soaking wet, spicy sandwich that I have subsequently learned is the signature food of the region, famed for consumption in the most unlikely of spots for such a messy item, the soccer stadium.
The Torta Ahogada is a beloved sandwich made on the traditional bread of the region, the bolillo, which resembles a squat baguette and shares the same crispy crust and soft, chewy interior. The bolillo is typically stuffed with pork, chicken, or beans, and the whole thing is submerged in a spicy chili sauce, resulting in a dripping wet mess of sandwich-y goodness.
I know of this dish because people who have visited the same spots I did in Mexico some years ago have described it to me in the most affectionate terms.
Happily, the North Shore’s emporium for authentic casual Mexican food, Cinco de Mayo, has created their own riff on the Torta Ahogada (literally “drowned sandwich”) in the form of the Wet Burrito, a dish I greedily devoured on a recent visit with my wife and kids.
The Cinco de Mayo Wet Burrito is, for my money, the best all-around value on their menu and offers a little bit of everything that defines the restaurant’s cuisine. The burrito begins with your choice of a whole wheat or white flour tortilla (these are big tortillas, enough to hold a solid half kilo of food), seasoned rice, and your preferred protein.
Patrons can choose from carnitas (braised pork), shredded Achiote chicken, tinga de res (braised, shredded beef), or beans, and then build out from there with an assembly line of fresh toppings, including roasted corn salsa, pico de gallo (mild or spicy), fresh chopped jalapenos, cilantro, guacamole (a $1 supplement), cheese, and plain or ancho chilli sour cream. I chose the chicken for my central protein as my kids both opted for carnitas in their regular burritos, and I selected all of the ingredients listed above save the guacamole.
My burrito was rolled tightly, then topped with queso fresco (young, fresh white cheese) and taken to the back for a quick broil in order to melt the cheese. The whole giant, melty tube was then topped with a generous portion of spicy, tangy and wet salsa verde (tomatillo salsa) and sour cream, resulting in a meal that required a fork and knife to eat.
The Wet Burrito was accompanied by a side of rice, refried and black beans, an additional dollop of Cinco de Mayo’s truly outstanding, fresh and fragrant pico de gallo, and a patriotic smattering of red, green and white tortilla chips. I highly recommend including the corn salsa in your burrito as it adds a pleasant roasted sweetness, and I would suggest selecting spicy pico de gallo as it is still quite tame on the palate; squeeze bottles of hot sauce abound in the restaurant for additional seasoning.
Burritos come in three sizes at Cinco de Mayo: mediano, grande and macho.
For the kids, the mediano was more than enough, especially when packed with rice, pico de gallo, guacamole, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and pork. From the couple bites I had of the kids’ burritos, I found Cinco de Mayo’s carnitas unusual, in that it didn’t have those deeply caramelized, golden brown and crunchy bits that I have come to expect from this traditional preparation. It was tasty, to be sure, but I have to say I was glad I had chosen chicken for my meal.
My wife DJ tried a vegetarian enchiladas entrée and was very happy with the dish, which featured four small corn tortillas filled with black beans and rice, topped with all of the additions found in my Wet Burrito, then baked with cheese and topped with sour cream, and accompanied by rice, refried and black beans, tortilla chips and pico de gallo. Cinco de Mayo boasts both vegetarian and vegan versions of all of their menu items.
The restaurant has a handful of tequilas on offer for consumption on premise, as well as a fridge full of brightly coloured and fruity Mexican soft drinks.
Cinco de Mayo was founded by Zaira Flores (general manager/co-owner) and José Martínez (director/co-owner), both of them originally from Mexico, along with Ian Walker (director/owner) from Winnipeg.
Part of Cinco de Mayo's profits are set aside for social projects in Mexico and Downtown Vancouver. They sponsor scholarships for marginalized children in Mexico and a hot beverage program for the homeless in Vancouver. The restaurant also donates all their recycling to Hank’s Christmas Glitter, a North Shore charity which collects bottles and cans – the profits of which are spent on homeless outreach initiatives.
Cinco de Mayo will celebrate its sixth anniversary with a party on Saturday, May 5 – Cinco de Mayo!
Our dinner of two entrees, two mediano burritos, and two soft drinks was $54 before gratuity.
102-200 Esplanade Ave., North Vancouver. Cinco5demayo.com. 604-770-1010.
