The Tortas Neza truck, named after the owner’s old Mexico City neighborhood of Nezahualcóyotl (or Neza) — itself named after a famous Aztec poet-king — is parked near the corner of 108th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Corona, Queens.
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St. John's University English professor Steven Alvarez (left) with Tortas Neza owner Galdino Molinero (center) and Alvarez’s friend (and Queens’ resident food expert), Joe DiStefano.
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Each of the 19 tortas on the Tortas Neza menu are named after Mexican soccer teams.
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But the signature is the Pumas, named after the Club Universidad Nacional soccer club in Mexico City (commonly referred to as U.N.A.M or Pumas); it's Molinero’s favorite team.
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Here, Molinero, fittingly dressed in a Pumas DHL soccer jersey, walks us through how to make his best-selling signature torta.
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First things first: Molinero spreads a thin layer of beans on the bottom of the sandwich, before adding lettuce. He gets his torta bread custom made at Vallecito Bakery in Jackson Heights.
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Then, eggs and bits of chorizo are whipped up together...
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... before going on the griddle.
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Meanwhile, avocado is layered on, followed by spicy jalapeños.
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Chicken Milanese is fried to order...
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... and then mounted onto the sandwich. This is the first of many meats to come.
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Mini sausage links are fried.
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The finished eggs-with-chorizo are added...
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... which are then topped off with the sausages...
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... which are themselves garnished with thin slices of ham and queso de puerco, or head cheese.
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A final mound of grated cheese tops it off. Molinero then “butters” the other side with mayonnaise.
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The Pumas torta is finally ready for the griddle...
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... where it’s admired by all. (From left to right: Alvarez, DiStefano, and their friend, chef Irwin Sánchez.)
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The final pressing...
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... and just like that, it’s done.
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We divide and conquer the torta among ourselves. Still, all five of us cannot finish it all.
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Molinero with his wife, Lilia. They’ve been making tortas together for nearly two decades.
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Tortas Neza is but the first of Alvarez’s many stops for incredible Mexican food in Queens. Discover his ultimate guide to Mexican food in New York here.
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