100 Favorite Dishes 2015: Torta Ahogada at Tortas Paquime

This year we're marking the hundred-day countdown to Best of Phoenix 2015 by sharing some of our favorite dishes at restaurants all over the Valley. Have a suggestion for a dish you'd like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email [email protected].

60. Torta Ahogada at Tortas Paquime

The "drunken sandwich" — a.k.a Torta Ahogada — at Tortas Paquime is a force to be reckoned with. Drowned in a tomato-chile sauce and loaded with thick slices of roasted pork and avocado, this sandwich gets tossed on the restaurant's grill so that the inside of each piece of bread gets crisped to a golden brown. Oh, and in addition to the generous spoonfuls of sweet and spicy sauce, there are also strings of onions and a drizzle of cream on top, an ivory crown on this monster of a meal.

You can eat the Torta Ahogada with your hands if you want to wear your meal on the way home. But if cleanliness is at all a priority, you'll want to take it on with a fork and knife. Even then it's unlikely that you're going to walk away entirely unscathed. In reality, you're going to have that sauce all over your face — an unavoidable consequence of shoveling forkfuls of meat and bread and vegetables into your mouth. 

Once you've satisfied your savory fix, you might as well indulge your sweet tooth too. Tortas Paquime, which has four locations around the Valley, also serves an excellent selection of desserts including milkshakes, ice cream, churros, raspados, paletas, and more.  

The 100 Favorite Dishes so far...
100. Waffle at Matt's Big Breakfast 
99. Pacific White Fish Taco at La Santisima 
98. Beef Roll at Taiwan Food Express
97. Zinc Burger at Zinc Bistro
96. Goat Biryani at Khyber Halal 
95. Key Lime Doughnut at Welcome Chicken + Donuts
94. Chicharrón Prensado Quesadilla at La Merced
93. Moist Succulent Pork Chop at Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe
92. Deep Fried Squid with Salt and Pepper from Nee House Chinese Cuisine
91. Coconut Raspberry Brownie at Karl's Quality Bakery
90. Fried Chicken at Phoenix Public Market Cafe
89. The Tyler at Cheese 'N Stuff
88. Hurricane Popcorn at Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour
87. Ceviche at El Chullo
86. Date Shake at Couscous Express
85. Red Bean and Rice Burger at Liberty Market
84. Banh Thit Nguoi at Da Vang
83. Breakfast Sandwich at Ollie Vaughn's
82. Crispy Pig Ears at Crudo 
81. Parillada at Asadero Norte De Sonora 
80. Warm Jar of King Crab and Butter at Little Cleo's Seafood Legend
79. Pumpkin Spice Macaron at Essence Bakery
78. Falafel Sandwich at Al Hana Restaurant
77. Sheng Jian Bao at DingHao Shanghai
76. Baked Vegetable Pesto at Oven + Vine
75. Pollo Guisado at FrinGo's Kitchen
74. Aloo Paratha at Tahoora Grill 
73. Exotic Mushroom Pan Fry at Cowboy Ciao
72. Otro Cortado Salad at Otro Cafe
71. The Standard with Cheese at The Stand 
70. Kimchee Bokum Bap at Hodori 
69. The 301 Pizza at Forno 301
68. Green Chile Burrito at Rito's Mexican Food 
67. Aloo Tikki Chaat at Little India
66. Oysters Rockefeller at The Salt Cellar Restaurant
65. Bún Thit Nuong at Hue Gourmet
64. Pistachio Chicken Liver Pate at The Gladly
63. Fried Green Tomato Sandwich at Welcome Diner
62. Crawfish at Angry Crab Shack
61. The Lady at Short Leash Hot Dogs
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