It is a tostada…beef, beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and guac
Really? Flying saucers don’t look like they’re on tostadas in the photos I saw online. Or are we cross-threaded and you’re talking about tlayudas?
Now I’m on a mission to try a flying saucer somewhere in SD. So today I went down to Tostadas in North Park. No flying saucer on the menu, and I was told it wasn’t there anytime earlier, either. Strike one. Then I headed down University towards El Cuervo. Had to go north to get to Washington, so I turned. Alas, it was 6th. Bad move. It was rush hour. I headed back home. Strike two. To be continued.
But I looked on El Cuervo’s website, and they do have flying saucers…listed under tostadas!
Long story short, you’re probably right. As usual. To be continued…
Just hit up your nearest Sombrero’s. It’s on their menu
Sombrero’s? Never heard of it.
Anyway, here’s what we’ve got so far: (1) Leña has tlayudas, pronounced taLa + you + da, soft “t”, but you have to know that on the menu they’re called “flatbreads”. Incorrectly, unfortunately, because a real flatbread is basically a rectangular thin-crust pizza, made using conventional pizza dough. OK, check. (2) Flying saucers are just beef tostadas, with the usual gang of other toppings. OK, Check. No, wait a minute. There’s gotta be something different.
you didn’t check your local MXN shop? They probably have them. I think Super Sergios on Convoy does as well.
Yes, Super Sergios does have them on their menu! (Just checked.) I’ll go there instead of El Cuervo. Much closer. Thanks.
I only want to try one once. The last time I had a “flying saucer” was when I was on travel somewhere, a decade or so ago as I said earlier, and I recall The Thing had a thick crust. Which I didn’t like. Could be an unresponsive or otherwise faulty memory location though. In my memory, that is.
Lunched today at Super Sergio’s and got a beef flying saucer. Before ordering, I asked what a flying saucer was. The woman at the ordering station proceeded to describe the toppings and protein options, which are beans, lettuce, sour cream, and a few green chilies.
But what’s the difference between a flying saucer and a tostada, I asked. The answer:
It’s the tortilla and the size, mainly the former. It’s kind of like a tostada, she said, but a flying saucer is made with a fried flour tortilla. And it’s bigger than their tostadas.
But there’s more. It was served in an 8 x 10 inch (estimated) foam carry-out box, and filled the entire thing. In order to fit, the front and back of the tortilla had been folded over (I think) and turned up before frying. The front and back were visibly thick, split, and flaky, pastry-like. When I started eating it (beginning from the front) it had that bready taste that I remember from long ago (and didn’t like). In the middle, the tortilla was thinner, but still had a strong white bread flavor.
The thing was humongous, but I ate all of it. Will I order one again here or elsewhere? Doubtful. It was different, in an interesting way, tasty enough for once, and very filling.
Hey Doc, thanks from all of us for taking the flying saucer hit!
Yeah. Now I need a nap.
Yeah, that would be a siesta ( wink wink)
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Ha, this thread traveled to outer space since I last checked.
As for Lena and the Tlayuda- I haven’t been back since and can’t confirm whether or not it’s written on the menu, but I do remember the word ‘Tlayuda’ being used as we ordered. So, either it’s somewhere in the description or the server used it. Can’t remember. In general, the server was very knowledgeable about ingredients and the menu even during the soft opening. The tlayuda, although very tasty, was not the highlight of our meal. I would definitely consider it as a great shared plate for the center of the table rather than a dish to be eaten by one person.
Anyhow, still really hoping to get back to Lena soon and trying more.
Like everyone else, we headed to the coast yesterday and decided on Leña for a mid-afternoon light lunch.
My partner got the aguachile bravo (again), and (once again) very much enjoyed it. I decided to try two of their tacos, both of which were served in a deep dish and nicely presented. The al pastor disappointed, however, even with some habanero oil added. Maybe adding some salt would’ve brought out the flavor, IDK. The blue corn tortilla was heavy and appeared to be sturdy, but it didn’t hold up long enough for me to eat the whole thing by hand; I felt that it lacked freshnes.
By contrast, the other “taco”, called “plancha” on the menu, was very good. This one was more like a cross between a quesadilla and a tostada, though, with grilled queso Oaxaca sandwiched between two blue corn tortillas, topped with sauteed wild Mexican shrimp and seasoned with chili de arbol and an avocado-peanut chili sauce. It was as good as it sounds, but it isn’t a “taco” in my way of thinking; it had to be eaten with knife and fork. No way on earth could it be folded and picked up. Which was fine. I added some habanero oil to this one too, to give it a little more kick.
We also were able to sample a new beer (to us) from Ensenada, “Vaquita Marina”, a nice, smooth, cloudy pale ale with good balance. We wanted to try the “Humpy Humpy” (seriously) amber ale from the same brewery, Wendlandt, and compare – but they were out. Pretty high rent beer, though, $7.50 drafts.
Interesting - about the same time that Ian Pike kicked in a Reader review:
What a worthless review.
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Did the author ever loked into the sourcing of the restaurants he for example compared regarding the pork ? This review alone should disqualify him from any future reviews in any newspaper.
I think that the aquachile bravo that my DH partner ordered was about $15, which is on the high side, but she was happy and enjoys the way it’s done here, so I could care less.
The plancha was actually a good value, I thought. It was about $7, and I found it both satisfying and filling.
I see that I failed to say that the other taco I had was pescado al pastor, which I hadn’t had before. It was also about $7.
$7 tacos? Wow. Even for non-GMO, heirloom corn imported from Oaxaca plus local and sustainable ingredients, I think that’s high. We’re these big tacos?
HH…unfortunately he writes many of these vapidly insipid reviews for the Reader. They’re always about him, never about the food.