Buenos días Warsaw!
Warsaw Tortilla FactoryUl. Wilcza 46 (entrance on ulica Poznańska)Tel: 621-8622Hours: Noon-last customer
Normally, third-world ethnic food travels poorly when it ventures into Poland. Dishes seem to check their spice and flavor, and replace that with cabbage and shredded carrots. Culinary dialects from faraway lands are badly translated and instead of salsa we get sos. But the good people at the Warsaw Tortilla Factory seem to have found the passport that allows Tex-Mex cuisine to migrate while losing only a little of its accent. So, the Business Journal has to yelp like a gleeful mariachi and say, Bienvenido, Fábrica de Tortillas!
The Tortilla Factory recently reopened at a new location after a long, long hiatus while setting up the new shop. The ulica Wilcza home is, according to people who remember, significantly larger than the old restaurant. Now there is a decent-sized bar and adequate seating spread around an open dining room. One main room wall sports a Diego Rivera-ish mural, depicting scenes typical of the great painter's artwork. (The mural seemed a little odd in the Polish context because Rivera's work tended toward a "workers - and peasants - of the world unite" theme, though the man himself was expelled from the Communist Party in 1929. But for the most part it was a nice touch.) The rest of the place is understated brick walls and simple wooden tables.
As far as the setting goes, the Factory has done a good job. On the food front, they have done a great job. The menu is still set to expand, though the core should remain Tex-Mex food and not far-flung interpretations. There are already a couple of oddball choices on the menu, but generally the fare on offer was good and basic stuff, done well and with a nice, spicy flair. And so far the restaurant seems to be popular. On a recent Friday most of the tables were reserved and the bar was packed, and a good crowd also showed up on a cold and snowy Monday evening.
And of course, most everyone was there to sample Tex-Mex. My American posse set out to make a run south of the gastronomic border with high hopes and some critical expertise. We brought along one gringa who lived in Mexico City for two years and others who, through extensive travels or at least vivid imaginations, can wax poetically on the beauty and harmony of a well-done burrito, the art of the man who slices and flips together a taco, the anticipation of the hot rush induced by splendid salsa. And at least I think everyone had done some tequila shots in college.
We sampled widely from the reasonably priced menu. Flautas, corn tortillas rolled and stuffed with chicken and cheese, were a nice start. The rich flavor and hearty filling belied the relatively smallish portion. The roasted pork tacos had a thin, moist tortilla wrapping with tasty roasted and pulled meat, flavored with chipotle and "a kick-butt salsa," according to our gringa. The burrito is offered with beef, chicken, pork and beans. The pork version was good - tender roast meat mixed in with rice and beans and cozied inside a warm flour tortilla. The hot salsa on the side was spicy enough to make my mouth dance a little Jarabe Tapatio. The red bean chile con carne is topped with sour cream and onions, a nice touch for a flavorful dish. The only meal that didn't get rave reviews was the quesadilla, which, after all, is only some simple filling sandwiched between two tortillas; unfortunately on one trip to the Tortilla Factory, it came cold.
Did I mention that the restaurant has good margaritas? These are not małgorzatas. They are margaritas. "Much better than those damn margarita martinis you get in other places in Warsaw," Liza said. I won't lie and say it's the best margarita I've ever had - that would be one served with freshly squeezed limes, some triple sec and high-octane tequila while lounging in a tropical climate. But, even from a mix, these worked wonders on my disposition, getting me ready to sing songs by José Alfredo Jiménez and his mariachi brethren. The restaurant's soundtrack, however, was much more in keeping with 30-something American nostalgia - a fun bunch of ditties only barely out of place in a fine Tex-Mex joint.
And the highest praise came, at last, from Pani Gringa, who said of the Tortilla Factory, "I felt like I was in California, chilling at a good Tex-Mex cafe as I wolfed down my chow - with not a whiff of coleslaw in sight!" Our meal for five came to zł. 207 ($52) including drinks.
On the menu:
Margarita zł. 22
Flautas zł. 12
Roasted port tacos zł. 12
Red bean chili con carne zł. 16
Burrito zł. 20
Quesadilla zł. 17
Jeff Sparshott
