Jeff Orlick and friend eagerly wait for a sandwich outside Tortas Neza.

With 19 varieties of overstuffed tortas all named for Mexican soccer clubs, Tortas Neza was a sandwich shop of epic proportions. Each torta was an over-the-top affair, none more so than the $14 Tortas Puma. Named for league leader Pumas de la UNAM, it consisted of a breaded chicken cutlet, head cheese, chorizo, fried eggs, and sausage among many other fixings. And then one day Tortas Nezas vanished from its Woodside location.

When taco enthusiast Jeff Orlick told me Tortas Neza had resurfaced as a truck in Corona at Roosevelt Avenue and 111 Street I hit the gym ahead in preparation for a visit. A few weeks later the call came and Orlick asked myself and fellow fresser Jim Kim to join him for a midnight run to Neza on a bitter winter’s night. I seem to remember him also saying something about an Irish food truck in the Bronx.

The Maestro preparing a Torta Aguilas.

We ordered two sandwiches a Tortas Aguilas and a Tortas Monarcas, both $8. The first consisted of chicken breast, ham, and cheese, along with the standard Neza fixings: a shmear of refried beans, mayonnaise, pickled jalapeno, lettuce and avocado. It was good but the Monarcas, which the menu simply describes as “pork fried, cheesee,” won this pig lover over.

The porktastic torta Monarcas.

I’ve tried really hard to declare a moratorium on the word “porktastic,” but it’s just too apt for the Torta Monarcas. What’s simply described as fried pork, turns out be crunchy hunks of fried meat along with various sumptuous nasty bits, including supple bands of ear. Combined with the cheese and all the other toppings the sandwich is a gutbomb extraordinaire.

I was glad to have eaten only a third of each sandwich, particularly when Orlick told us that our next stop was The Chipper an Irish food truck in the Woodlawn section of the brunch. There we ordered deep fried sausages that were surely the greasiest thing I’ve eaten in a decade and a mess of French fries with a pleasant sweet brown curry sauce. I suppose such fare might serve as a decent alcohol sponge—the truck is located on a block lined with Irish watering holes—but I can’t quite fathom Orlick’s affinity for it.

On the way back from the Bronx I half-heartedly suggested that we keep the calorific party going with a trip to the Rutger’s Grease trucks. “You know I think they’re open right now,” he said only half kidding.

If you've ever found it challenging to balance a taco while standing up, you may wish to exercise great care eating Tortas Nezas sandwiches. That or take it to go. It's good to see Neza back on the street food playing field.

Tortas Neza, 111 Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Corona

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Jeff Orlick on the mean streets of Jackson Heights.

This week Seven Questions turns its attention to Jeff Orlick of Iwantmorefood.com.  In addition to being a food  blogger,  he's also a tour guide, and pizza enthusiast.

How long have you been writing about food and how did you get into it?
In 2007, my 8-year old niece started writing reviews on Yelp. It was a hit, but her account got revoked because an 8-year old is a terms of service violation. I wanted to preserve her writing, but was unable to get her precious reviews back from the Yelp trash bin. I started thinking about all the reviews I wrote on Yelp and figured I should create a back-up in case I was forcibly removed too. That started my blog. Later, I moved to Queens.

Do you really subscribe to Pizza Magazine Quarterly?
Uhhh yeahhh. It's awesome. It's like Disneyland in written form.

How did you come to be a pizza specialist?
I wanted [to eat] fresh pies from a bunch of the city's best pizzerias, so I started the 5-Boro Pizza Tour. We'd get 8 or 16 people (1 slice per person, 8 slices per pie), and go to 5 places in each borough on 5 different days. I did a ton of legwork trying to find the best and create a great experience for my friends. It became sort of an obsession. I kept going.  

I made the Real Pizza of New York iPhone app last year. It documents over 130 of the best pizzerias in the city (and some in Jersey), with my own pictures and descriptions of each pizza. I intend there to be over 200 listings in the tristate area by the time I can rest. People can arrange their own tours with their friends according to my recommendations here and my methodology for a tour. It's my own idea of conceptual art.

What’s your favorite neighborhood to eat in Queens and why?
I live at the cross section of about 7 cultures, so if you were to ask my favorite spot, it would be my apartment (near the 74th Street subway stop). Seriously, I lucked out. But I'm not exactly in a single neighborhood. I were to choose one neighborhood, I guess it's Corona. The food rarely caters to outsiders and there's always something new to discover. Usually pork related.

What’s the last thing you ate good, bad, or otherwise?
Good: eggplant parmigiana from Cascarino's. Haven't had lunch yet though, so the last good thing I ate will change soon. Bad: Garlic wings at Knoxie's Pub in Pompey, N.Y. two weeks ago. Garlic wings are a rare item on a menu, so I'm always excited to see them. There were many tells of a great bar and the wings looked great in front of me, but they were, in fact, dry and tasteless. Truly disappointing.

Otherwise: Yaroa at the Dominican truck on my Midnight Street Crawl last weekend. It's a 2-pound behemoth of mashed plantain, shredded chicken, pork and every extra-heavy sauce they can find. I wouldn't call it good (at all), but it's definitely an experience. It's hard not to order it, I'm a masochist.

Tell me about the Street Crawl.
I want to show you guys all this awesome food down Roosevelt Avenue and the entire midnight scene; it never sleeps. We're going much further than the Arepa Lady.  I've decided not to write about anything questionably legal anymore. The department of moneygrab is too eager to fine our locals who make real, authentic food. They watch the blogs now and I don't want the guilt of putting the sweetest tamale ladies out of business and forced to work in Starbucks or McDonald's. It's a shame that these people are being stifled of their own expression of culture like this.

The Roosevelt Avenue Midnight Street Crawl is now my outlet for showing people the best street food in the city. This is the cusp of culture, history, and entrepreneurship. I'm trying to encourage it.  These aren't educational tours, it's more about being guided to finding the best bites of the area, and participating in the nightlife of the street. You can sign up for a crawl here.

Are there any foods, ingredients, or cuisines you despise?
Brunch. Drinks served in mason jars. Trademarked menu items.

Many thanks to Elyaqim Mosheh Adam for the use of the above photo.

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This morning I awoke from a food coma brought on by trying to eat every meal for the last two weeks at the now shuttered M. Wells. Stepping outside I noticed a dirigible lazily traversing the skies above and I knew it was that time of year. Time to talk about what to eat during the U.S. Open. Here then, a list of Seven Things to Eat During The U.S. Open. Most of these places lie along the 7 line or are a short walk from the stadium. For a complete guide of where to eat along the 7 line be sure to check out World’s Fare 24/7 in the fall issue of Edible Queens. You'll find plenty there to keep you busy long after the Open ends.

Anyone for crawfish?

1.  Ma la xiao long xia at Sliced Noodles in New World Mall No. 21, New World Mall Food Court, 40-21 Main St., Flushing
Fresh lobster can be had at the stadium, but when’s the last time you ate a lobby at a sporting event? For a championship level crustacean experience take the 7 train to Main Street. Head over to Sliced Noodles in the New World Mall Food Court and order the ma la xiao long xia, or spicy little lobsters. Just under $10 buys a small mountain of crawdads bathed in chili sauce shot through with ginger and Sichuan peppercorn. If you simply must have lobster an outfit aptly called Live Seafood will gladly oblige with whole lobster prepared in a variety of styles, including spicy and ginger scallion.

A Colombian kitchen sink burger will fuel hours of tennis watching.

2.  Super Especial Hamburger at La Dulce Vida
107-22 Corona Ave., Corona, 718-271-3033
Skip the stadium's burgers and take a trip to Colombia instead. That country takes an everything but the kitchen sink approach to the humble hamburger. Find La Dulce Vida not far from the action in nearby Corona. The Super Especial Hamburger ($7) is topped with all manner of things. Some are conventional: bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayonnaise. And some are not: ham, garlic sauce, pink sauce, Russian sauce, and potato chips.

Why get just lemon ice, when you can have spumoni.

3. Spumoni at the Lemon Ice King of Corona
52-02 108th St., Corona, 718-699-5133
If you have room for dessert after that burger cross the street to the Lemon Ice King of Corona. Get a signature lemon ice. Better yet, try a spumoni new for this season. Head over to William F. Moore “Spaghetti” Park where locals play bocce late into the night. Watch a few frames and feel lucky to have had the chance to take in two great sporting events in one day.

4. Mixed Grill at La Porteña, 74-25 37th Ave., Jackson Heights, 718-458-8111
Cowboy steak can be had at the stadium’s Champion Bar & Grill. For a cowboy experience Argentine style take the 7 train to 74th St. and dine at La Porteña. Order the mixed grill ($18.95 for one, $29.95 for two). It’s a carnivorous combination of skirt steak, short ribs, pork sausage, blood sausage, sweetbreads, and tripe.

Perfect for a midnight snack.

5. Sandwich de media noche at El Sitio
68-28 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, 718-424-2369
This Cuban spot—with its sunny orange counter—is as old school New York as it gets. Get the sandwich de media noche ($4.40), essentially a Cuban sandwich on darker, sweeter bread. With a cup of café con leche ($1.50) it makes for a perfect midnight snack or prematch meal.

Game, set, crunch: Crispy papaya salad.

6. Thai home Cooking at TCP
63-19 39th Avenue, Woodside, 718-651-6888
Sure you could go to the wildly popular (and excellent) Sriprapahi just down the street along with dozens of other tennis fans. Instead head to TCP or Thailand’s Center Point, a mom-and-pop outfit that recalls the old days when Sripraphai was but a humble hole-in-the-wall. Aom “Annie” Phinphatthakul prepares such dishes as crispy papaya salad ($8.50), a riff on the classic som tum and crispy thousand egg with basil sauce ($10), three batter-fried preserved eggs were set atop ground pork in basil sauce. Shop for Thai ingredients afterwards at TCP’s adjoining grocery store.

Mixed khatsa combines the flavors of Tibet and with those of Sichuan.

7.  Tibetan-Chinese at Phayul, 74-06 37th Rd., Jackson Heights, 718-424-1869
There are so many Tibetan and Nepalese restaurants in what’s still known as Little India that I’ve taken to calling it Little Tibet. Phayul, where the chef offers what he calls Tibetan-Chinese, is one of the best. There are excellent momo here ($4.99), the crescent-shaped beef dumplings that are Tibet’s national dish. Tibetan-Chinese offerings include mixed khatsa ($8), wobbly strips of tripe and creamy bits of tongue dressed with chili, garlic, cilantro, and sesame seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns. If you’re lucky you’ll get to watch a few Tibetan hip hop videos while dining.

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 The stretch of 104 St. in front of Leo’s Latticini was recently
dubbed “Mama’s Way,” in honor of the late Nancy DeBenedittis.

As someone who was weaned on Sunday gravy Leo’s Latticini aka Mama’s of Corona holds a special place in my heart. Over the years I have come to think of the DeBenedittis sisters—Carmela, Irene, and Marie—as my adopted aunts. So I was happy to learn the corner outside the shop was renamed Mama’s Way in honor of their late mother, Nancy DeBenedittis. I missed the renaming ceremony Sunday, but made a point of stopping by for Sandwich Wednesday.

Mama’s Special hero is a thing of delicious beauty.

It’s been far too long since I’ve had a Mama’s Special ($7.50). Unlike other Italian combos, which employ an entire deli case of meats, this hero takes a more restrained approach. Three ingredients:Genoa salami, pepper ham, and creamy snow white mozzarella are tucked into a semolina loaf.

You will be asked if you want roasted peppers and marinated mushrooms. It’s an offer you shouldn’t refuse. Then bring your Mama’s Special over to the bakery and enjoy it in the cozy backyard complete with fountain. Try to save room for a chocolate-covered cannoli and a cappuccino if you can. Don't worry if you can't, Mama would understand.

Leo's Latticini (Mama's of Corona), 46-02 104th St., Corona, 718-898-6069

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