Tortas Frontera at O’Hare

Flight delays at O’Hare tasted like bland salads, Hudson News nut mix and Aunt Annie’s pretzels until Rick Bayless provided his latest installment of delicious tortas and aqua frescas smack dab in the middle of Terminal 1. My two-hour delay to Vegas last week allowed just enough time to take a seat at the small (but fully stocked) bar of Tortas Frontera to indulge in a griddle-baked Xoco-style torta stuffed with juicy chipotle chicken, spicy poblano rajas, black beans, chihuahua cheese, cilantro, cool crema avocado and arugula. Other tortas on tap include smoked pork loin and Nueske’s bacon, beer-braised beef short ribs, smoky garlic shrimp and roasted garlic mushrooms, all stuffed in griddle-baked crispy bread hearty enough to hold you over for the travel day ahead. You’ll see travelers stopping to marvel at the selection of open-faced molletes, soups, salads and egg and chorizo tortas for breakfast (so long 5AM Egg McMuffin!), but with so much love going into each item, prepare to wait (around 10 min.) and carry a beeper that’ll tell you when your tortas are ready. Just grab a seat, a prickly pear-raspberry aqua fresca, or something stronger to hold you over until you hear your group number.

Chipotle chicken tortas and prickly pear juice at O'Hare