Here are Your KCRW and Gustavo's Great #TortillaTournament San Diego Invitational Winners!
The whole idea of KCRW and Gustavo’s Great #TortillaTournament — 64 tortillas, 32 corn and 32 flour, broken up into four seeded brackets of 16 — started because I’m a sports nerd.
Final Four. Gold Cup. Champion’s League. Stanley Cup. Whatever the hell the baseball playoffs are nowadays. Getting the best of the best — and sometimes, the worst of the worst — together to let every tortilla have their given Sunday.
But…how do you get a chance to even participate? In the sports world, you have leagues and other tournaments where minnows and sharks battle each other to swim in the Grande Dance, or whatever metaphor a sport uses to call its playoffs/finals.
If I had more time, I’d do all sorts of mini-tournaments (and still reserve the right to do so in the future) to let other regions match up against Southern California. But in the meanwhile, we have to carve out a space for San Diego.
Like I’ve written before, L.A. likes to ridicule America’s Finest City. O.C.? We’re indifferent. But where the two counties must set aside their feelings is in S.D.’s tortilla game, which is spectacular.
We have three San Diego-area tortillas — Tortillería Lily in City Heights for corn, and Barrio Logan’s Las Cuatro Milpas and mini-chain Manolo Farmers Market for flour — returning this year in the bigger tournament since they made the Suave 16 last year. The flour tortilla game down there is pound-for-pound better than L.A. because of San Diego’s proximity to northern Mexico. And because of said proximity, you also have way more random liquor stores selling their own tortillas than L.A. and O.C.
That’s why San Diego will always have a presence in the larger #tortillatournament, and so we return with our third San Diego Invitational: 32 tortillas, 16 corn, 16 flour. Every year, the winner and runner-up of each category will take one #5 and one #6 seed, respectively, in the larger tournament, just like a play-in seed in a sports tournament. aWhich tortillas get the honors this year? Thought you would never ask…and by the way, we’ll put these all up on our KCRW #tortillatournament map soon. Can’t give away ALL the goods on my personal Substack, you know?
I am the only judge for San Diego — sorry, Nericcio! Behold your tournament bracket here:
#TortillaTournament San Diego Invitational Results
CORN
Round 1
#1 Kaelin's vs. #16 Farm Fresh Market: The first one is a supermarket out in El Cajon, and their corn tortillas didn’t have a bad flavor. The second one isn’t too far away from Tijuana, which is why it sucks that their corn tortillas were flimsy with not enough flavor. Winner: Kaelin’s
#8 La Perla Tapatía vs #9 La Posta Market: Oceanside versus Imperial Beach! La Perla had a good structure and taste with the tiniest bit of bitterness at the end. La Posta, on the other hand, was unremarkable WINNER: La Perla Tapatía
#5 Café Coyote vs. #12 El Grano de Oro: Don’t sleep on those Old Town San Diego tourist traps! Old Town Mexican Cafe has made it into the larger tournament in the past, and Café Coyote is in that caliber with a very thin corn tortilla that’s good, if a tad salty. National City’s El Grano de Oro, meanwhile, was tasteless. WINNER: Café Coyote
#4 Casa De Bandini vs. #13 Carolina's: The former in Carlsbad seems at first like a El Torito ripoff complete with a tortilla-making station near the bar, the better for eaters to realize This Place is Authentic. Don’t assume anything — their corn tortillas are big, thin, a dark yellow and good. Could’ve been better, but they made it past Carolina’s, whose white corn tortillas weren’t bad at all, but just not better than Casa De Bandini. Winner: Casa De Bandini.
#6 La Bodega vs. #11 Garcia’s Puebla Mercado: The first one is right next to the second-to-last stop on the 805 South before you cross into Tijuana. They make them fresh every morning, and they’re wonderful and probably could beat most of the tortillas here. But remember what I said about how San Diego County has random tortillerías way more than L.A. County? This was reconfirmed when I was on the way to Kaelin’s in El Cajon and saw a marquee advertising Garcia Puebla Mercado and their…tamales. What made me stop and discover wonderful white corn tortillas? Not sure, but they beat La Bodega in an upset. Winner: Garcia’s Puebla Mercado.
#3 Puesto vs #14 Mi Reyna Tortillería y Taquería: The former is a wildly successful chain that I first enjoyed at a Bill Esparza taco extravaganza years ago. They were doing blue corn tortillas way before most. The Puesto tortilla smells amazing with a great flavor – that’s a good tortilla. Mi Reyna looks as pedestrian as possible for a tortilla. No flavor, no winner. Winner: Puesto
#7 Apple Tree Market vs. #10 Tortillería Salsa: The latter in El Cajon is not a bad, mass-produced tortilla but that’s about all it is. The former is a small supermarket with great food. Winner: Apple Tree Market.
#2 Selecta International Grocers vs. #15 Red Bird Market: There was an off-chemical taste to Red Bird. I appreciate it’s a tiny liquor store with a cooler full of them, but cuteness doesn’t always win. Winner: Selecta
Round 2
#1 Kaelin’s vs. #8 La Perla Tapatia: Kaelin’s all of a sudden tasted better than it did the first round, while La Perla didn’t level up. Winner: Kaelin’s
#5 Café Coyote vs. #4 Casa De Bandini: In the battle of Gaba-Mex, Casa De Bandini gets by on better flavor. Winner: Casa De Bandini
#3 Puesto vs. #11 Garcia’s Puebla Mercado: Ooh, an upset! Winner: Garcia’s Puebla Mercado
#2 Selecta vs. #7 Apple Farm: Selecta is a beloved binational brand in San Diego County because they bring it, and that’s exactly what happened here. Winner: Selecta.
Round 3
#1 Kaelin’s vs #4 Casa De Bandini: Kaelin’s is good, but Casa De Bandini is a really good tortilla that gets better with each taste. Winner: Casa De Bandini
#11 Garcia’s Puebla Mercado vs. #2 Selecta: And Garcia’s pulls off another upset! Aren’t you glad, gentle readers, that I don’t keep my eyes on the road while I’m on the job?
#TortillaTournament San Diego Invitational Corn Finale
#4 Casa De Bandini vs. #11 Garcia’s Pueblo Mercado: The two make great corn tortillas. I had to do a taste-off again, and that’s how Carlsbad beat El Cajon.
#TORTILLATOURNAMENT SAN DIEGO INVITATIONAL CORN WINNER: Casa De Bandini
Gustavo’s Take: San Diego’s corn game still isn’t as good as L.A.’s, but Casa De Bandini — which will get a #5 seed — and Garcia’s Pueblo Mercado — which will get a #6 seed in a separate bracket — offer San Diego’s tortilla game at its finest: the better-than-you’d-expect combo-plate haven, and a mom-and-pop shop. And neither are in San Diego proper, either!
Now, the flour….
FLOUR
Round 1
#1 Old Town Mexican Café vs. 16 Mi Reyna Tortillería y Taquería: Old Town Mexican Café is a perennial finalist in the San Diego Tortilla Invitational, with its third showing in a row. Mi Reyna starts good, but there’s a chemical flavor lingering throughout. Winner: Old Town Mexican Cafe
#8 Farm Fresh Market vs. #9 Hank's Farmer Market: So remember how Farm Fresh Market had crappy corn tortillas? Their flour ones are GOOD — buttery in flavor, and bubbling up on the comal like the best flour tortillas do. Hank’s wasn’t bad, but even better is its name: Only in San Diego can there be a business that makes tortillas called HANK’S. Sadly, we don’t have a tortilla name competition…yet. Winner: Farm Fresh Market
#5 Casa De Bandini vs. #12 Garcia’s Puebla Mercado: Interesting how #tortillatournament works out, right? Our corn finalists meet here in the first round in flour. This time, the matchup isn’t even close. All the flavor from the corn one in Garcia’s is lacking in the flour. No chemical aftertaste, but no charm. Casa De Bandini sizzles when you put it on the comal. That’s almost always the sound of a winner, but you gotta taste it as well. The edges are dark with lard. Perfectly, too! Winner: Casa de Bandini
#4 Café Coyote vs. #13 El Grano de Oro: The cool thing about the tortilla makers at Café Coyote is that they do it outside, the better to tempt tourists to come on in, and give you your change back (cash only) with tongs lest grubby dollar bills and quarters contaminate their masa-making hands. Their flour tortillas are soft and fluffy and nice, but sadly not much flavor. There’s more flavor in El Grano de Oro, but also a slight chemical aftertaste that becomes more prominent the more you eat it. Winner Café Coyote
#6 Tortillas de Harina El Trigal vs. #11 La Posta Market: La Posta’s flour tortillas doesn’t look like much but they’re wheaty and buttery and sizzle. Not bad! I was expecting far more from El Trigal, which aren’t remarkable save for a bit of butter at the end that just couldn’t top La Posta. Winner: La Posta
#3 Tortillas de Harina Elice vs. #14 La Perla Tapatia: La Perla Tapatia was simple but really flavorful. Elice bubbled up. Stretchy and flour-y, and finally buttery. Closer than you’d expect, but Elice moves on Winner: Elice
#7 Apple Tree Market vs. #10 Tortillería Salsa: Apple Tree is very thin and turns flaky. It’s a good flavor. But rejoice, vegetarians: Tortillería Salsa uses vegetable shortening for their flavor agent, which is what previous #tortillatournament winner Burritos La Palma uses. It sizzled, too! It’s not a bad flavor, but Apple Tree has a deeper, better flavor with some salt and butter. Winner: Apple Farm.
#2 Foodland Mercado vs. #15 Red Bird Market: I liked Foodland Mercado’s tortillas, and also that the supermarket stocked local rivals like La Canasta, Salsa, Estrellita and more. Again, I want to congratulate Red Bird for selling their own tortillas – but if y’all make them, do a better job. If you buy them from elsewhere, get a better maker. What you sell is thin and flaky, but has a soapy flavor that lingers — and no one wants soap to linger on their palate. Winner: Foodland Mercado
Round 2
#1 Old Town Mexican Café vs. 8 Farm Fresh Market: UPSET ALERT. Farm Fresh takes it. Winner: Farm Fresh
#5 Casa De Bandini vs. #4 Café Coyote: The flavor of Casa De Bandini beats Coyote, whose flavor emerged later on but it was too late to win. Winner: Casa De Bandini
#11 La Posta vs. #3 Elice: Elice has a better flavor on second try, but still not as showy as I expected. But it’s really good. La Posta is good, but Elice has more flavor. Sorry I’m Hemingway on this blurb instead of Faulkner, but c’est la vie. Winner: Elice
#2 Foodland Mercado vs. #7 Apple Tree Market: UPSET ALERT Winner: Apple Tree Market
Round 3
#8 Farm Fresh vs. #5 Casa De Bandini: The first is good and lardy but maybe a tad too salty toward the end. Farm Fresh also had a wheatier flavor, while Casa was more buttery. Three taste-offs to figure this one out, Casa De Bandini has more sizzle, more flavor, and moves on. Winner: Casa De Bandini
#7 Apple Tree Market vs #3 Elice: The great thing about an Elice tortilla is that the flavor remains even if you let it cool down by accident and harden. It’s a clean, thorough taste – steady, not showy. Apple Tree’s flavor was stronger, more distinct and pleasing yet Elice pulled this one off in a nail-biter — or should I say, flake-biter? Winner: Elice
FINALS
#5 Casa de Bandini vs. #3 Elice: When I think of Carlsbad, I think of golf courses, old rich Republicans and how the only time I stopped by before #tortillatournament was at a Home Depot to use the facilities. But the tortillas of our finalists are mirror images of each other. Elice has that steady flavor that is actually better up front; Casa gets the better of flavor at the end. When I was done eating both, my mouth was pure butter. I stepped away, and they both hardened into flour tostadas. Casa was like a butter cracker. So was Elice. But Casa was better.
#TORTILLATOURNAMENT SAN DIEGO INVITATIONAL CORN WINNER: Casa De Bandini
Gustavo’s Take: Strong showing by Casa De Bandini, which gets #5 seeds in corn and flour. And good for Elice, which many of my San Diego friends swear by and gets a #6 seed. But how will they match up in the regular #tortillatournament? And who is in the regular #tortillatournament, anyways?
Thought you would never ask…read here!