Who Is Who On Our Streets: Just Sandwiches

By Natalie Taylor

In San Miguel de Allende we have street food, and we have “wow” street food! This is the category where Prime Baguettes falls into, and the long lines prove it.

The stand is on the edge of Mexiquito and does not have a street address, but you can spot it as you go around the Zeferino Park roundabout. Lower your windows, and the aroma will guide you. And make sure that you are at Prime Baguettes, not the taco stands that sometimes appears on the side.

Luis García is the owner and cook, taking over the stand after his father, Jose Luis García died in October. It was, and still is, a family business for almost five years at the present location. It was eleven in the morning on a Thursday, and Luis was in front of his griddle frying a mountain of chopped onions, the appetizing smell rose like an enticing sensory call. They already had five orders for sandwiches, which they were being prepared in a wonderful assembly line fashion—Luis at the grill, his sister slicing long baguettes, her husband and their daughter getting the rest of the ingredients ready to go. On the table were large jugs of aguas frescas in various fruit flavors that Hermelinda, their mother, prepares at home every morning. A perfect accompaniment to the meal.

The specialty is sandwiches—arrachera, ribeye, picaña, chorizo argentino, pastor, and also chicken. Each order gets a smothering of sautéed onions and other fresh ingredients as the customer requests. Aside from the existing menu, Luis will be introducing a Philly and a T-bone steak sandwich. He is still working on the best flavors for both, but expects to have them around May.

Cooking and serving customers is something that Luis learned from childhood. His father was a waiter, and his mother was a cook for foreign residents at their home, but she was also the main cook at their home. Luis picked up those skills from her because he was always fascinated by good food and its preparation. His first job was at Real de Minas Hotel when he was a teenager, where he started as a busboy and later moved to the kitchen, his favored spot. After that he spent over 25 years cooking and serving food in various restaurants in México City, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and even in the United States. The knowledge and experience he acquired in these different places, and the mingling of tastes, is what motivated him to start making sandwiches at his stand.

Anyone who is a cook knows that the essence of a good dish is the ingredients—freshness and good quality are the sine qua non of any memorable meal. Prime Baguettes offers that every time. They buy their meat from the El Sabino farm in Nuevo León, and having tasted several, I found them quite tender (this varies according to cut), and well-seasoned. They are not spicy, but there are plenty of chilies and sauces ready to elevate the Scoville scale. This is obviously not a place where you come out in your best garb—it is street food (side of the road food) in the open air, sitting on plastic chairs on the grass. But the service and the sandwiches are first-rate, and many customers take their orders home where, if they wish, they can serve them at a dining table with candles. I’m not sure if the ambience will improve the taste.

The dream of Luis is to someday have a restaurant where he can continue providing the same tasty sandwiches. That dream will become reality when he has enough funds to rent a space in town. His popularity is evidenced by the fact that a few months ago, there was a rumor that Baguettes was no longer at its location, but had moved to a permanent spot. It was simply a rumor, but numerous social media posts speculated about his new location. Luis may take heart; he and his sandwiches have a loyal following, and they will track him as soon as he moves!

Luis has a daughter, Luciana, who is studying at UTSMA, and a son, Valentín, who wants to follow in his father’s footsteps—he is studying to be a chef.

The stand is open from Monday through Saturday, from 11 am to 3:30 pm. If you want to have your sandwich and eat it too….in the open air, then be prepared to wait up to 45 minutes. That’s the average time when many customers are waiting. A good option, however, is to call ahead and order for pickup. You may still eat the sandwich at one of their tables (if they’re not taken) or take it home. They will taste great either way.

Call ahead to pick up or to have the sandwich ready when you get there:  415 113 2868

Natalie Taylor has a BA in English Literature and Journalism, Loyola University, Chicago. MFA in creative writing, Vermont College, Montpelier. Bilingual published writer, editor, journalist, translator.

www.natalietaylor.org