https://www.tortugasandwich.com https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/86ae0fe3/dms3rep/multi/Tort82328_36x30_1ea.png https://www.tortugasandwich.com https://www.tortugasandwich.com/follow-us-on-social-media <h3> Follow us on social media!  </h3> <div data-rss-type="text"> We will run a variety of daily specials that you will not want to miss out on. Stay up-to-date on the latest happenings here at Tortuga by following us on Facebook and Instagram! We'll regularly give you a peek at what's going on behind the scenes (and with Latin-inspired food, there's always a lot going on behind the scenes) and let you know what to expect for specials.  </div> Mon, 30 Nov 2020 13:02:11 GMT https://www.tortugasandwich.com/follow-us-on-social-media thumbnail main image https://www.tortugasandwich.com/central-american-flavors-land-in-sanborn-buffalo-news <h3> Buffalo News Food &amp; Drink Newsletter </h3> <div data-rss-type="text"> Check out this article from Andrew Galarneau! <div> <br/> </div> <div> <b> Niagara County gets taste of Central America </b> </div> <div> <b> <br/> </b> </div> <div> The tale of how Andrew Smiedala turned up in Sanborn selling Central American-inspired sandwiches is a love story. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> He grew up in the Buffalo area, graduating from Tonawanda High School in 1993. For five years, Smiedala worked on a food truck in Fairfax County, Va., outside of Washington, D.C. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> He fell in love with a Bolivian woman named Carla. When they decided to buy a house, they moved back to Western New York, where such a thing would be possible. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> First, though, she took him home, with a trip to Central America. Smiedala was impressed by the flavors and freshness of his Bolivian in-laws’ cuisine, from Peruvian and Argentinian family traditions. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> “I went to South America and was really just fascinated with the food,” Smiedala said. Plus, as a Buffalo market niche, “it's not overdone,” he said. “How many Mexican restaurants are there?” </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> Besides Colombian and Venezuelan dishes offered at Sabores de mi Tierra, 247 Niagara St., the Buffalo market is starved for the flavors of Central America. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> Good news, noshers: Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia have gotten as close as Sanborn, a half-hour’s drive from Buffalo’s City Hall. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> At 5835 Buffalo St., Sanborn, formerly Tina’s Place, Smiedala opened Tortuga Sandwich Shop with six sandwiches ($8 to $14), three styles of fried potatoes ($4 to $5), and churros ($5) for dessert. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> After I told Smiedala that I missed lomo soltado, the signature Peruvian stir-fry of beef, tomatoes, and french fries, he told me that Chino ($14) was his handheld homage to that dish. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> Marinated strip steak, sautéed peppers, blistered tomatoes, crispy potato sticks – yessir, that would do it. Plus a spicy chile-cheese sauce Peruvians call huancaina. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> Argentina’s flag flew in the Lanza ($12), of split and grilled Argentine sausage, chimichurri, and a bronzed slab of seared provolone, with fresh tomato salsa. (That’s the handsome rascal pictured up top.) </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> Souped-up spuds ($5) include a Spanish style patatas bravas with smoky tomato sauce and garlic aioli, or “Andes” style, with that spicy chile-cheese and Peruvian herb mayonnaise. </div> <div> <br/> </div> <div> Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Phone: 216-6003. </div> </div> Mon, 30 Nov 2020 12:40:15 GMT villnave@lewistondigital.com (Matt Villnave) https://www.tortugasandwich.com/central-american-flavors-land-in-sanborn-buffalo-news thumbnail main image