Aiken, South Carolina abounds in Mexican restaurants, but esquites have been nearly impossible to find. No longer. The cup of sweet corn kernels dressed with crema, cotija cheese, salsa, and Tajin is on the menu every day at Dos Potrillos Mexican Restaurant, which opened downtown four months ago. Prior to its storefront location, Dos Potrillos earned glowing word-of-mouth reputation as a trailer with picnic tables in a lot across the road from a Publix-anchored shopping center.
Its tortas are stunning, especially the Cuban. Make no mistake, as the full name of the restaurant suggests, they make a Mexican Cubana. It is not the same as the stereotypical Florida Dagwood with its inviolable lineup of roast pork, Swiss cheese, ham, mustard, and pickles, all packed together in a length of bread that’s been toasted and compressed in a plancha or improvised weight on a griddle.
