It takes a massive jaw and a serious appetite to conquer a cemita poblana, a beast of a sandwich constructed from a plush sesame roll jam-packed with ripe avocados, panela cheese, Oaxacan string cheese, salsa, onions, and any number of proteins. Here at Cemitas Don Adrian, the Pueblan specialty comes together like a dream.

A thoroughly enticing write up by Linda Burum in the Times inspired The Astronomer and me to pay this Valley sandwich shop a visit. We arrived at neither the lunch nor dinner hour, which meant that we had the place practically to ourselves.

On our first trip to Don Adrian, The Astronomer and I shared a cemita layered with cecina adobada, a kind of beef jerky that the shop’s proprietor Adolfo Huerta makes in-house using techniques and recipes passed down from his grandfather Don Adrian. With its distinct notes of achiote and cumin, the cecina adobada was absolutely irresistible. Of all the proteins available, this one packed the biggest wallop.

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