Michael Tavarez, a New Yorker, started serving the chopped cheese sandwich in Dallas through his Dominican street food pop-up, Picadera. He uses Angus beef, American cheese, and onions, with a ketchup-and-mayo-based sauce that has Dominican influences. The menu is rotated twice a month and served on a hoagie according to a Dallas Morning News article. They say,

 

“Picadera, a Dominican street food pop-up run by Michael Tavarez, served its first chopped cheese in November 2020. Tavarez grew up in New York, where his family owns a chain of Fine Fare Supermarkets and serves sandwiches, including the chopped cheese, in its delis. Noticing a lack of the sandwich in town, he wanted to bring a taste of New York to Dallas. 

 

Tavarez usually works two pop-ups each week, split between breweries and bars, with a rotating menu that features the chopped cheese about twice per month. To make it, he sears an Angus beef patty on the griddle and then chops it up with American cheese and onions. It’s served on a hoagie with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and a ketchup-and-mayo-based sauce that includes Dominican accents. If customers want, they can festoon the sandwich with extras like fried mozzarella sticks or onion rings. He says the Picadera pop-ups draw a lot of Dominican and Puerto Rican customers, some who lived in New York, who know the chopped cheese from their old neighborhood bodegas.

 

The menu includes classic Dominican street food such as deep-fried empanadas, tostones, and yuca fries. Customers can mix and match combos that include sides and sauces. 

• Pollo Guisado (Stewed Chicken)

• Dominican Beef Picadillo

• Black Bean + Cheese

• Yuca Fries

• Dominican Style Side Salad

 

However, the Dominican specialist is also offering refreshing drinks like coconut water and of course, their imported drinks which includes Refresco Dominicano-Merengue and Refresco Dominicano-Frambuesa.