Why do some people think Colorado is in the Midwest? (Denver: transplants, restaurant)

[jim9251]

I've never heard Colorado being called the midwest. It's the WEST.

[CO.Native.SW]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Now I know you're pulling our legs.

No, you must be pulling my leg if you don't think Southwest/New Mexican Cuisine is the most popular style of food in CO cities. Granted, way up IN the mountains, i have no idea what they like to eat. I would assume it is just typical western style of food, or trout, or something similar to that. But, how is New Mexican Cuisine not the popular choice for food in most all CO cities??? New Mexican cuisine is widely known for its use of the Chile in the red or green variations. Its also used to make Red or Green CHili, which you probably obvioulsy know. Popular features of New Mex are smothered burritos, breakfast burritos, carne adovada, chicarrones, chile sauce, chiles rellenos, chorizo, cilantro, empanada, enchiladas, flan, flauta, tamales, sopaipilla, salsa picante, pozole, pico de gallo, huevos rancheros, etc. How do most ALL colorado new mexican cuisine places not have this????

Yes, there are variations of SW Cuisine (Tex-Mex, New-Mex, Mex, Cali-Mex), but if you have ever been to any of the real good mexican restaurants or any place sthat serve in CO, you could obviously see that Colorado does New Mexican cuisine. How can you NOT see that New Mexican cuisine is the most popular type of food available in CO cities. granted, we have plenty of other options as well, but thats by and large the most popular. IDK if you are trying to knock Mexican food in CO, but we have great mexican food in Pueblo, Denver, Greeley, even some food places in C-Springs, and definitely good places in the small towns with significant Chicano and immigrants populations.

Pueblo grows Chiles just like the Hatch in New Mexico or the Anaheim Chiles. That article below talks about the farms around Pueblo that grow Pueblo chiles, and I am sorry, but they do not take a back seat to New Mexico chile's at all. They are practically the same. It scares me that you can not see that New Mexican Cuisine is very popular in Colorado, and probably the most popular style of food. it almost sounds like some people on here are trying to say CO does not have a large SW influnce. Many people also consider CO, UT, and NV as part of the SW as well. I prefer the term mountain states or mountain west. I think i have pretty valid points.

Roasting Green Chilies in Colorado

[CO.Native.SW]

Originally Posted by jim9251

i've never heard colorado being called the midwest. It's the west.

thank you!

[CosmicWizard]

Right after I got out of the Air Force and returned to my state of origin ( Pennsylvania ) in '71, I had an overirding desire to move someplace out west. Colorado was high on my list. Not once did I or any of my friends talk about Colorado being in the midwest. Had someone made a statement like that, we'd have thought they were crazy. Colorado has always been in the mountains, and out west from my perspective having grown up in Pennsylvania.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by CO.Native.SW

No, you must be pulling my leg if you don't think Southwest/New Mexican Cuisine is the most popular style of food in CO cities. Granted, way up IN the mountains, i have no idea what they like to eat. I would assume it is just typical western style of food, or trout, or something similar to that. But, how is New Mexican Cuisine not the popular choice for food in most all CO cities??? New Mexican cuisine is widely known for its use of the Chile in the red or green variations. Its also used to make Red or Green CHili, which you probably obvioulsy know. Popular features of New Mex are smothered burritos, breakfast burritos, carne adovada, chicarrones, chile sauce, chiles rellenos, chorizo, cilantro, empanada, enchiladas, flan, flauta, tamales, sopaipilla, salsa picante, pozole, pico de gallo, huevos rancheros, etc. How do most ALL colorado new mexican cuisine places not have this????

Yes, there are variations of SW Cuisine (Tex-Mex, New-Mex, Mex, Cali-Mex), but if you have ever been to any of the real good mexican restaurants or any place sthat serve in CO, you could obviously see that Colorado does New Mexican cuisine. How can you NOT see that New Mexican cuisine is the most popular type of food available in CO cities. granted, we have plenty of other options as well, but thats by and large the most popular. IDK if you are trying to knock Mexican food in CO, but we have great mexican food in Pueblo, Denver, Greeley, even some food places in C-Springs, and definitely good places in the small towns with significant Chicano and immigrants populations.

Pueblo grows Chiles just like the Hatch in New Mexico or the Anaheim Chiles. That article below talks about the farms around Pueblo that grow Pueblo chiles, and I am sorry, but they do not take a back seat to New Mexico chile's at all. They are practically the same. It scares me that you can not see that New Mexican Cuisine is very popular in Colorado, and probably the most popular style of food. it almost sounds like some people on here are trying to say CO does not have a large SW influnce. Many people also consider CO, UT, and NV as part of the SW as well. I prefer the term mountain states or mountain west. I think i have pretty valid points.

Roasting Green Chilies in Colorado

As a real lover of green chile, I hate to burst your bubble, but you are showing some ignorance of Colorado here. New Mexico-style green chile dishes are common fare in southwestern and south-central Colorado, but really not much of anywhere else in the state. Believe me, I know--I go out searching for good New Mexican-style restaurants whenever I'm traveling around the state, and I've literally been to just about every town of over 100 people in the state many times over my over half-century of living here (and I'm also a native Coloradan).

What you are more likely to find in most places in Colorado outside of the southern part of the state is the Americanized Tex-Mex slop that one can find just about anywhere from Texas to California. Even in the southern half the state, that is the more common "Mexican food" fare found in Mexican restaurants--especially those that cater to the tourist trade. It is an increasingly rare treat to find a true New Mexican-style food restaurant in Colorado.

To be brutally honest, most Coloradans--native or otherwise--do not know what good New Mexican food is unless they have spent time in the areas of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico where it is common. Since most people in Colorado live in the Denver metroplex, most of those folks don't know what it is. For me, I've spent A LOT of time in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico--so I consider New Mexican food my "home food"--I've learned to cook a number of the dishes for myself, so that I can eat it anytime that I want.

[lalahartma]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

As a real lover of green chile, I hate to burst your bubble, but you are showing some ignorance of Colorado here. New Mexico-style green chile dishes are common fare in southwestern and south-central Colorado, but really not much of anywhere else in the state. Believe me, I know--I go out searching for good New Mexican-style restaurants whenever I'm traveling around the state, and I've literally been to just about every town of over 100 people in the state many times over my over half-century of living here (and I'm also a native Coloradan).

What you are more likely to find in most places in Colorado outside of the southern part of the state is the Americanized Tex-Mex slop that one can find just about anywhere from Texas to California. Even in the southern half the state, that is the more common "Mexican food" fare found in Mexican restaurants--especially those that cater to the tourist trade. It is an increasingly rare treat to find a true New Mexican-style food restaurant in Colorado.

To be brutally honest, most Coloradans--native or otherwise--do not know what good New Mexican food is unless they have spent time in the areas of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico where it is common. Since most people in Colorado live in the Denver metroplex, most of those folks don't know what it is. For me, I've spent A LOT of time in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico--so I consider New Mexican food my "home food"--I've learned to cook a number of the dishes for myself, so that I can eat it anytime that I want.

Yes, thank you!!! Where can I find some good NM eats on the Front Range? Besides your house?

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by lalahartma

Yes, thank you!!! Where can I find some good NM eats on the Front Range? Besides your house?

Though I haven't eaten there for several years, so I don't know if it's even still there or under the same ownership, there used to be a place near Penrose on the west side of CO115 (sorry, I don't remember the name) that had reallly good green chile enchiladas.

By far the best New Mexican food in Colorado is down in the San Luis Valley. The El Charro in Alamosa is really good, the Dutch Mill in Antonito, and the cafe in Manassa (though the last time I was there last summer, it was for sale). All three sort of "hole in the wall" places with great food and moderate prices.

[CO.Native.SW]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

As a real lover of green chile, I hate to burst your bubble, but you are showing some ignorance of Colorado here. New Mexico-style green chile dishes are common fare in southwestern and south-central Colorado, but really not much of anywhere else in the state. Believe me, I know--I go out searching for good New Mexican-style restaurants whenever I'm traveling around the state, and I've literally been to just about every town of over 100 people in the state many times over my over half-century of living here (and I'm also a native Coloradan).

What you are more likely to find in most places in Colorado outside of the southern part of the state is the Americanized Tex-Mex slop that one can find just about anywhere from Texas to California. Even in the southern half the state, that is the more common "Mexican food" fare found in Mexican restaurants--especially those that cater to the tourist trade. It is an increasingly rare treat to find a true New Mexican-style food restaurant in Colorado.

To be brutally honest, most Coloradans--native or otherwise--do not know what good New Mexican food is unless they have spent time in the areas of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico where it is common. Since most people in Colorado live in the Denver metroplex, most of those folks don't know what it is. For me, I've spent A LOT of time in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico--so I consider New Mexican food my "home food"--I've learned to cook a number of the dishes for myself, so that I can eat it anytime that I want.

You are almost assuming that there is no "Americanized Slop" in New Mexico. Sure there is americanized slop in new mexican restaurants in Denver, Greeley, COS, but there are plenty of good ones too. I guess my cousin Adrian (from Santa Fe originally) and Vivian (from ABQ) are liars when they say they are plenty of good places in CO cities like Denver, greeley, COS that serve good green chili and new mexican food. One thing people always seem to love if they visit denver is the green chili without a doubt.

What places have you ate at??? It sounds like you have just beenspending time at Casa Bonita or Blue Bonnet, which is complete crap. And Tex-Mex in CO??? There really aren't too many places here that serve Tex-Mex. I am just wondering what restaurants you have encountered here that you call slop. I have eaten at most all (or as many as i was able to) new mexican resturants in North Denver, West Denver, and SW Denver, where the best food is in Denver. And i have eaten in NM, and its great! But to say other places on the front range besides SoCo do not have good new mexican food is not true.

[DOUBLE H]

Though having not eaten in the restaurant in Manassa, I second Jazzlover's other two picks here. Excellent restaurants!

[CO.Native.SW]

Everyone has opinions. I have heard many people from not only CO, but New Mexico and California, that say other areas besides SoCo in colorado have good new mexican food and good green chili. My point for posting this was that CO is not part of the midwest. But i love peoples opinions.

If you are in Denver, i would wonder how you cannot say La Loma in North Denver or La Cascada in Edgewater are not good new mexican places. Or how can you hate on Original Chubbys in North Denver?