Pueblo Colorado Mexican Food (Colorado Springs, Walsenburg: homes, neighborhood, live)

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Sockeye

McGowdog wrote:"A friend brought it to my attention that he has still had better food in New Mexico than one of my spots in Pueblo."

I would agree. Northern New Mexican cuisine stands alone. In CO. though, Pueblo has what's closest to it. We've been regulars to Patty's for years on our way to the SLV or New Mexico. The N.M. red chile has rich flavor, and complements the green well, which is why I always order my enchiladas "Christmas". In no. N.M., you also get a side of posole along with the refritos, which is nice. An ice cold Negra Modelo or Bohemia seals the deal.

I agree, Sockeye. There is some great northern New Mexican food in the San Luis Valley if one knows where to look. Most everywhere else in Colorado north of US Hwy. 50 has Mexican food that goes from ho-hum to downright Tex-Mex slop--the resort areas along I-70 often charging premium prices for some of the worst slop Mexican food of all. I guess pilgrim tourists from New Jersey, et al expect it that way.

[Sockeye]

The only exception to Mex along the I70 resort corridor is the Old Dillon Inn, or the O.D.I. as the locals call it. Closer to Silverthorne than Dillon, though. Good green in there. The rest of them are just swill.

[McGowdog]

Now wait a minute folks...

Colorado Green Chile is different than New Mexico Green Verde whateveryouwannacallit!

I know what Green Chile is because I cook the stuff myself.

In New Mexico, they typically have this stuff that can be more like a green salsa, or a soup.

Green Chile in much of Pueblo, some places in Denver and perhaps scattered throughout the region, and in my kitchen; is a MEAL!

And now I found a new source of the Good Stuff right here; it's at Prairie and right where Lincoln becomes Thatcher- food served from ?? till 7:30 PM. Not known for Mexican food in general perhaps, but they make a mean Slopper and a mean Green!

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I agree, Sockeye. There is some great northern New Mexican food in the San Luis Valley if one knows where to look. Most everywhere else in Colorado north of US Hwy. 50 has Mexican food that goes from ho-hum to downright Tex-Mex slop--the resort areas along I-70 often charging premium prices for some of the worst slop Mexican food of all. I guess pilgrim tourists from New Jersey, et al expect it that way.

I've had a lot of "New Mexican" food that could be described as "slop" too. At almost every restaurant I've been to (and this includes one of McGowdog's Pueblo suggestions) if you order your plate "smothered" in green chile (and btw, is green chile stew supposed to be green?-- because every time I've ordered it, it looks like "brown chile" to me), the whole thing is practically drenched in soup, with soggy tortillas and an indistinguishable mess of nastiness. I mean, it all goes down the same, but there's something to be said about presentation and texture. I always order the chile on the side to prevent this from happening. One of the only restaurants I've ever been to that had a smothered burrito that wasn't totally drenched in soup was at the First Street Cafe in Salida. There they sprinkled on the chile, exactly how I like it.

Is soupy soggy tortillas and "brown" chile supposed to be normal?

[McGowdog]

Now you're talking about two schools of green chile in Pueblo alone;

A) Gravy or brownish type Green Chile
B) Greenish or almost redish type Green Chile

The Pantry, Patti's and from what I hear The Mill Stop have type A. Last time I went to Arribas, they seemed to have switched over to the A type and I'm less impressed with it from what it was months ago.

Mi Ranchitos, Sunset Inn, my friend from Rye, my friend who moved from Denver to near a Pueblo golf course, and myself cook the B type. This is the best of the best. The A type can be very good, but not as good as B.

It better have huge chunks of usually very tender pork too. It can be slightly mild, but I like it hot. It's a stand alone meal, so why smother a burrito with it? Ask the cook to put it on the side. No big deal! Right?

They wouldn't dare pour it over my Carnitas! If you walk into a Pueblo restaurant and order Gringo food like fajitas, you get what you ask for! Might as well order a slopper! But those can be good too. It's like where gringo meets good Mexican food.

ADD: That's it! I'm hungry. I'm going to the Los Cuervo's here in Colorado City and I'm getting the 2 Chimichangas -no garnish; that's lettuce and tomato-, smothered!!!!!!! in Green Hot Chile... with Chirizo!

I hope it's greasy and I hope it's hot! I'll take a pic of it before I devour it, if it don't gross you folks out.

[vegaspilgrim]

You know, I'm starting to change my mind a little bit on Mexican food in general. I have sort of a love-hate relationship with the cuisine. I could give a rat's ass whether whichever restaurant in question is "authentic" or whether it's "gringo" and whether it's classified as "New Mexican," "border Mexican," Tex-Mex, Cali-Mex, Oaxacan, Puebla, or whatever. All I care about is that it tastes good. I know what I like and I don't care what the terminology is. And I know is that the best tasting Mexican/ Mexican-style food I've ever had was this now defunct joint on Arapahoe Rd (I believe an Arby's now stands in that same location); their tacos were out of this world. The closest thing I've had that compares to that memory is a southwestern/northern Mexico chain called El Taco Tote (they have it in Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, El Paso, Laredo, and Ciudad Juarez). The Blue Corn Cafe in Santa Fe is the next down on my list. Several other restaurants I've eaten at in Albuquerque and Santa Fe have the best green chile I've ever tasted. One of the highest quality overall meals I've ever had is the chicken fajitas at a California chain (with two locations in Phoenix) called El Torito. Do I feel embarrassed that some of my choices lack authenticity? Doesn't bother me. The 1st Street Cafe in Salida wasn't the best tasting I've ever had, but it was one of the best presented Mexican-style meals I've ever seen. The best New Mexican restaurant I've ever been to was actually in Phoenix, ironically-- Los Dos Molinos. Now THAT is top gun.

Now, the most disgusting Mexican food I've ever had: Brewery Bar IV, Taco Bell, Qdoba (slimy tortillas), Chubby's (the one on Hampden, not the Original Chubby's, which I've never been to), and a couple of authentic places in Phoenix (Mexican food that is by Mexicans, for Mexicans... specifically from Puebla region).

[Sockeye]

Yes, Vegaspilgrim, I don't get all the hype over the Brewery Bars and Hacienda Colorado. They're both awful, IMHO.
Aside from authentic no. N.M. cuisine, my favorite green chile is my own. It's a variation of the one in The Brown Adobe Sampler. It all starts with a dark roux (made with bacon fat or lard,of course!), sliced strips of slow roasted pork shoulder, sliced (not diced) roasted Big Jim and/or Hatch chiles, chicken broth, N.M. red chile,crushed tomatoes, cumin, oregano, garlic and salt. I let it simmer all day. A spoon will almost stand up in it. I serve it as the entree since it is more a hearty stew than a sauce. This is rather torturous for me to divulge as I skipped lunch today...

[McGowdog]

Well allrighty then. Did I offend anybody with the gringo comments?

Without further ado, I found another good green chile place!

Los Cuervo's (The crows) here at Mile Marker 74 and I-25 in Colorado City, Colorado! Lunch and dinner menu is the same now, so it could be considered expensive for lunch.



Edit: we're going around and around here. A Pueblo pepper is superior to a New Mexico chile any day.

We know about the roux and we know about the pork shoulder. The SoCals know that!

[wanttomoveeast]

McGowdog: omg you have got to stop. Pretty soon I'm not going to be able to fit through the door with all this talk. Since everyone's chiming in and I have a total addiction to Mexican food, here goes:

What I can't stand about Denver's bad mexican food is it's often bland, no spice and almost always covered with so much cheese you can't even recognize the food. My poor OC hubby hates the green and always wants Calif. red, but that's impossible to find here too. : (

--------

Sockeye: I started making my own last summer with a batch of totally mild chilis (King Sooper's roasted) and mixing them with a batch of freaking hot hatch (from Hilltop Gardens on Federal).

But everytime I make it, I just don't like it. What the heck is wrong with me? It never tastes as good as the stuff (that I can barely find good in Denver -- personally I like Santiago's green chili and La Cueva's green chili).

I see you listed some ingredients. But how do you get it to thicken? There are several ways I know of. But can you DM me your recipe? I really would appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Sockeye

Yes, Vegaspilgrim, I don't get all the hype over the Brewery Bars and Hacienda Colorado. They're both awful, IMHO.
Aside from authentic no. N.M. cuisine, my favorite green chile is my own. It's a variation of the one in The Brown Adobe Sampler. It all starts with a dark roux (made with bacon fat or lard,of course!), sliced strips of slow roasted pork shoulder, sliced (not diced) roasted Big Jim and/or Hatch chiles, chicken broth, N.M. red chile,crushed tomatoes, cumin, oregano, garlic and salt. I let it simmer all day. A spoon will almost stand up in it. I serve it as the entree since it is more a hearty stew than a sauce. This is rather torturous for me to divulge as I skipped lunch today...

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Now here's a good example of what I'm talking about. I'm sure this meal above tastes goooooddddd once it's in your mouth (although I'm not a big fan of cheese), but without a doubt that is a prime example of "slop" (to use jazzlover's term), in my book at least. Maybe I'm color blind, but the only colors I see on that plate are yellow and brown. And it's not like that picture is anything special; that's pretty much standard fast food Mexican fare. I'm not sure if this is what you ordered, but why is that pretty much all "authentic" Mexican (and New Mexican) food serves shredded, liquidy chicken (an abomination), shredded beef (or ground beef) and shredded iceberg lettuce? Maybe I don't like Mexican food after all?

Or maybe I love mexican (esque) food but I like sticking with tacos (and fajitas, a gringo offshoot of the taco, I guess). Food you can wrap into a tortilla, pick it up with your hands that isn't slimy, oozy, or soggy. I'm basically talking about barbeque here-- but with salsa and tortillas instead of cole slaw and baked beans and biscuits. The taco place on Arapahoe road circa 10 years ago and El Taco Tote serves you hot off the grill (and they use a flame grill; nothing's fried) meat (whole strips and chunks of beef, chicken, or pork-- nothing shredded) on a freshly made tortilla-- and they come plain (I've seen a lot of places where they put onions and cilantro on, but that's it). Then you put on salsas, chiles and extra toppings-- or just a squeeze of lime to your own liking. And each taco is pretty big. (Most of the authentic Mexican restaurants I've been to give you these tiny bite-sized tacos filled with finely chopped up meat where you have to order at least 5 of them to get full).

Do they have any Mexican barbeque/ El Taco Tote kind of place in Pueblo?