...and significantly more important and interesting than a green chile cheeseburger (not that I don't love them), one of Mesilla's truely GOOD restaurants has moved to a larger location. Andele does a great salsa bar, with 4 or 5 different handmade salsas, fire roasted chiles, fresh cilantro and lots of other goodies. It's not fancy, it's not high cuisine, it's good honest simple food prepared well and served at a fair price. All you can ask.
I was watching the work being done all Spring..now they've moved from the crowded, small place they were in. Worth a visit, friends.
The Pulse story is no longer available at LC Sun-News, so here it is courtesy of Google cache
Taste of Las Cruces: Mesilla Valley favorite Andele moves, but great food stays
By Carlos Lopez/For Pulse
Posted: 07/02/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT
Click photo to enlarge
People fill Andele's Restaurant for dinner Tuesday inside the... (Sun-News photo by Norm Dettlaff)
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After spending two days in Santa Fe the northern gem of New Mexico that regrettably boasts about its unauthentic Mexican food it's a pure joy to come back to a town that, by all standards, has some of the best Mexican restaurants in the state, including
Andele Restaurant in
Mesilla.
Andele has been fixture on the
restaurant scene for more than 10 years, serving the
Mesilla Valley with some of the finest Mexican food around.
Andele now resides in the Oņate Plaza, 1950 Calle del Norte, a new location that is a block north from the previous
restaurant.
Taking up nearly half of the Oņate Plaza, the new
Andele is spacious and modern, which can accommodate more customers, unlike the small and crowded old
restaurant. The dining area is juxtaposed next to the remodeled kitchen, allowing patrons to see behind the scenes, and Southwestern accents make the atmosphere inviting and light.
Ultimately, it's the soul-satisfying, delicious food that draws in crowds of people to
Andele on a daily basis, not the new, fancy
restaurant. The food is traditional and uncomplicated fare made with the same care and quality, some would say, of food made by your mother or grandmother. The menu consists of appetizers, combination plates and platos mexicanos (Mexican plates), among other specialties. Chile con queso ($3.80) and quesadillas ($4.75), made with beef,
pork or chicken ($1.20 more), are both customer favorites on the appetizer menu.
There are three combination plates, which range in price from $8.70 to $9.70. The No. 1 is a dish of green chile enchiladas, a chile relleno and beef flauta and comes with green chile con carne, beans and rice. Similarly, the No. 2 is also served with enchiladas but is made with red chile, instead of green chile and comes with a tamale and a chicken flauta. The third option allows customers to choose one of each: a red or green chile enchilada, a beef or chicken flauta, red or green chile con care and a chile relleno or tamale.
Enchiladas, chile rellenos and flautas all have their own respective plate on the platos mexicanos. The enchilada plate ($7.05), comes with three stacked enchiladas, either red or green, and for an additional charge, beef, pork or chicken can be added. Three rolled flautas, made with beef or chicken, complete the flauta plate ($6.40). Tostadas compuestas ($6.40 to $7.40) and fish tacos ($7.65) finish this part of the menu.
Served a la carte or on a plate with beans and rice, burritos have their own spot on Andele's menu. From bean and cheese ($2.70 to $3.95) to red or green chile con carne ($3.20 to $4.45) and carne adovada ($3.50 to $4.75), burritos are made in various, appetizing ways.
Andele is the only
restaurant to have successfully made the burrito of my choice: a burrito stuffed with red chile con carne and smothered with green chile sauce. Generous in size, this burrito is practically a meal in itself. The pork in the red chile carne was so tender, it nearly melted in my mouth. The red chile offered just enough heat, and the mellow, velvety green chile is its perfect counter balance.
The green chile sauce is unlike any I've tasted. It's rich and creamy, with subtle spice, unlike others restaurants, which tend to have a more watery sauce. Needless to say, the green chile enchiladas, stacked with corn tortillas and layered with cheese, are also a favorite of mine, and probably of other customers.
The tacos al carbon are also worth mentioning, as they are a specialty of
Andele. This plate ($8.20 to $17.10) consists of marinated beef, pork or chicken, slow-cooked on a vertical rotisserie, and are served with corn tortillas and frijoles charros, a spicy bean soup. With a comprehensive menu and a salsa bar,
Andele has undeniably proven to be one of the best Mexican restaurants in New Mexico.
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