The phrase “hidden in plain sight” easily could describe places like La Pasadita Inn.
The restaurant sits on an urban island where Clarkson Street meets 20th Street and Park Avenue West. This is a neighborhood crossroads: Uptown’s pristine condominiums overlook pockets of slow gentrification in Five Points. Countless drivers buzz past the two-story, beige house with caramel trim that’s home to La Pasadita and never pull over, regardless of the alluring smells escaping from the front door.
Those who do stop find an inviting, understated spot operated for the past decade by a family with roots in the central Mexican state of Durango.
La Pasadita, meaning “little passageway,” is the type of low-key, low-cost neighborhood Mexican joint that people become accustomed to in the Rocky Mountain West. Their abundance is the reason natives and longtime residents develop primal cravings for green chile and menudo as predictably as pregnant women demand pickles and ice cream.
Being able to drop in to a place like La Pasadita, sit down at one of a handful of tables – all in plain sight of the kitchen – and confidently order huevos con chorizo or a taco/enchilada/relleno combination even when you know nothing about the restaurant or the food, is a culinary luxury people miss out on in other parts of the country.
La Pasadita has several hallmarks of the region’s unpretentious Mexican joints: fresh salsa that’s not too chunky, not too runny, not too hot and not too mild, served with crisp chips. Entrees are ladled in light, smooth chile that’s a perfect medium heat. Shredded chicken dishes are rich, tangy and tender, the carrot-dotted Spanish rice the ideal shade of orange.
Not every dish at La Pasadita melts in your mouth. The refritos are bland, though that’s about as common as the neon Corona sign in the window. And La Pasadita’s pork and bean burrito is more like a tortilla wrapped around chunky pork chili, making the chile smothering the thing redundant in flavor and texture. Marinated pork, or carne adovada, would better suit this dish.
But these are small qualms, especially when most menu items at La Pasadita Inn are less than $8. The exception is the “famous sizzling fajitas,” which start at $9.25 and go up to $24.95 for a family platter.
Parking outside the restaurant can be precarious. A better idea? Proceed up 20th Avenue or down Washington Street to park, then walk a half-block or so to this comfort-food cocoon.
Staff writer Elana Ashanti Jefferson can be reached at 303-820-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com.
