Next time you hit your favorite Mexican restaurant, look beyond the burritos, tostadas and green chile on the menu.
Chances are you’ll find a unique specialty from a specific, and maybe unexpected, region of Mexico.
Proximity to the ocean, hilly countryside, and semi-tropical weather informs the cuisine of southern Mexico, including the Yucatan peninsula. Find the goods in our area at Mina’s Latin Restaurant (also called Paraiso Azteca, 605 Briggs St., Erie, 303-828-3477), where pollo en hoja de platano (chicken breasts wrapped in banana leaf with tropical fruits, nuts, and bananas) shares menu space with camaron pelao (shrimp grilled with pineapple and mushrooms then ignited with Reposado tequila). In Boulder, search out Tahona Tequila Bistro (1035 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-938-9600) for crab with avocado and chunky pork stew with pineapple.
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Seafood is the name of the game along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Visit Tia Maria (7260 Pecos St., 303-427-2572) for a whole range of caldos (soups), including the Tia Maria Special Caldo which makes the most of the sea’s natural bounty – think scallops, shrimp, fish and crab in a deeply flavored fish broth. Also featuring some Caribbean and Veracruzano sparks is the recently relocated Lola (1575 Boulder St., 720-570-8686) albeit in a more nuevo way: ceviches, sangrita-marinated steaks, and grilled sea trout with sweet potato hash.
Fish matters on Mexico’s West Coast too, but so do beef, pork and chicken. Hit El Tejado (2651 S. Broadway, 303-722-3987) for excellent examples of traditional fare from Colima, a state on the West Coast that includes the towns of Colima and Manzanillo. Traditional dishes (called “real traditional” on the menu) include enchiladas dulce (enchiladas with sweet mole) and caldo de res (beef soup).
Visit Tacos Jalisco (4309 W. 38th Ave., 303-458-1437 for a taste of that West Coast state’s famed salsas (several varieties appear on your table with your chips) and Taqueria Patzcuaro (2616 W. 32nd Ave., 303-455-4389) for its exemplary carne adovada, a favorite dish in the state of Patzcuaro. Wash it down with a sweet-fruity licuado drink.
When you think of Central Mexico (Puebla, Oaxaca, and the Districto Federal), you think of the king of Mexican dishes, mole. There is no definitive mole recipe, as this dish (much like barbecue) varies from town to town, neighborhood to neighborhood, street address to street address. One good example in our neighborhood can be found at Mamacitas (1149 13th St., Boulder, 303-443-2300) which specializes in the cuisine of Puebla and serves a lovely mole, well-balanced between sweet, savory and spicy-hot.
Also representing Central Mexico, El Noa Noa (722 Santa Fe Drive, 303-623-9968) which serves excellent D.F.-style tacos (small, soft and stuffed with slow-cooked meats), and Los Carboncitos (722 Sheridan Blvd., 303-573-1617) where the huaraches (grilled tortillas with toppings like carnitas or beef) are hard to beat.
Northern Mexican cuisine, from states like Nuevo Leon, Chihuahua, Zacatecas and Durango looks a lot like Tex-Mex, New Mexican and Colorado-Mexican food – think fajitas, chile rellenos, and beans. Try La Casita de Durango (300 Nickel St., Broomfield, 303-410-4942) for rellenos and carne asada (marinated beef). The bare-bones Los Reyes (6173 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood, 303-235-8035), with roots in Zacatecas, serves up excellent pork- or beef-stuffed sopes (similar to gorditas). And at Juarez (2932 W. 38th Ave., 303-433-
3902), representing Chihuahua, you’ll find some of the best beef- or chicken-filled tacos dorados (hard-shell tacos) this side of the border.
And make no mistake about it, some of Denver’s best Mexican food can be found at any of the hundreds of taco trucks that cruise our streets, serving fare from Baja to Zacatecas to Quintana Roo. Track them down (East Colfax in Aurora and Federal Boulevard between Alameda and the 40s are two of the best stretches) and find your favorite.
Para leer este artículo en español, vaya a denverpost.com/aldia
