One thing about dining in Denver: You never know where you will find a first-rate Mexican restaurant.
Sure, there are neighborhoods where the search is likelier to bear fruit. But as area chile-heads know, there are vast stretches of nada.
Then you stumble upon a place such as Caitlin’s, tucked into an unassuming strip shopping center at 4379 E. Mississippi Ave. It sits just a Frisbee-style tortilla toss east of the Loews Denver Hotel off South Colorado Boulevard.
Caitlin’s is specifically inspired by the deeper, darker flavors of northern New Mexico. It’s a plain room, with a cluster of four-tops flanked by two rows of booths.
You’re there for the food, however. Breakfasts and lunches showcase carnitas and carne adobada, plus excellent green and brick-red chile sauces also available for $9.99 a quart. Omelets are made with care, and in a nice touch are available in half-portions.
Worth trying is a specialty dubbed the Mile High, available in several iterations. This treat for your inner trencherman offers a heap of hash browns smothered in chiles, cheeses, two eggs and your choice of toast, pancakes or tortillas.
Standard sandwiches are available, and it’s hard to find anything topping $10. Huevos rancheros with ranch beans go for $6.99, a green-chile cheeseburger for $7.89.
Caitlin’s is a gem.
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com
CAITLIN’S
Mexican/American. 4379 E. Mississippi Ave., Glendale, 303-798-6600
