Any good Mexican Restaurants in Douglas County? (Denver, Aurora: transplants, mall)

[Ludachris]

Originally Posted by ditto

Baja Fresh doesn't appeal to me. Actually, it is very rare to find a chain that can offer great mexican food.

IMO, the first sign of a bad mexican restaurant is finding ground beef listed anywhere on the menu. Try some of the true gringo places and they'll serve ground unless you request something else. I would be embarrassed to own a place like this.

LOL - so true!

[ditto]

Originally Posted by Ludachris

Depends on what you consider "good Mexican" food. My wife was born in Mexico City and we travel there once every couple of years. When we lived in California we could find some pretty decent authentic Mexican food. Out here it is very difficult to find anything close to authentic, especially in Douglas County.

We go up to Denver for the good stuff - you have to look for a hole in the wall type of place. If they don't have "carnitas" and "al pastor" on the menu I don't get too excited. The best places we've found so far aren't pretty but they have some good food. One place is called Tacos Tijuana on Sheridan and 44th and the other is called Los Carboncitos on the corner of Pecos and 38th - both are in Denver in not-so-hot areas. But the food is great.
Yahoo! Maps - Denver, CO 80211, United States (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps2.py?name=Los+Carboncitos&desc=%28303%29+458-0880&addr=3757+Pecos+St&csz=Denver+CO - broken link)
Yahoo! Maps - Denver, CO 80212, United States (http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps2.py?name=Tacos+Tijuana&desc=%28303%29+477-0121&addr=4406+Sheridan+Blvd&csz=Denver+CO - broken link)

Great suggestions, and I'm sure you're familiar with good mexican food since you've lived in San Jose (at least I think you did). Another bonus for you is having a wife from mexico! I'm sure she has a good idea of authentic mexican food. By the way, Tex-Mex should be outlawed!

[b.adams]

The El Parrel in Castle Rock is quite good. I'm reluctant to tell anyone about 'my secret'. It's reasonably priced and good for even a picky person like me can eat there. No, there is no ground beaf on the menu, but its available if you ask (again, picky people like me).

They make me feel like I'm part of their family. Over the last couple years, it's become a favorite for me and my daughters. The owner shakes your hand and says hello (ola) and goodbye (adios) every time. My daughters have even learned to say a few things in Spanish from our visits. The wait person we used to have was a charming mexican gal who never once failed to call my daughters "princesses". We saw her a few weeks back at her new job (Outback) ... and the she ran over to us and hugged the girls and called them "princesses". The wait persons and bussers are similarly friendly and talkative. Maybe I go too often, but they always remember me and my family. My daughters seem to leave there always saying "I like them!". They earn their tips and deserve them. They have live entertainment some nights. I like hearing the spanish music and simple ambience. About half the time they are faster than McDonalds -- yes, really. Maybe the food is only average to above-average, but the people and service are tops in my book. And the chips and salsa are plentiful and good ... and free. And you can show up on a Friday at 5:30pm and still have no wait 99% of the time. The kids meals are extremely large and reasonable. The drinks are one-sized, huge and reasonable. The margaritas are also good, but the special order margaritas are the best. The 3 Margaritas over on Wolfen. might be more authentic and WAY more popular, but aI much prefer the slower pace and personal service I get at El Parrel in CR. Please don't tell too many people my secret, ok?

[Ludachris]

I've been to El Parrel in Castle Rock. Not bad if I remember correctly, but I don't remember them having anything beyond the ordinary menu items found at all the other average choices around here. Though what they did have was pretty decent.

I think one thing most of the places are missing around here are the usual staples you'd find in Mexico; like "sopes", "tortas", "gorditas", and just plain authentic tacos. Authentic tacos are very simple, yet strangely not easy to find around here. They're typically made up of diced meat (chicken, carne asada, carnitas, al pastor, etc), onions, cilantro, and salsa on a small corn tortilla - no cheese, no lettuce, no tomato, no ground beef, no hard taco shells, etc. But most places I've been to have their own variation of the taco.

You just have to look pretty hard to find the real stuff, and it's usually closer to downtown or where there is a bigger Mexican population.

[LAAFTERHOURS]

I was born and raised in socal, moved to philly, moved back to socal, then to dc and now back to san diego. West coast mexican is by far lightyears ahead of anything else. That being said, I would lobby for this place to open a location in Denver. This was the only place we frequented when living in Wash DC.

http://www.rosamexicano.info/

[formercalifornian]

A guy who used to work for me told me once that Americans have no idea what real Mexican food is because they have very limited exposure to the breadth of dishes that make up the country's cuisine. Just like in the United States, preferences vary from region to region. Some things are fairly universal: corn tortillas & chiles can be found most everywhere, but they way flavors are combined can vary dramatically. Fish tacos are just as authentic stacked enchiladas. Mole sauce is just as authentic as mango salsa. A tomato is just as authentic as a tomatillo. Furthermore, as in this country, Mexico does have fusion cuisine (if I'm not mistaken, al pastor finds its inspiration in the spit-fired meat dishes of the Middle East), so there is a place for Tex-Mex, even if some of you don't like it.

I've enjoyed reading this thread and learning about new restaurants I can try whenever a craving for Mexican food strikes. I certainly have my preferences, but I'm willing to stretch out of my comfort zone. Perhaps I'll throw caution to the wind and give Jazzlover's favorite stacked enchiladas a shot...with a fried egg on top, of course.

[pdth]

Our favorite in Castle Rock is 3 Margaritas. It's not what you would call authentic, but it's really good just the same. We have a friend who grew up in Mexico City and claims Hacienda Colorado is the most authentic by her tastes. But we've tried it and didn't like it that much. We also like El Meson and Pegasus.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

I've enjoyed reading this thread and learning about new restaurants I can try whenever a craving for Mexican food strikes. I certainly have my preferences, but I'm willing to stretch out of my comfort zone. Perhaps I'll throw caution to the wind and give Jazzlover's favorite stacked enchiladas a shot...with a fried egg on top, of course.

Go for it! By the way, here are links to a couple of good books on New Mexico recipes. My green chile stew and stacked green chile enchilada sauce are similar to the recipes in these books. Come to think of it, I haven't had my green chile "fix" in a couple of days. Better go do that.

Books:

http://nmmagazine.k-online.biz/cgi-b...onthsBetween=0

http://nmmagazine.k-online.biz/cgi-b...onthsBetween=0

[dj32]

I second hte LIttle Anita's recommendation.
I will say for a nice mexican meal, I love Tula- their Posole is amazing and they have a very reasonable Happy Hour as well. Also Tamayo, has wonderful mole and interesting authentic mexican dishes as well. Both are very nice restaurants for a "date night".
I also love La Cueva at Dayton/Colfax.

[ditto]

Originally Posted by pdth

Our favorite in Castle Rock is 3 Margaritas. It's not what you would call authentic, but it's really good just the same.

lol - I didn't even know there was a 3 Margaritas in CR. I mentioned previously in this thread a place called Bamba Mexican Grill in Parker but didn't realize they were owned by 3 Margaritas. The food I've had at Bamba was much better than the 3 Margaritas in Englewood (which was pretty bad).

You're right - the food really isn't very authentic, but decent. They have ground beef plastered on the menu, and you have to request certain dishes not be served with any ground beef, which always disappoints me. I'd give Bamba a 6/10.

Originally Posted by b.adams

The El Parrel in Castle Rock is quite good. I'm reluctant to tell anyone about 'my secret'. It's reasonably priced and good for even a picky person like me can eat there. No, there is no ground beaf on the menu, but its available if you ask (again, picky people like me).

Interesting. I believe this place is near Wilcox & 2nd street in CR (east side of the street). I ate there about 3 years ago and it was quite possibly the worst Mexican food I've ever had in Colorado. However, I believe they changed ownership, so maybe I'm thinking of another location. Do you know how long El Parrel has been in business?

Originally Posted by Ludachris

You just have to look pretty hard to find the real stuff, and it's usually closer to downtown or where there is a bigger Mexican population.

Unfortunately, you are correct. The problem is the good stuff is at least a 45 minute drive for me. We have enough Californians living in DougCo that would probably appreciate authentic Mexican food. Someone needs to open a *good* Mexican restaurant with reasonable prices south of the e470!