Little Anita's New Mexican ~ regional chain : Denver, Colorado

Latest visit: Jan 2021 (Denver, Colorado)

First visit: Apr 1994 (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Any regular reader of the RJG (as if such a specimen exists) will note what huge fans of New Mexican food we are. Unfortunately rare is the place that matches the goodness we find in ABQ and Santa Fe. All things considered, Little Anita's is to date the best we've found in Colorado. When you ask for Christmas they don't look at you funny, so there's that. On this visit I was very pleased with the charbroiled chicken inside my burrito. Oh I didn't mention I ordered a burrito? Well, duhhh! But of course the money here has to be placed on the smothered chile(s). The green was super, sliced and diced green chiles and very spicy. Sort of Horseman's Haven style but not quite that hot. No I'm not going to link to it - you have to know these places! OK, it's in Santa Fe... I usually do green first and red second, as the latter tends to be more flavorful. The texture was perfect - yes, velvety (better be!), but unfortunately the flavor didn't match and was very mild compared to the green. Bummer. Many times that can change due to the chile crop. Or it could be recipe driven. We'll see next time... In any case, if looking for some New Mexican food in Colorado, this is a good place to try.

As you can see we have a long history with Little Anita's, going back to a singular record/LP show trip from COS to ABQ. I arrived the night before and this was my choice for dining. I don't recall much of that experience, as New Mexican food was still something beyond my grasp. Oddly enough the second visit to Little Anita's was in Vienna, Virginia (!?) as at the time I was working for Software Company Everyone Has Heard Of, and had an office in nearby Reston. When we picked up the summer townhome in Denver starting in 2009, Little Anita's had branched into the area. That same south location in the Tech Center moved to a larger restaurant nearby, and that was our go to locale in recent years. And then it closed last year. Sigh. Fortunately - now that I have much more personal business in Denver - the south Colorado Blvd location works well. This was my first trip here. You order up at the counter, and there are a few tables you can sit at if available (too spaced out it seems, even for the pandemic, but OK). Fortunately there was a table for me this time.

Their website indicates 8 Albuquerque locations, but does not mention this Denver locale. As it turns out, there's a Little Anita's of Colorado - same business, just a distinction for taxes we would imagine. Only this location remains though.

4/30/94; 8/11/06; 5/3/10; 11/12/17; 1/30/21 (new entry)

Pho House ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Jan 2021

First visit: Dec 2018

Those who have followed the RJG know that we're always game for a good bowl of pho. Vietnamese food, on average, is generally more consistent than other food types. Rare is the time that a Vietnamese restaurant gets a thumbs down from us. Unless the broth is too salty - or not salty enough - it's generally going to hit the spot. And Pho House definitely knows what they're doing in the kitchen. We like to start out with the pork egg rolls which are crunchy and delicious, some of the best Vietnamese egg rolls we've ever had. A small bowl will yield 36 ounces of soup and that's plenty for me. I like the meatball pho and the vermicelli noodles are perfectly cooked and sit on the stomach well. Mrs. RJG goes for the veggie pho bowl that also comes with tofu, that she enjoys. Usually she devours all the fixins that comes with it, though I may sneak a jalapeno or two away. When thinking of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants, I'm reminded of the rice and chicken dishes. I have yet to try that here, but will next time. That will be their real test. But in the meantime, if looking for a yummy bowl of hot pho, and you're up here in far north Colorado Springs, definitely give Pho House a shot.

When we first moved here, this location was a Chinese restaurant called King's Kitchen (also quite good). Our first visit here was not long after they first opened. It's a rather large place, so very comfortable to eat inside during the pandemic.

3/1/19

The Return of the RJG in 2021!

After a two year break, time to take away the Closed sign, and get back to posting. As was the case before, it's likely to be more high level Zagat style than anything more substantial.

Last year seemed like a good time to restart the engine here, but of course the pandemic wiped that completely off the map. We're still in its grasp, and we would fully expect it to be in and out of our lives for some time. Let's just hope that the restaurants can stay open and get some kind of reasonable capacity limits. Our governor (Colorado) has done a pretty good job at keeping things open compared to many states (especially the Democrat governors, of which he is one of). But he has been (strangely) hard on the restaurant and bar industry - pitting the blame of any spike on these institutions, and there's not much data to support that. Unfortunate. As such, the RJG reintroduced himself to the fast food drive-through window. It was as if I was 23 again.

We're still living in Colorado Springs, and now we have a little bit better understanding of the restaurant scene here. I don't think we'll ever go back to the wining and dining days of the RJG heyday of the 2000s and early 2010s while still living in the Fort Worth area. Part of that is because Mrs. RJG has become something of a master chef, and we eat delicious food at home every night. During the weekdays, Mr. RJG usually cooks for himself (also quite good, I must say) 3 days a week and grabs to-go food the other 2. Weekends is when the RJG tends to venture out more. We are committed to doing more of that, especially after a year of mostly being stranded at home.

We started the RJG in 2008, after living in Northeast Tarrant for 5 years. So now we've been here since 2018. The time seems right to get started.

The game plan here is to document everywhere we've been starting on Jan 1, 2021 (one posting only), and stick with it for the rest of the year. For those who follow our Bier Reise blog (actually no one follows it, so call it a hypothetical), we've done a very good job of keeping weekly updates. And that's what we plan to do here too. Some are just fast food joints. The big news in Colorado is that In-N-Out finally opened here in December. After 2 months, the line is still miles long. Where they opened is practically a stones throw from where we live. As other locations open, and the novelty wears off, the crowds will die down at each store. We'll be going soon and updating our post. It was exactly the same situation when In-N-Out opened in DFW some 10 years ago.

Enjoy!