As we took off our coats, a waiter swooped in with two bags for fresh tortilla chips and two even fresher bowls of red salsa. According to the owner, the restaurant airs in fresh Green chilies and roasted jalapenos overnight from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The salsa, fresh and full-flavored of ripe tomatoes and a hint of chilies, is a perfect combination to the crispy hand-fried tortilla chips.
Myself and Marco, one of my adventure dining mates, decided on the green chili stew to start. The first words out of the waitress's mouth to describe the stew was "it's hot." She wasn't lying. The Green Chili Stew, a self-acclaimed house favorite, is a rich tomato and green chili pepper based soup with roasted jalapenos, green chilies, sirloin steak, carrots and potatoes. The concoction packs heat; enough heat to force 3 glasses of waters to be imbibed while eating. The sirloin steak, chopped in small tender pieces, floated around the roasted tomato and chili broth as if stewing for hours. Although, I could have done without the mushy carrots and the small pieces of overcooked potatoes, the vegetables acted as a nice buffer to the hot chili pepper broth. Marco was so pleased with his bowl of soup, he bought a quart for lunch the next day.
After a pleasant conversation with the owner of the restaurant who described the restaurant's history, our main courses came. I ordered a fajita quesadilla, one of my favorite dishes at any Mexican restaurant. I use the fajita quesadilla as a control factor for every new new Mexican restaurant I try. Similar to a judging a Middle Eastern restaurant on its hummus and a Japanese restaurant on its fresh tuna roll, I judge a restaurant on its true talent on its most common dish. The quesadilla was exceptional. The tender chicken, delicately spiced and seared on the grill had a spicy char. An assortment of nicely grilled peppers and onions smothered in smooth Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheeses added crunch and smoothness to the dish. Dipped in rojo sauce, a concoction of red chilies, onion, garlic and rich chicken stock, the combination was fresh and delicious.
The Chile relleno, a New Mexican green chile stuffed with Monterrey jack cheese and a light meringue batter, came out golden-fried and smothered in red chili sauce and cheese. The meringue batter, similar to a Japanese Tempura, melted in my mouth. The inside of the relleno, although quoted as Monterrey jack cheese on the menu, more represented a mixture of whipped cream cheese and Monterrey jack cheese. Irregardless, the dish was a winner. Although a waitress error forced the delivery of two enchiladas and no relleno, this relleno was worth the wait as the kitchen rushed the order. The side of ranchero sauce, a mixture of sweet peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic and cilantro, topped rounded out the crunchy fried goodness of the chile relleno.
The Fiesta Fried corn, sweet yellow corn fried with bacon and green peppers and sweetened with brown sugar came out overcooked and tipped the sweetness scale too much to the sweet side. The Mashed Potatoes, otherwise known as Chili Verde Potatoes, combined horseradish, garlic, crushed red pepper, and buttermilk. Although not listed, the shredded coconut mixed with the chunky potatoes surprised my taste buds, in a not good way. A presumed secret ingredient missed the mark. The potatoes tasted is if someone had shredded a coconut macaroon over the dish and mixed away.
After dinner, the owner graciously awarded us with complimentary desserts-- plates of sopaipillas and Xangos, deep-fried cheescake. The sopaipillas, pillowy Mexican Beignets, were perfectly fried and dusted with powder sugar. Accompanied by a side of honey and warm chocolate sauce, the dipping experience was heavenly. The sopaipilla would put any fair elephant ear to shame. On the other hand the Xango, a fried cheesecake wrapped in a flour tortilla covered with sugar and chocolate sauce, preyed on peoples' sweet tooth. The fried concoction resulted in an overindulgent, saccharine-sweet fried bite of goodness. The richness was so overwhelming that one bite did the trick.
I am sold. Not much to the eyes when first walking in, Chili Verde is a friendly, family run restaurant serving fresh food. I'm not a fan of sloppy Mexican food. You may be also thinking, what is the difference between New Mexican cooking and Mexican cooking. Traditional Mexican food is sloppy--Sloppy beans and overcooked rice are ladled onto non-descript cheese smothered dishes. Chile Verde puts a fresher, tastier, well-spiced version on your typical Mexican Food.
Chili Verde Restaurant
4852 Sawmill Rd
614-442-6630
Overall Rating: 4 globes
Food: 4 globes
Service: 5 globes
Ambiance: 3 globes
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