Little Anita’s – Denver, CO

Don't be fooled by the name. It doesn’t look like much from the first glance, the small counter with a four-table dining area is scarcely superior to Subway, and there’s nothing less sexy than Styrofoam. Little Anita's may be little in every other way, but when it comes to flavor, it packs some punch with all the attitude of avant-garde (i.e. New) Mexican.

The combinations are ideal for the indecisive, and my #2 Combination was a sampling of pretty much every item on the menu, $10 for enough food to last me a week. Each item was a meal in itself, a reallyreallyreally tasty meal. The chewy cheese enchilada is gone in a matter of seconds when combined with chili, the tamale is a tempting tablet of cornmeal and pork, the taco is just a taco, and the chile relleno is easily the best part of this plate. I don’t even like chile relleno and I ate that part first.

At the end of the day, New Mexican comes down to a single decision. There's red chili and there's green chili and that’s when you’re asked to choose. Good news is, you can't go wrong with either, especially at Little Anita’s, and when in doubt you can always go with Christmas. And after a few bites of this fatty, fast-food-fabulous fare, you'll feel like Christmas came early.

A Sure Thing at The Shed – Santa Fe, New Mexico

The cast of Rent once dreamed about opening up a restaurant in Santa Fe on a cold, sad night when Christmas bells were ringing…somewhere else, not here. If their dreams ever came true, the restaurant they would have opened would be The Shed, with its walls painted in bright shades of desert-meets-bohoemian and simple tabletops and plates that boast of an honest living.

If you liked the musical Rent, you’ll fit right in at The Shed…if you ever get in. We went on a Monday night and the place was already packed. I think I saw one empty table: ours. I had the Chicken Enchilada Verde, a pull of white chicken hastily wrapped in a to-die-for blue corn tortilla with a lunchlady’s ladle of green chile and a fistful of cheese. The chicken had no seasoning, but it was juicy all the way through, and when everything just gets thrown together and doused in chile, it’s good to have something a little blander as an offset. The plate may look like a hot mess, but I promise it’s possibly the only hot mess you’ll never regret. I do have one regret – I didn’t get red chile, and The Shed supposedly serves the best red chile ever. It must be phenomenal if the green chile is any indication.

As a girl who can’t stand her food touching, my love at first bite of this hot-mess plates that comprise the cuisine of New Mexico should be pretty telling. And I am telling you that had I known about The Shed before this, I would have sold my guitar, got a car, sang a heart-wrenching version of “Goodbye Love” and left New York for Santa Fe years ago.

La Esquina – Albuquerque, NM

My first stop was in Memphis so you’re probably wondering how I got from there to Albuquerque in a day. I didn’t. We stopped in Shamrock, Texas, and I wish you luck in finding something edible and writable between Memphis and Shamrock or Shamrock and Albuquerque around dinnertime. On the plus side, it seems that Panda Express has upgraded significantly since I last ate there…

After Panda Express and too many Taco Bells, I was pretty relieved to get something sit-down. The problem with La Esquina lies in finding the restaurant where you’re supposed to sit down. Named for its literal location, this modest little hole-in-the-ground wraps around the corner…of a basement…in an underground mall…in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico…a state with many corners. But if my description still doesn’t deter you, once you manage to find this sharp little corner, you’ll find that its food is definitely on point.

I’d never had NEW Mexican food before, but it seems every good meal with the word Mexican in it starts with a Chips & Salsa. I’ve never had a bad salsa, but this stuff blows everything else out of the tomatoey water. I prefer a chunkier style, but this stuff is just phenomenal thanks to a dash of red and green chile. There’s just no going back after this slightly-watery chip-sticker.

I went with the Assorted, which consisted of a blue corn taco full of fresh, tender, well-seasoned ground beef that didn’t ooze a single drop of grease.  I usually don’t even like enchiladas, but this blue stack of corny chewy-cheese smothered in Christmas (both red AND green chile) would give anyone a little holiday cheer. The side of pinto beans make a strong showing, and this gringa enjoyed a taste of posole. This gringa will also never enjoy corn tortillas again after a few sweet bites of these blue corn tortillas.

My gringa adventure didn’t end with the posole. This deep-fried Sopaipilla, a softer, chewier, not-so-flaky pastry puff, puts funnel cake to shame. Make it drip with honey and you’ll never need dessert again.

When you go to New Mexico, just remember that Texans may have pride but New Mexicans have pride the size Texas. So whatever you do, just don’t confuse their food with Mexican. I can’t say for sure which one I love more, but after just one lunch at La Esquina, I’d say out with the old and in with the New…Mexican.