Some like it hot! Diego's and El Taco de Mexico win the Cinco de Mayo green chile contest

Some like it hot! The festivities at this past weekend's Cinco de Mayo festival in Civic Center Park included the fourth annual green chile contest. And the winners are: Judges' awards: First place: El Taco de Mexico Second place: La Noria Carniceria Third place: Benny's Restaurant y Cantina People's choice...

By Patricia Calhoun

May 12, 2011

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Some like it hot! The festivities at this past weekend's Cinco de Mayo festival in Civic Center Park included the fourth annual green chile contest. And the winners are:

Judges' awards: First place: El Taco de Mexico Second place: La Noria Carniceria Third place: Benny's Restaurant y Cantina

People's choice award

First place: Diego's Mexican Food and Cantina Second place: La Noria Third place: El Taco de Mexico

Also competing: La Fiesta (the first time this almost fifty-year-old restaurant has participated), La Fuentes, Bubba Chino's, Fritangas and Mucino's Catering. (Two restaurants were no-shows, reports Andrea Barela of NEWSED, which put on the Cinco de Mayo festival.)

Diego's win was the big surprise;the restaurant just opened a few months ago in a space at 1600 Champa Street, right off the mall, where it will soon be joined by Cafe Berlin. El Taco de Mexico's win was no surprise; it took Best Green Chile in our Best of Denver 2010.

Find 2011's "Denver's Five Best Green Chile Fixes" here.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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