Reader: I used to be Jack-n-Grill's biggest fan...

In his Super Bowl bet with Seattle's mayor, Denver mayor Michael Hancock wagered a sampling of some of this city's green chile -- including the version served up at Jack-n-Grill. That's the restaurant that Mark Antonation finally reached in his travels up Federal Boulevard last week, and he praised the...

By Patricia Calhoun

January 28, 2014

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In his Super Bowl bet with Seattle's mayor, Denver mayor Michael Hancock wagered a sampling of some of this city's green chile -- including the version served up at Jack-n-Grill. That's the restaurant that Mark Antonation finally reached in his travels up Federal Boulevard last week, and he praised the "brilliance of the New Mexico-style green chile that you'll have to try hard to keep out of your mouth, as all-smothering as it is on practically every item on the menu." But is Jack-n-Grill as good as it used to be?

Says Denver Dave:

No question that this place knows how to make some righteous New Mexican food and I used to be their biggest fan because, being a New Mexico boy, I miss the native cuisine. It's pretty much Jack-n-Grill or Little Anita's up here. Sadly, their expansion aspirations (at least that's what I'm blaming) have resulted in very inconsistent food and service at the "mother ship" and we've crossed it off our go-to list.

Have you been to the original Jack-n-Grill lately? What do you think of its food? Its green chile?

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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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