Audio By Carbonatix
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up, in no particular order, a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com.
Number 49: Adobada gordita from Tacos Y Salsas
Our go-to Tacos Y Salsas, on that strip of Federal Boulevard paved with mobile taco trucks and taquerias, is the kind of bright-colored (canary yellow), slightly seedy, fluorescently-lit, stridently loud and magnificently good Mexican pit stop that every neighborhood wishes would take the place of the loser food hut on the corner.
The salsa bar, even when it’s messy, which is often, deserves its own Facebook fan page. The counter seats wobble and teeter, just as they should, and the menu, studded with street tacos, Mexican breakfasts of chorizo and eggs, smothered burritos, delicious al pastor and piña quesadillas swollen with cheese, is exactly what you’d expect from an honest-to-Jesús Mexican joint. But it’s the gordita, a shell of masa stuffed with melted white cheese, guacamole, usually lettuce (but not today) and intensely-flavored carne adobada, the nubs of crisp-edged, marinated pork dyed vividly orange with powerful chiles, that makes us hope that this is what they serve in heaven.
Hungry for more? The dishes in our countdown thus far are linked below:
No. 100 Chicken-fried steak from Lola
No. 99 Alaskan reindeer sausage from Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs
No. 98 Mac-and-cheese fries from Jonesy’s EatBar
No. 97 Soft egg ravioli from Prima
No. 96 Pho – any pho — from Pho 95
No. 95 Assiette de charcuterie maison from Z Cuisine À Côté
No. 94: Cheeseburger from Larkburger
No. 93: BBQ Masher from Cabin Creek Smokehouse
No. 92: Apple pancake from the Original Pancake House
No. 91: Burrata from Osteria Marco
No. 90: Eggs Benedict from Devil’s Food Bakery
No. 89: Chile Relleno from La Fiesta
No. 88: Deviled eggs from Steuben’s
No. 87: Corn-in-a-cup from Jack-n- Grill
No. 86: Enchiladas from Taco House
No. 85: Pupusas from Pupusas Sabor Hispano
No. 84: Baklava from Ali Baba Grill
No. 83: Masa-fried oyster shooters from Deluxe
No. 82: Tacos al pastor from Los Carboncitos
No. 81: Salsa bar from Tacos Y Salsas
No. 80: Dim Sum from Star Kitchen
No. 79: Green chile cheeseburger from Cherry Cricket
No. 78: Fries from Encore
No. 77: Shanghai-style dumplings from Chopsticks China Bistro
No. 76: Chile relleno burrito from El Taco de Mexico
No. 75: Fish fry from GB Fish and Chips
No. 74: Posole from Tarasco’s
No. 73: Sausage, ham and egg biscuit from Table 6
No. 72: Bacon flight from the Berkshire
No. 71: Tasty Treats from Gaetano’s
No. 70: French dip from Udi’s
No. 69: Panang curry from US Thai Cafe
No. 68: Pineapple upside-down pancake from Snooze
No. 67: Saag paneer from India’s
No. 66: Udon noodle bowl from Bones
No. 65: Grilled corn soup from Lola
No. 64: Sesame pockets from Lee’s Garden
No. 63: Whiskey-braised beef from Steuben’s
No. 62: House special from Viet’s
No. 61: Sultan Combo from Phoenician Kabob
No. 60: Cake and a shake from D Bar Desserts
No. 59: Caprese salad from Gaia Bistro
No. 58: Fried chicken from Tom’s Home Cookin’
No. 57: Molcajete a la Mexicana from El Paraiso
No. 56: Corned beef hash from Argyll Gastropub
No. 55: Aye Conyo from Buchi Café Cubano
No. 54: Fig n’ pig flatbread pizza from Encore
No. 53: Toro sashimi from Sushi Den
No. 52: Spinach pinwheels from Virgilio’s
No. 51: Chicken-fried steak from the Breakfast King
No. 50: Hot dog with hot sauce from from the Old Fashioned Italian Deli
