Reader: Enjoy Green Chile — It Shouldn't Be a Negative Competition!

Mark Antonation came to Colorado the same year that John Elway did, and one of the Texas native's early food discoveries was green chile, in all of its regional versions. He recently wrote about some of those green chile variations — and all their delicious differences. "What I’ve learned over the years almost has...

By Westword Staff

July 17, 2016

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Mark Antonation came to Colorado the same year that John Elway did, and one of the Texas native's early food discoveries was green chile, in all of its regional versions. He recently wrote about some of those green chile variations — and all their delicious differences. "What I’ve learned over the years almost has more to do with the residents of those locations than it does with the sauce itself," he says. "People defend their cities’ recipes and ingredients with a fierceness and inflexibility usually reserved for politics and religion. For most, the green chile they grew up with is the only green chile, and all other styles are weak impostors."

Agrees Eileen:

I love what I do and the fact that there are many different options is great. Just like with wine or beer, everyone has one they like the best. ENJOY IT. It shouldn't be a negative competition.

But Daniel disagrees:

Colorado green chile is disgusting. I call it chilly gravy. It make your burrito taste like the bottom of a popcorn bucket. Some places can't even clean their fire-roasted chiles correctly, so you're eating char gravy with pigfat. If it ain't green, don't call it green chile.

Responds Wesley:

Cue people from other states acting like everything is better elsewhere, coming from people who moved away from said places.

Meanwhile, Therese loves the one she's with:

I'm at Brewery II bar right now eating a bowl of chile and loving it!

What's your favorite style of green chile? Where do you go to get it?

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.