At most Mexican restaurants, a complimentary basket of tortilla chips and salsa is brought to the table as soon as a party is seated. Rojas doesn't seem to do chips. There was a basket, but instead of chips, it was filled with folded strips of soft, warm flour tortillas and two small cups thin, mild green chile that, despite its name and eponymous ingredient, is actually orange. And what's the start of a Mexican meal without margaritas to go with the chips and salsa, or in this case, "strips and salsa"? Rojas's version was potent, flavorful and served in large goblets.
At most Mexican restaurants, the chili con queso should probably be called queso con chili -- because it is usually a bowl of melted cheese with a few pieces of diced chile. At Rojas, the chili con queso lives up to its name. Wedges of soft flour tortillas (again) surround a hefty portion of mild white cheese (probably queso blanco) heated to stretchiness and generously topped with sliced Pueblo chiles. The menu features the usual suspects: enchiladas, tacos, chilis rellenos, tamales, etc., plus gorditos, nopales and a few other dishes that rarely appear on any Mexican restaurant menus -- in Colorado anyway.
At most Mexican restuarants, enchiladas are a popular dish. At Rojas, my three chicken enchiladas were bathed in a subtle sauce and topped by a mix of yellow and orange cheeses that melted together in a marble-like swirl. And at most Mexican restaurants, combination plates are a staple for people like my husband who like several items and don't want to be tied down to just one at a time. He actually had his heart set on chilis rellenos, but Rojas was out of them -- not having replenished them from the holiday weeked crowd. His combination consisted of a chicken gordito and a beef taco practically filling the main plate (below) and a tamale on a separate dish on the side. The gordito was a large, thick corn tortilla with the chicken. Double-layered, flat and filled, it is best pictured as a Mexican hybrid between a pupusa and a pita. Both entrées included a pile of flavored rice, a blob of smooth refried beans and some shredded iceberg lettuce and a bit of diced tomato. These accompaniments are just like most Mexican restaurants in Colorado.
The large dining room in this in-town location has widely spaced tables, many set up for the large groups that seemingly frequent the restaurant. Objets de Mexique decorate the walls, and Mexican music fills the air. The waiter was attentive, and when we were too stuffed to finish our generous portions, the bill was amazingly low.
Price Check: Appetizers and soups, $5.99-$7.99; salads, $6.99-$7.99; entrées at lunch and dinner, $7.79-$12.99, desserts, $3.99-$5.99. The menu also lists El Burrito Loco for $12.99, promising it free for anyone who can finish it. I cannot even imagine how big that must be. Rojas also serves breakfast (entrées, $4.99-$6.99) and offers lunch specials (10 items, $6.39 including a soft drink).
Rojas Restaurante Mexicano is located on the edge of downtown Pueblo just east of I-25 at 126 East Fourth Street; 719-543-1055. A second Rojas is on US 50, west of Pueblo.
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8 comments:
Just wanted to let you know that I love your blog! I'm moving to the Denver area in the fall and can't wait to try your recommendations. Thanks for writing!
I've said it before and I'll say it again ... Pueblo has some amazing food. I will look for this place sometime when I'm there.
Having recently returned from Mexico, I'm struck by how often our restaurants erroneously label their concoctions Mexican cuisine. Mexico, like the U.S., Italy, France, and many other countries, has definite regional cuisines.
The Pueblo restaurant falls into the category of so many, including most in New Mexico, of throwing a hash on a plate and calling it authentic, although gorditas are the authentic "state dish" of Zacatecas.
The meal that Rojas presented might be common in Chihuahua but certainly not in Veracruz. To seek out regional Mexican cuisine north of the border, you really have to hustle. One of my favorites is Los Potrillos on Cerillos in Santa Fe. They have specialties from many Mexican states as well as "the usual." I wish there were more.
Are those homemade tortillas?
Sally - The Rojas family is from Durango. The gorditos, chilis rellenos and tamales are home-made, using Mama's recipes. The other more standard dishes are, as you suggest, what many Americans expect in "Mexican" restaurants. The various regional cuisines of China -- sometimes Americanized rendizitions -- are smililarly mooshed together in many "Chinese" restaurants. Authenticy is often sacrificed in favor of what customers raised on Taco Bell, Panda Cafe and Olive Garden expect. Still, restaurants can serve well-prepared versions of "the usual," and if my enchiladas were any indication, that's what Rojas offers.
Beatrice - They do not make their own torillas. They buy them from Tortilleria Delicias, 926 South Santa Fe Avenue, Pueblo; 719-296-8499.
I don't care whats authentic and whats not as long as it tastes good.
We just came back from NM and stopped at Rojas for lunch. Great suggestion, so thank you. - Terry
I have never been to Rojas but that tortilleria is muy bueno.
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