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mexican but from NEW MEXICO

looking for mexican but the way they do it in the state of NEW MEXICO. I believe
green chile or something to that effect.
its not your typical mexican or cali-mex or tex-mex, its i guess something
of a niche, just wondering if there's anything like it in so. cal but especially
in the SFV, BURBANK, GLENDALE areas?

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  1. Last summer I went to New Mexico for a week and didn't think I'd like New Mexican cuisine, but after tasting it I couldn't get enough. I found out there's a difference between northern and southern New Mexican and Tex-Mex. Its about the sauce-they use green and red chiles and grind them up and season with oregano, cumin, garlic and whatever.

    Only place I found here is Anita's New Mexico Style Mexican Food to be the most authentic. They've also got sopaipilla (fry bread).

    Anita's New Mexico Style Mexican Food
    600 S Harbor Blvd
    Fullerton, CA 92832
    (714) 525-0977

    4 Replies
    1. re: monku

      sorry, but as a near-native new mexican, anita's just doesn't cut it. i've been there when i was absolutely delerious with need for some green and left disappointed (interesting fact: the new mexico state question is "red or green?"). In NM, anita's is a second-rate chain. Here, it isn't even on the map. it has long been my pet peeve that you can hardly book a SW airlines flight from LAX to ABQ because they're so crowded, but you can't find a single decent representation of NM food in LA.

      1. re: FED

        Count me in as one who never quite understood Anita's. I didn't think the food was all that great.

        1. re: FED

          As a Native New Mexican raised on the stuff, I can say that Anita's is the best you are going to do in the area. I would say it compares to an average diner/family restaurant in Albuquerque. Clearly it would not be your top choice there. However, to the informed taste bud there are several dishes that evoke the Land of Enchantment rather well. The carne adovada is hands down excellent, and the chile verde is pretty good too. These are your best bets. However, if you don't "get" this style of cuisine it will be difficult to judge the quality.

          BTW, "Little Anita's" is a second-rate chain in NM. The Anita's in Fullerton is owned by a local family and has nothing whatsoever to do with that chain.

          1. re: stuffed

            On my last trip to visit friends in ABQ, my favorite things to eat were all the regular stuff we'd find here in LA, but with a liberal blanketing of green chiles, especially hamburgers and breakfast burritos.

      2. This topic has come up periodically over the years. IIRC, other than Anita's, which Monku linked, there really isn't a good selection of New Mexico-style places in the LA area. I certainly haven't heard of any in the Glendale/Burbank/SFV areas.

        2 Replies
        1. re: DanaB

          The Sonora Cafe on La Brea features food with "New Mexico" flavors. Not cheap, but good.

          1. re: DanaB

            Nor have I... the people who run restaurants in the SFV tend to be, er, Mexican, not New Mexican. Anita's is one of the few places I know that specialises in it -- and they have the advantage of being cheap.

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              1. Alas, unless you're will to drive down to Fullerton, you're probably stuck making your own food at home.

                I'd posted about this last fall (Hatch harvest time) and the lovely Hounds here led me to Albertson's supermarkets! Yes, in the ASIAN section of the frozen food aisle, you can find frozen Bueno green chiles (mild or hot) and Bueno posole. (Don't ask me why they put it there. It surprised me too!)

                I lived in NM in the mid-80s and my father still lives there, so we have to get our fill when we visit him. In between, I have to make my own green chile stew at home. Call your mama and get her recipe!

                2 Replies
                1. re: Reeter1

                  Wow,I'm going to go check my Albertsons tomorrow,i hope they do that down here,thanks for the tip.

                  1. re: Reeter1

                    i highly recommend the autumn roast bueno green chile over the regular green. The autumn roast has more of the roasted flavor of truly fine green chile. I buy a couple tubs every time i go to Albertsons in hopes they will keep stocking the magic green chile.