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El Efrains!

Sunday, April 7, 2013


Within Boulder County exist three locations where individuals can enjoy authentic, quality Mexican food at cheap prices accompanied by treasured laughs.  Boulder natives know that I am of course talking about Efrains, the mystical family-run trio of restaurants in Boulder, Longmont, and Lafayette that serves up volcanic burritos, chile verde, chimichangas, quadruple-deck quesadillas, and tears induced from spice and laughter alike.  Yesterday took us to Efrains II in Boulder, with Griffin's cousin in from Baton Rouge and in need of some real Coloradan food.


Griffin, his mom, brother, cousin, myself, and his cousin's friends trekked out to near the Stazio ballfields on a historic voyage to el Efrains.  The service was mediocre, the wait fairly long, and our fellow customers represented an amalgamation of the diverse crowd existing on the boundary between the People's Republic and the real world.  Adventurous Louisiana natives as they were, Griffin's cousin and her friends tried delicacies such as the chicken chimichanga and a burrito filled with a "chef's surprise."  However, one of the friends and myself went for it all: the Efrain's 'Famous' chile verde bowl, consisting simply of pork and simmered chilies in a watery soup.  The bowl was a ten out of ten on the heat scale, and an inquiry into how spicy it really was to our waiter warranted a memorable response describing a dish that indeed was spicy but was "edible."  Not to turn down such a challenge, we had to go for it.


The chile verde bowl was a revelation in many ways, not all of them positive.  My chapped lips burned following the liquid consumption of straight chilies cooked freshly in the kitchen.  Not a large pork fan, I went mostly for the chile, and while it really was hot, I did enjoy the heat level.  However, my stomach could not be said to be pleased following the meal and into the night.  Constant rumblings and groanings reminded me of the experience I had gone through.  It should be noted that few complaints were uttered, and the experience was tackled with verve.  I highly encourage a visit to Efrains, a must-try in Boulder for any fan of Mexican food.


I will close with an accompanying haiku:

El Efrains


Chile Verde Bowl

not just for the faint of heart

character builder


Until next time,


Political Science • Boulder, Colorado

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